The Framers Forum

Hello!

This introduction may get lengthy, apologies in advance!

My name is Wayne Ashworth, I am an artist from Preston, Lancs. I used to work at The Original Art Shop in St Georges Preston for 28 years until the gallery went under on Oct 1st, 2018, myself and framing colleague only found out that very morning that we were being made redundant.
I used to love my job! Anyways, long story (kind of) short, I invested in a load of framing equipment with some of my redundancy money (when I finally got it off the government) this included a rather lovely danclip guillotine, a bench-end guillotine, pedal operated underpinner, cassese underpinner, glass cutter...a load of moulding, glass etc, I even managed to contact the liquidators that handles the liquidation of the gallery where I worked and between them and the shopping centre I managed to salvage thousands of pounds worth of abandoned materials from the artshop where I worked, mountboards, mouldings, small pieces of equipments, fittings, tables...everything I could ever dream of! It was the best end to a particularly nasty episode of my life.

Now I am setting up a small framing business where I now live in Carnforth, there's only the glass cutter left to sort out. It's been just over a year since I was made redundant, and I have framed several small items since setting up most of the workshop and it feels amazing. When I was at school I never imagined being a picture framer but it became such a large part of my life, being an artist I was able to frame my work in gorgeous frames etc, when I was made redundant all of that was gone. Now I am able to do it all again and better than before.

When I worked at the artshop I would see my boss on this forum...but I never felt I could join back then, as I was always 'just' the framer ('why have a dog and bark yourself? 'was his favourite phrase)...but I realise now that without the skills that my colleague and I possessed my boss wouldn't have had a business.
I hate to sound bitter in my introduction, but I was so angry for so long and I realise now that I was always able to join up to this forum, I just regret not doing it earlier.

I am usually vastly more hilarious than this!

Thanks for having me.

Greetings and Welcome.

All hilarities gratefully received.

Welcome Wayne
You seemed to have worked hard at setting up your new business, I hope it works out for you, throw as many questions our way as you like, sure someone on here will help you out
Best of luck

Hello Wayne and welcome to the FF

Life constantly throws curved balls and unpleasant stuff and I find it's better to put it behind you asap and not to dwell.

I try to do as W Churchill suggests and keep "buggering on"

Looking forward to some hilarities.

Peter.

Thanks for the warm welcome!


I was weighing up joining...and thought go on, you only live once!
Thanks for the kind words also.

I am gonna have a poke around and see what are the hottest topics going on this forum, no doubt I will suffer envy over your underpinners and point guns

Don't be daft, Wayne...you don't sound at all bitter (bitter people aren't usually that self-aware, for a start).

You've just had your eyes opened as to how valuable your skills and hard work are. Conversely, you'll now totally appreciate all the stuff your ex-boss had to shoulder!

Sounds like you'll be more than fine: you know the job....and you obviously have a natural business acumen (and bounce-back-ability), as you salvaged all the valuable stuff from the business (as opposed to feeling sorry for yourself, as a lot would have done in that position).

Anyway, welcome to the pleasure dome. You sound like a fine addition to the ranks, if I may say so.

All the best, fella - see you around the boards.

Paul

Hi Wayne and welcome to the forum,

It looks like you've already been through the school of hard knocks, but things can be much different from now on and may I wish you success with your new business. You already know how to frame, but maybe you want to ask a few business related questions and there are very many experienced framers on this forum, who will be more than able to answer your questions if you have any. You may even be answering questions for others and that's how it all works here. I hope that you will enjoy being one of the gang.