So for the last couple of weeks, I’ve been doing something the same, but different. I have been restoring another pretty gigantic frame, but this time not in the comfort of my own workshop- surrounded by those I love and the equipment I am most likely to need at a moments notice.
Instead, I was down in Elie. Alright. It’s hardly earthshattering- it’s just down the road, but when you need to pack your things for every eventuality; that’s when you are sure to come up short on one of the eventualities.
My client, an Edinburgh picture dealer, had a Georgian frame, circa 1805, in need of restoration. While the surface was original, it was very badly chipped in many places through to the gesso and wood. The client wanted as much of the old surface kept as possible and for the frame to have a distressed finish. A particularly attractive feature of the frame was the presence of scalloped shells in the corners - except that three of them were missing! Also, the sides of the frame presented some problems; due to the way the frame had been constructed with two layers of wood sandwiched together; the structure had weakened over time and faultline cracks were appearing through to the gesso all round the sides.
- Please Check out Edinburgh based georgianprints.co.uk for a great selection of beautiful rare and antique art work
When the sizable Hougomont first arrived at West Muiracambus, the first task was to remove the frame and brown paper backing, to see what contition the canvas was in underneath.
This is truly when the fun began. As soon as the back was removed it became apparent that back of The Hugomont’s canvas was covered in mould…
One Last Console Post… I’m delighted at how pleased my client was. No matter how happy I am myself with a piece- it always delights me when the person I am doing work for is thrilled with what I have done for them. It is good to know, and I am grateful that people appreciate what I do and are willing to wait for my work, even though it could be months. Doing something right, is far more important than doing something fast.
I’m not going to go into the nitty gritty. Needless to say Events transpire. Some we would rather not transpire. Especially unfortunate ones which transpire when we’re trying to get to the end of a very long project…
Resulting in me taking a crash course in the a-fore mentioned verre eglomise, a fancy French way of saying- reverse gilding onto glass.
Someone came up with this nonce idea of journaling my workdays in so that I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. I thought it was pretty stupid, until I made the same mistake a fourth and fifth time, making it pretty hard to progress further with work. It got me thinking- since I only have £18 left in my account this month and can’t afford to go out- I might as well give it a whirl.
As usual I’m playing catch up here on the blog front. Time is flying by. And I’m sure that particular point hasn’t passed any of you in the process. So in that theme, of the more recent-(ish, as in August/ September) projects I had on the go was restoring frames, and reframing work for the newly refurbished Kilconquhar Inn. Our new Locael (did I mention I moved?). But not before work on the project was complete.
Sometimes it’s hard to face the day. It’s somehow harder when the monster frame you put together touching on three years ago, with varying difficulty, show’s up again at your door.
It’s been yet another shockingly long time since I update this page. But so it is. I have been trying to think of something fascinating to fill in the blank Word page and equally as a follow up to my last word- dump.
So I have chosen this. A gift I have made for my friends… a restored 18thC frame with a double aperture mount to show off their beautiful children. It’s a bit showy and bling but that’s the point.
I'm a big fan of fine photography. So it suited me well going AWOL for a couple of weeks into the inner more depths of Fife shire, to assist Travel and landscape photographer Alex Lindsay and his most trusted mounter Terry, in preparation for his up and coming exhibition in Capetown.
As we have hit 2019 its time to catch up with the loose ends. In my previous edition I promised all you ardent readers of ‘Framing Fans 2018’ that the next post would provide an in depth insight into 'making your own linen mount’. So fear no more as the 2019 episode is hear. And making a sensational linen mount is exactly what we are going to do.
It’s always a great joy when a customer is openly happy to hear that you hand finish frames according to their own specifications and art works. Rather than puzzled looks while their eyes glance rapidly around my chaotic workshop for some hint of a ready- made cornice.
Sometimes it can take a long time to find the appropriate way forward for a work… Not everyone has the patience for this. But some people want the right idea and insist on waiting for the right pieces to fall together, and indeed this can be an interesting job to work on. Even if it has taken well over a year to get going!
The past few weeks I have really enjoyed being part of the Fife Historic Buildins Trust project to renovate the Cupar Burgh Chambers, and all of the challenges and rewards that came with it….
David Wilkie is known for his warm portraits and everyday scenes, many of which we can see taking part in our local area such as ‘the Fair at Pitlessie' I had the delight of making a Rosewood finish frame with oil gilded inner slip for my favourite Wilkie painting; the stunning self portrait, as well as the portrait of the artists parents
… And Why does this bloke Vicenzo Lunardi deserve the Grandeur of Gilt? A Gothic Sand Gilt Frame. Believe it or not this is a thing. And straightforward as it looks in appearance, the assembly and occurance is indeed rather complex. And the final article is traditionally used for early prints and engravings, as it is being used in this instance
.... ish. But this is What I did. And it isn't always pretty. So if you don't like the thought of your frame being thrown on the ground to achieve a desired effect. Stop reading here.
Question.
Why would you want to make a frame look as though it was falling apart. You might ask and be well within your right because it does sound a bit mad.
However as mentioned in an earlier post- my latest challenge is to make appropriate works which will authentically reflect the original art works and the space the works will be hung in. Therefore this classic frame, which you may recognise cropping up many times before, is being used here to Frame an ‘old Map of Cupar’.
This week’s feature is a really a collection by a local gentleman from Anstruther, who has recently discovered an avid interest in painting- swearing not to stop plastering oil on canvas until his wall is decorated entirely with little rectangular musings of the East Neuk of Fife.
It’s good to leave a good long space of time between jobs. As we all know. Life is too precious. And when you’re patient you often find the good jobs come along…
In the meantime, I am sharing my recently complete work; a frame for a beautiful modern Italian oil painting.
