The Framers Forum

For those that don't know already, I actually started out in framing to frame my own art, bloody expensive decision that's turned out to be! I was just wondering how many of you were/are artists as well? I ask as I have been doing a Sunday market over the last few months, which has allowed me to do more painting than I've done in years.... well, it beats sitting round freezing my butt off doing nothing!

If you do any art at all, please don't be shy, post it up!

Here's my latest, not quite finished.

I started out framing my own art too, but Calligraphy. Thankfully there is more money in framing than calligraphy - I just keep quiet about the calligraphy now - maybe the odd title in a mount aperture.

I was taught by, or should I say, did a couple of courses with, at the time, the world's best italic calligrapher - Gaynor Goffe, plus a couple of other FSSI's (Fellow of the Society of Scribes & Illuminators) her/their work is fantastic but you'd never hear the term 'An original Goffe' These painstaking people may make money from commissions, but make more from teaching and writing books.

Your work is fabulous Steve! And, IMHO is limited, sales-wise, like maybe other members, only by your location.

I too am an artist - I took over a framing business a couple of years ago from a photographer who wanted to focus on his first love. For me it has given me the freedom to do more art, as living in a rural area - there is not enough trade to make the framing a full-time occupation and it can be very irregular, so I get the best of both worlds. I have learnt to paint when the framing is quiet and vice versa.

For anyone in Somerset - I have some work coming down there over the summer to the http://regentgallery.co.uk/ iin Weston-super-mare.

My website, if anyone wants to have a look is http://www.lbm-art.moonfruit.com

This forum has been a godsend when I've been sitting wondering quite how to tackle that awkward job or even just to browse and see what the rest of the country is up to, tho' I don't post very often.

A/F here too. Satisfying position to be in - framing one's own work without having to consider external input.
http://theframersforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=2329

and

I am also a framer/artist, though i find it hard to find time to make any art these days.
After i finished studying art i signed on the dole in the time-honoured way of recently graduated art students. After 6 months the job centre sent me on a 2 day course - you know the kind of thing - CV preparation, interview technique etc etc. They made us do a computer questionaire to find suitable occupations. Top of my list was signwriter(sounded like lots of outdoor work to me), second was picture framer. So i was obliged to go for an interview for a job as a trainee framer and to my horror was given the job(thought i'd done my best to come across as surly and unreliable, but this guy was clearly desperate!). So i turned up for this job - on a level of pay which would be illegal now - and discovered my vocation. Weird how the world turns sometimes

Being a framer and also a maker of conceptual art has fringe benefits. The photo below is of a work by me. A guy brought in for re-framing a Henry Moore print of 8 reclining figures. It had been framed in the 6os or early 70s and clearly been hung in a bright and sunny room. The print showed a little light damage, but the backing board(some kind of pulp board, and clearly not acid-free) had been turned into what you see below - the areas behind the window mount and the areas of thick black ink on the print had darkened less than the areas of bare paper, so its a kind of contact print of the original. So i co-opted it as a readymade and called it 'Touched By Greatness'

My favourite detail is the small square marks at the top - that's the effect of the sellotape(!) used to hold the print into the original mount. This piece is always on hand to demonstrate to customers the effects of light on paper.(and why we don't use sellotape)

I have another work which is the glass from a victorian soft pastel drawing which was framed against the glass. The drawing was of the madonna, and the glass has a ghostly image on it. I framed it up with a black backing board, but its really hard to photograph. If i get a good shot of it I'll post it here

I'll hold my hand up and confess I was a Photographer before I was pressganged into Framing mainly for the music business.

I have been trying to sort out all my painting photos for ages....

This one was a commission for a US client who was stationed at RAF Cranwell during WWII. It is the churchyard in Cranwell village. Tricky subject as the church itself has no tower and the front view is not very preposessing. This is actually the back of the church. Nice new marble memorial makes a good focal point.