I am now set up in the studio after the closing of the retail location of Coventry Gallery and Framing. Though the loss of the storefront had reduced the number of clients who might walk in my door, I’ve turned to specializing in the truly unique designs of custom frames. I’ll still do the usual framing, cleaning of frames, glass replacement, and other related tasks, and now I do them at a much lower cost, thanks to the lower cost of operation I get from working in a studio. This frame, however, shows how special and creative we can get with your work.
This frame expands on the sculpting of the corners I wrote about in a framing article last year. The difference this time is that I use the sculpting material to create decorative elements on the frame itself. This is something you cannot buy at any big box frame shop, nor can you get it at most any smaller shop. You will never be able to pick something like this off of a wall: It requires imagination on the part of the framer (rare as it is, I possess the creative requirements) as well as a client who is open to new and exciting ideas.
I began with the usual frame elements, mat and frame color were chosen in an alternating pattern of dark and light in order to create a rhythm that not only pulled the eye from the frame to the art, but took into account the room as well. This frame was the bridge between room décor and artwork which ensured that the two belonged to each other. Most framers are tied to their design counters and refuse to design for the room. In contrast, it is my philosophy that part of a frame’s purpose is to become an important element in the harmony of a space, especially when we are talking about a living space. Living spaces require that certain harmony in its furnishings and elements in order to provide its inhabitants with a sense of unity and comfort and “home”.
The frame I chose has a heavy, sculpted texture. This presents much the same problems in the corners as I described in my last article, where I talk about corner matching on these detailed mouldings. Some sculpting would be required. The exception was that this time, rather than try to blend the sculpt in and make it invisible, I was going to hand-sculpt artistic embellishments into the frame, giving it a unique look that transformed this above-average, yet typical frame design into a work of art all on its own.
The piece itself is an out of circulation print by Jhonen Vasquez. The style is fun and creepy all at the same time, and the sculpted elements I was to add to the frame should match the feel of the art. In each corner I sculpted a little cartoon-like skull, covering the uneven join of the moulding, and using much the same techniques as I had in previous corner-sculpts. Unlike before, these elements protruded out from the frame, rather than filled in the recesses and gaps. I was concerned about them possibly being too easy to knock off, damaging the work I’d be doing.
To resolve this, I modified slightly how the elements would be attached. Each skull was sculpted separate from the frame itself. I then drilled two small holes on either side of the join at the corner and inserted a tiny nail into each. This is an old technique I’ve used in model-making, called pinning. It strengthens the hold where you attach two components. This is also a technique I tend to use to hold together the corners of any custom frame: the pins work with the glue to prevent shifting and breaking the bond.
Once the pins were in place, I applied a judicious amount of slip (very wet clay) to the spot where the skulls would be attached. It then pressed the still soft clay sculptures onto the pins and into the slip. The slip and the pins should be enough to hold these sculpted elements in place. Once dry, I primed and painted the skulls in the same way I would on a normal corner-sculpt, matching the colors of the frame exactly with dark color in the recessed areas and the rusty mahogany breaking through on the raised areas.
Once the colors were matched, however, all of my work disappeared. You had to look closely to detect the unique elements of the frame. So I mixed a batch of paint to match the light, cream of the design’s color scheme and lightly drybrushed it over the sculpted corners only. The light dust of pigment provided just the perfect highlights, revealing the subtle texture of the sculpting material and draws the viewer’s attention to the fact that this piece is special, without actually distracting from the art. A final, protective clear coat was all that was required to finish off the piece.
I had given myself plenty of time to complete the job, as I anticipated there might be problems. However, the entire process went off without a hitch, and I was pleased with the results. With the extra time, I decided I would add one more sculpted element to the frame. I pulled my hardbound copy of JTHM from the shelf (I keep my original comics out of reach of greasy fingers!) and flipped through the pages for inspiration. From there, I observed Vasquez’s character, “Nailbunny”. Using the same process as with the skulls, I added this character to the frame, further tying everything together more tightly.
This is what you can expect from a framer like myself: the creative and unusual. I may not be in an easy to find store front, but I am still making the highest quality custom frames you can find in
It just doesn’t get any better than that for you. Give me a call today at (916) 912-7009, or email me at erick@erickveil.com and get more frame for less money.
0 comments:
Post a Comment