GCF qualification

[An Old Master]

Right. That's out of the way then. Now, how is it going to be improved - not just vague generalisations - firm workable suggestions on how to improve the image of GCF to new and established framers alike.

[Graysalchemy]

Robo wrote "How many mount board colours do you stock again? "

Customers can have whatever they want, though I am not a fan of vast swaths of coloured mount board in a picture, as I said the frame should not compete with the artwork but compliment it. Accent colours under a lighter colour are fine in my book though.

[An Old Master]

Could somebody explain the point of that question ?

[prospero]

50 shades of Hayseed.

[stcstc]

pete

i deff think something where each year you have to gain x number of points to keep up with your qualification

so for example, robo may run something on 3d framing techniques and its worth 20 points
you may run something of paint finishes owrth 20 points

someone may run something on design - again a number of points

and in a year you have to do say 100 points worth of stuff


obviously there is way more to it than this over simplfied version but the principle is the same

as for changing the image. well as someone quite new to the industry, there seems to be a lot of people who have been around a lot longer that need bridges building with from the guild.

i personally think we should have a sectionalised organization, so a section for artists, framers etc etc all under one banner organization

this would all picture framers to have a logo for an organisation with picture framer in the title

as personally i think the word guild feels eletist, and a think to the majority of the public they either dont care or dont know.

as for the GCF, how about making it an entry exam. removing the name, and making it so people can specialise, like peter and i said

[Graysalchemy]

Pete I buy in mount board by the pallet load and and the colour I use by default is hayseed in both 1400m and 3500m. I do stock white black and a basic range of accent colours, all in conservation board, and if a job requires anything different I order it in.

Robo was having his usual dig at the commercial framer in the room, like children commercial framers should be seen and not heard apparently.

[stcstc]

ok dont start pointing at each other here guys. i started this thread to get away from that, come on please dont now ruin this one

[muffinski]

Right. That's out of the way then. Now, how is it going to be improved - not just vague generalisations - firm workable suggestions on how to improve the image of GCF to new and established framers alike.

Training first and foremost. If they are deemed by themselves or others to be the regulating/official body that provide an exam in order the gain their recommendation etc., then they should provide the training to learn the skills and knowledge to pass the exam. However, that is not to say by completing their training you automatically pass, the individual would need to go away practise etc.

[Graysalchemy]

Sorry Steve but his comment does illustrate the prejudices that when do have in this industry and which in my experience has been accentuated by the guild and the GCF.

Back to the Pete's question how should the GCF be changed..........

Well to me I would personally change the name Guild Commended has a whole heap of connotations which makes it elitist.

It needs to be a qualification like that of any other professional body, probably a requirement of membership or full membership.

Standards need to be policed and a system in place to maintain standards of individual qualification holders and the ability to bring sanctions against those that do not comply. However in order to do this you need to make the threat of removal of membership and in order for that to be effective, membership of the guild needs to be more desirable which at the moment it isn't.

I think their should be CPD in place not only to maintain standard but to engage with members to ensure that they are always learning and trying to up their game.

I also think it should be modular with you requiring a pass in a core basic framing exam and then a certain number of specialist elements. That way those of us who never frame a football shirt or frame an embroidery don't need to prove that they can do it.

As I have already said I think there should be some basic instruction and testing on basic design and aesthetics.

Perhaps also years of experience could be taken into account, ie if you have 5 yrs experience then you don't have to take the basic exam or perhaps just a part of it. This may make it more attractive to more experienced members which do not see a need to join the guild.

But finally to underpin all of this there needs to be a reason to join the guild, and since it is unlikely that you will get it a statutory requirement to join in order to be a picture framer then I think the guild needs to do something to change its image and offer benefits which will make me want to join and become a 'GCF'.

If you don't do something to engage the more experienced framers within this industry then the GCF will be nothing more than a basic proficiency test which is promoted by the myriad of 'framing tutors' who see it as nothing more than a money making venture.

[Roboframer]

Robo was having his usual dig at the commercial framer in the room, like children commercial framers should be seen and not heard apparently.

It was friendly ribbing, well, was supposed to be, hence the razz smiley.

[Graysalchemy]

OK John me being tetchi.

[An Old Master]

In the mid eighties, a group of high profile figures - and me, got together because we felt the Guild were not catering for the needs of framers - in short, more or less what's happening here. As it happened, there was a framing show at the time at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, so we booked the ballroom for an hour one evening after the show and put the word out about the purpose of the meeting, expecting a couple of dozen to turn up. One of us did a rough head count - well in excess of 250 present and very vocal. Long story short - general and rather unexpected humiliation of the Guild and the formation of the Institute of British Picture Framers. The IBPF eventually had a part-time secretary, a newsletter, lots of enthusiasm and a rapidly growing membership. This inevitably was the result of a direct transfer of membership - and took about two years to come to a head. The IBPF had the enthusiasm, the growing membership, the high ideals and ambition and, importantly, the germ of a trade qualification standard, but no offices, no permanent staff, no magazine, no source of advertising revenue. The Guild had the resources, but the dwindling membership was unsustainable. The Industry could not realistically sustain two membership organisations, so a meeting between the two was convened at Meridian Mouldings by their very able MD Peter Danes, eventual founder of Mainline Mouldings - as genuine a bloke as you're likely to meetin this trade - ever - who locked both parties in his boardroom with food and drink and said they weren't coming out until there was a workable merger agreement. The eventual mix of the Guild executive was 50/50 Guild/IBPF. The rest, as they say, is history. So, any suggestions where we go from here?

