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
Provide: The motto of business in the new economy
As the year winds up, I thought I’d write about another aspect of what we’re trying to do at Holton Studio—about our greater mission and purpose as a business. Because with the economy in a shambles, I believe it’s time businesses think in a fundamen... continue reading.
Re-framing Thaddeus Welch
Thaddeus Welch (1844-1919) was one of the great historic California landscape painters. This classic bucolic hillside scene by Welch came in recently, the customer looking to free it from a typical period compo frame which he rightly judged to be pretentious and unsuita... continue reading.
Re-framing a Sydney Yard Watercolor
A follow-up to the last entry, here’s a wonderful example of a watercolor by one of California’s premiere early watercolorists, Sydney Janis Yard (1855-1909). This is a frame we’ve used before, for other, similar California watercolors — by Percy Gre... continue reading.
Framing Historic California Watercolors
We’ve recently had the pleasure of framing several watercolors by notable California artists working in the early twentieth century. Maynard Dixon (1875-1946): Chris Jorgensen (1838-1876): William S. Rice (1873-1963): Marjorie Stevens (1902-1992; available through... continue reading.
Sharon Calahan Medals in OPA Western Regional!
Sharon Calahan came home from the Oil Painters of America Western Regional Exhibition this weekend with a Bronze Medal! Her painting is “June Pasture,” 20″ x 40″. We had framed it in a quartersawn white oak compound flat with carved sight edge. C... continue reading.
A Chamfered Mirror
John Ruskin wrote, “to those who love Architecture, the life and accent of the hand are everything.” One age-old kind of handwork is chamfering, and its application to frames is one of the greatest joys in my work. This is a quartersawn white oak mirror I ju... continue reading.
Real Wealth: Steve Jobs and Handcraft
Steve Jobs and handcraft are not two things we naturally associate with each other. But they should be. Allow me to explain. Big news in the business world this week is Jobs stepping down from Apple. One story about this that played on the radio caught my attention, as ... continue reading.
James McGrew
We’re excited to be welcoming James McGrew to the Gallery. A passionate explorer and painter of Yosemite National Park, James has spent a lifetime (well, his life so far) capturing the Park’s magnificent natural beauty. We’re featuring his plein air wo... continue reading.
Framing a Pamela Glasscock Watercolor
We just framed a set of three floral watercolors by northern California artist Pamela Glasscock. To marry the delicate images with a Craftsman interior, we couldn’t do better than our old standby, the Yoshida frame. Made in machiche, a tropical hardwood (sustainab... continue reading.