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
Framing Bill Cone and “Beloved California”
Our annual all-gallery show, “Beloved California,” opens in two weeks, and we’re down to the last few frames. So I thought I’d put up a few posts talking about the framing. We’ve been exploring some new directions, and this show offered the... continue reading.
Framing Portrait Photography by Nan Phelps
Tomorrow night I’ll be giving a small, informal talk at the studio of Nan Phelps, an exceptional portrait photographer I’ve known and admired for decades. The subject of the talk will be the value and method of framing photographs, and the practice of frame-... continue reading.
Framing Jose Gutierrez Solana
We framed this historical European painting for the Hispanic Society of America, just in time for it to be included in a significant show, “Endless Enigma: Eight Centuries of Fantastic Art,” that just opened last night at the David Zwirner Gallery in New Yor... continue reading.
A Blurb on Framing “The Lark”
For a couple of years in San Francisco’s early decades, Gelett Burgess published a little literary magazine called The Lark—and a bit of a lark it was. Its first issue, which came out May 1, 1895, included the piece of writing Burgess was best known for, “... continue reading.
The Studio at Twenty-Five: Still (Happily) Framing Patricia Curtan and Chez Panisse
We just framed this exquisite linoleum block print, “Figs,” by one of my favorite Berkeley artists, Patricia Curtan, and it’s a lovely bit of nostalgia for me as we approach our 25th anniversary in August. “Figs” is an illustration for Chez... continue reading.
Framing Meyer Straus and a Land of Hopeful Immigrants
For power and charm of capturing a historical moment, this painting by early San Francisco artist Meyer Straus (1831-1905) is hard to beat. It’s another we framed for North Point Gallery, whose current exhibit, “Historical Artists of the East Bay” is ... continue reading.
Artisan Ted Ellison to Speak Tonight on Progressive American Mosaic Fireplaces
We’re eagerly anticipating tonight’s gallery event, as we host stained glass and mosaic artist Theodore Ellison and his talk “Progressive American Mosaic Fireplaces.” The presentation will be a heartfelt appreciation, by a practitioner of the art... continue reading.
A Simple Home for Another William Keith painting
My last post, here, showed a painting by William Keith (1838-1911) of Lagunitas Creek and Mount Tamalpais in Marin County. The picture, currently on view up the street at North Point Gallery as part of its show “Historical Artists of the East Bay, includes a quiet... continue reading.
“This Is the Place for Art”: How William Keith Framed the Legacy of Painting in the Bay Area
Another painting we framed and which is now on display at the North Point Gallery (along with the pieces that were subject of my last two posts) as part of its show “Historical Artists of the East Bay” is by William Keith (1838-1911), an artist considered no... continue reading.