The Framers Forum

Came across these and thought how the framing market was in 2007.

Yes there was a huge dump of snow that year

For anyone relatively new to framing >>>#

The oldies are Roy Rowlands ( aka GCF 001)
Pete Bingham ( aka The Bingster, and other names )
Group pic Keith Hewitt, Roy Rowlands, John Ranes USA (the FT demonstrator) , George from Sibu Malaysia, and and John MacAfee

What is your most memorable event of those Spring Fairs ?

Two people come immediately to mind who had a massive influence on my framing career. Brian Wolf and John Raines, John was the reason I bought a Fletcher mount cutter and started doing offset corners, Mr Wolf opened my eyes to what could be done with framing and started me on the path of creative framing. I would go to the Spring Fair just to see Mr Wolf do his thing, a framing god if there ever was one.

I remember that year. The weather was not to bad when we started our journey down in devon and we were not really dressed for what it was like when we got to the NEC and walking from the car park across to the NEC buildings I trod in the snow in the gutters at the side of the road and Got my shoes filled with some very cold water, which obviously has plenty of road salt in it. As my shoes dried out while wandering around the Art and Framing area, my shoes started to look very white and shabby, but my feet continued to be squelching in my shoes from the rest of the day.

I always made a point on popping along to visit Pete Bingham, as I had already spent a week training with him in the summer of 2005. He was great fun and always was good for jokes and gags. It was him who was the imspiration for me getting started doing hand finished frames and I learnt a lot from him, which I later adapted to use my own mixture of chalky emulsion and acrylic paints, which I still use even now. I remember the demonstrator on the Keencut stand teaching me a lot of the finer points of cutting multiple aperture mounts, I can still remember his face even now, but just can not remember his name. He later wrote some really great articules for picture bussiness.

It was a long journey home and my feet where like blocks of ice all the way home. I have never enjoyed driving on motorways and used to go home via the M40 and A429 through the Cotswalds where we fould a little cafe at Moreton in the Marsh, called the Marshmallow with a lovely roaring fire, only to get my feet soaked again with freezing cold water on the way back to the car. A was a good day which I remember well and my wife never really liked the long journey to the NEC, but always came along to keep an eye upon me as I had only recently recovered from my heart attack earlier during the same year.

The Keencut demonstrator was I believe Richard Clark
The only picture I have of him from that era, is at the Madrid show in 2005.
Here he is demonstrating a Longridge mount cutter ( during his break! )
Robin Lockwood ( Mr Keencut) would turn in his grave if he knew Richard had so much as put his hands on a Longridge.

Thanks Keith,

That is the man!

David wrote: ↑Wed 13 Jan, 2021 10:39 am Two people come immediately to mind who had a massive influence on my framing career. Brian Wolf and John Raines, John was the reason I bought a Fletcher mount cutter and started doing offset corners, Mr Wolf opened my eyes to what could be done with framing and started me on the path of creative framing. I would go to the Spring Fair just to see Mr Wolf do his thing, a framing god if there ever was one.

Totally agree with you David, I spent most of my vists to the Spring Fair (and the old Autumn Fair in London) standing watching the two of them them

A few more pics from 2004 , 2005 and 2007

China 2 pics from Beijing. Note the girl selling pics, work out the cost - about 9 yuan to £1.00
And some creative spelling outside frame shop. At least they tried. This was 2004.

Who was this character in the gaudy suit at NEC. Simon Drew

The pic of the big reel is from Brownville USA, a mill that made the core board ( mostly black) for many mount board mfgs, such as all the USA laminators + James Cropper ( makers of LJ Artique range) ColourMount, Daler, Moorman and many others. Their machine was very old and slow and without any investment they went bust about 10 years ago. Leaving just one USA mill making core board.

2005, A younger Nico Valiani on the stand of Herranz at the Spanish frame show in Madrid. On one occasion I counted more than 50 framers on the Herranz stand. Never seen such numbers on any other distributors stand at any show anywhere, Back then the Spanish domestic market was booming.

Steve, do you remember this mount design, it was one of John Ranes exhibition party pieces and one of the first offset corner mounts I did, wouldn't use such a big step these days. Still have the picture, its my daughter - she's 27 now....

Hi David
I sure do, I have used it a few times, I remember going to KeenCut once, and they said it couldn't be done on a double mount, so I showed them how

I always remember Byron mouldings stand being very creative!