A Frame-Maker’s Journal
Updates and reflections on our work and mission to revive the art and craft of framing pictures. Here I'll show you new jobs we're especially proud of and keep you up on what's going on at the Gallery, as well as discuss topics germane to our work, including handcraft and work generally, the place of art, and ideals of the Arts and Crafts Movement (especially its greatest leaders, John Ruskin and William Morris).
I hope you’ll subscribe (see the form in the left column) or at least check back often. And I welcome your comments!
—Tim Holton
The Light Falls: Framing William Seltzer Rice
I’ve written before (in this post, for example) about the unique opportunity for harmony that exists between a block print and a wooden frame: the carving of the face of the frame can create not only an effective profile for the presentation of the print but can a... continue reading.
Re-Framing N.C. Wyeth
Here’s a feather in our cap—or our cowboy hat. We had the honor this month of getting to make a frame for a painting by N.C. Wyeth (American, 1882-1945). The oil on canvas, titled “Ahead Rode a Keen-Eyed Man,” 11″ x 36″, was made in 1908 ... continue reading.
An “O” for Odetta
A little rounding off can make a frame a kind of “O,” so it seemed clear how this poster, “O is for Odetta,” should be framed. The 21″ x 15″ silkscreen is by long time Berkeley High School art teacher Miriam Klein Stahl, and is one of... continue reading.
Framing Angel Espoy
Two thirds of the Earth is ocean, so as land animals, our lives as humans are framed by the sea. Angel Espoy (Spain and California, 1879-1963) was a sailor and merchant marine and even a ship’s captain, and so knew his subject for this painting well. Not only that... continue reading.
Framing a Norbertine von Bresslern-Roth Linocut
This is a linoleum block print by Norbertine von Bresslern-Roth (Austria, 1891-1978), who some regard as the greatest twentieth century European animal artist. The untitled 8″ x 9-1/8″ linocut of three greyhounds is dated 1926. Bresslern-Roth beautifully cap... continue reading.
Framing an Antique Textile
Not much is known about this stitched piece, but it was clearly made in the early twentieth century. It came to us with a raw edge, so evidently never saw any use or enjoyed presentation of any kind. We had it stretched and gave the 21″ x 20″ work a 3″... continue reading.
Framing Paul Roehl’s “Overcast Sky”
As part of our current gallery showcase of larger paintings, “The Mighty Earth,” we’ve framed Paul Roehl‘s beautifully moody “Overcast” (oil on board, 20″ x 24″). The quartersawn white oak frame, made by Trevor Davis, is a... continue reading.
Framing Toshi Yoshida and the Wings of Love
This rare large (13″ x 17-1/2″) woodblock print made by Toshi Yoshida in 1994, “Dance of Eternal Love,” is an extraordinary and inspired image which my customer and I saw fit to play up in the framing by adapting the form of the expressively spre... continue reading.
Framing Peet’s Coffee and Mr Peet’s Place In the Living Legacy of the Arts and Crafts Movement In Berkeley
My last post celebrated 50 years of Chez Panisse by featuring two recently framed David Lance Goines posters made for the restaurant. Here, also recently framed, is another poster by Mr Goines, this one made in 2010 for another world-renowned North Berkeley food establi... continue reading.