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 Craft: Avi’s Fuming Box
Oak contains tannins which, when exposed to ammonia fumes, darken the wood. Enclose an oak frame in a box with dishes of ammonia and you get 400 years of aging overnight. This frame on Paul Roehl’s painting, “Spring Coast Range,” at right, is fumed. Oi... continue reading.
Harvest
Autumn has its distinctive palette, and it’s no surprise to see the extraordinary colorist Tia Kratter capture it masterfully. We just framed up her “Harvest,” setting the 10″ x 13″ watercolor in a 2″ walnut slope with sight edge cush... continue reading.
More Gustave Baumann Prints
Wednesday’s post showed a Gustave Baumann print, “The Dooryards,” which we framed close. Here are three more woodblocks by Baumann we framed, all matted. I never get tired of serving that artist’s blithe spirit. (See other Baumann examples on the... continue reading.
Window on the Dooryards: Framing another Gustave Baumann Print
This is a woodcut made in 1910 by Gustave Baumann (1881-1971) titled “The Dooryards,” (9-1/8″ x 13-1/4″). The lightly stained walnut frame is 2-1/2″ wide, and has a 1/8″ pale gold slip. The frame profile is basically flat, but has a s... continue reading.
Another Simple Home for a Charles Rollo Peters Moonlit Adobe
I seem to have a theme going. Today’s post is my third in a row featuring a painting of an adobe. This one, an oil on canvas titled “Moonlight Adobe,” (no date; 20″ x 30″) depicts a simple dwelling dating from the era of Spanish and Mexican set... continue reading.
Framing the Old Church in Las Trampas
Here’s a watercolor we framed earlier this year. Signed “M. Fitzgerald” (the artist is a friend of our customer), the 13″ x 15″ painting depicts San Jose de Gracia Church in Las Trampas, New Mexico. The church, a national historic landmark,... continue reading.
A Carved and Painted Frame for Marion Kavanagh Wachtel
This is a watercolor by Pasadena artist Marion Kavanagh Wachtel (1870-1954), “Walpi – On the First Mesa” n.d. (after 1904), 13-3/4″ x 18″. The 2-1/2″ wide flat frame profile is in fumed quarter sawn white oak. I incised a simple line pattern, out... continue reading.
Highlighting Inga Poslitur
During our last show, visitors walking in the door were often stopped in their tracks by one of the larger paintings directly facing the entrance, a field of poppies titled “California Superbloom.” This perfect welcome to “California Wildflowers”... continue reading.
Framing Heinrich Carl’s “The Oakes”
Another “printable” frame for a woodblock, as was the frame in my last post. This one’s for a print made around 1920 by the little-known Heinrich Carl. The image size of “The Oakes” is about 10-1/2″ x 8″. For its muted palette, ... continue reading.