[Graysalchemy]

So are you saying the situation is that bad?

Perhaps you should look at what has gone wrong since the mid 80's and now. Are the ideals of the IBPF that you talk about still there in the guild and are they any different to what we are discussing here. Is it a case that the guild has simply not listened to it s members and the wider framing community, if so how are you going to change that as an organisation?

On another note i noticed it was mentioned that the GCF should become more like a City and Guilds qualification. Perhaps the guild should be looking towards some sort of apprenticeship accreditation to get young people into the industry. This industry is becoming a second career industry full of retired people, I still wonder what those of us who have been in the industry since our twenties are supposed to retire into because I sure as hell don't want to be a bespoke framer working out of a garage in my dotage, and I certainly won't have built up a big enough pension pot to not work

[Trillian]

I agree with Grays, about design and aesthetics. Regardless of what you are framing, or to what level of conservation, it still has to look right, otherwise what's the point? This is fundamental to the proficiency of a good framer, and yet isn't tested. As has been mentioned previously, many people come into the profession later in life, often with little or no previous experience, or appreciation of, art, design or aesthetics, and yet assume that because they once put up a shelf in the bathroom, they have the necessary skills to become a framer.

When new members join the forum, seeking advice on how to become a picture framer, we guide them towards the right equipment, what materials to buy, where to buy them, where to find training, etc; but how often has it been suggested that the newbie visits an art gallery, or reads an interiors magazine? It maybe considered a bit poncy by some, or even irrelevant, but as Grays has said, it is often what encourages a customer to return. In my experience, customers chose me as a framer firstly because of my design abilities, and secondly because of the actual quality of my work. (Not that the quality of my work is second rate, I would never let anything leave the workshop that I wouldn't hang on my own wall!).

I think, therefore, that continuation of the GCF scheme has to evolve to encompass all aspects of framing, as well as changes in design trends; starting with the basics. I agree that inclusion of modules, specific to different aspects of the craft, should be considered, along with CPD. Perhaps there should be thought given to the length of time a framer has been practicing their craft, and how this relates to the level of award that can be gained.

Consideration must also be given to the significance of the GCF qualification, and whether it has any real influence on the general public, and indeed whether this is relevant. GCF framers are encouraged to publicise their achievements (but only if they are Guild members, it would seem), but this should not be to the detriment of framers who have chosen not to sit the exam. It is often a topic that gets discussed, with most opinions falling into one of two camps. There are those who believe that the general public is aware of the FATG, and the GCF qualification, and there are those who believe the opposite is true.

[An Old Master]

Grays, I'm not saying whether the situation is either good or bad - I've been on the inside for a long time and know how much hard work is done by people who voluntarily give up a very great deal of their busy lives to TRY and work for the benefit of the industry. I started the thread on Standards to get a feeling for what many in our industry want from a trade body - not just what a handful of prolific contributors to this forum want. The easy bit is writing down what you THINK is needed - the really hard bit is devoting an unspecified amount of time and commitment to actually doing something about it.

[muffinski]

I started the thread on Standards to get a feeling for what many in our industry want from a trade body - not just what a handful of prolific contributors to this forum want. The easy bit is writing down what you THINK is needed - the really hard bit is devoting an unspecified amount of time and commitment to actually doing something about it.

Realistically for this to progress much further then it will require people who are willing and able to get involved on some level to have a face to face meeting for further discussions.

[An Old Master]

Precisely.

[Graysalchemy]

I think the bigger question is does the industry need a trade body. There are many of us on the outside of the guild who think that we don't. I personally see no benefit in me joining the guild in its present form, though I acknowledge that the work by the framing committee and the standards it has set are undoubtedly very worthy. However that isn't a reason for me to join apart from perhaps a moral conscience that I should support the guilds work financially.

With regards to volunteering my time, I grew up in a house where my father spent all time on committees of the Book Sellers Association trying to save the Nett Book Agreement and Local trade committees trying to save the town from its own demise. Sadly he didn't have the time to focus on the business and as a result we were unable to prepare it for the inevitable change that beset the industry and our local area.

[muffinski]

I think the bigger question is does the industry need a trade body.

I think this can depend on your view and actual interest in framing and with what regard you hold it. I personally am deemed by others at times as a purist/traditionalist/old fashioned/fuddy duuy? I still use a film camera, I like to hand write letters and dabble with calligraphy, I still buy vinyl records and my car is quite old! I don’t just see framing as a hobby or job. Framing has been a skill around for 1000’s of years and it has developed and grown with the ages. I think a very competent framer is very much an artist. However, if you wanted to become a painter/artist there are 1000’s of courses in vary degrees of levels very accessible to everyone. You can do a one day course or a degree and become “qualified” as say a graphic designer. Again I draw on point that you are only as good as your work not the documentation behind yourself. But framing does not really have a point of contact, a frame work, it’s like walking through a mind field trying to work out what, who and where you should get training. I would like to take this opportunity to point out that this forum has been incredibly helpful for me. I think a truly up-to-date regulating body would help breathe some life into the craft of framing and anyone wanting to get involved, it would certainly make it more accessible to others who are not established or connected to the framing world.

[muffinski]

In fact I think I might of just of hit the nail on the head. This forum is the nearest to a regulating body I have come across in my experience..........