Amateur Photography Contest
April 17-May 1, 2014
Sponsored by Frameworks Gallery
What used to be called a Kodak moment is now a smartphone moment. Today, so many of our precious memories are captured with our phones and never really appreciated. With our new large format printer we can turn your camera phone pictures into works of art!
We are excited to announce our first ever amateur photo contest!
Between April 17th and May 1st we will select 20 of the best submissions, those will then be printed, framed and displayed in our gallery...free of charge! We will also select a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winner that will receive a gift certificate to Frameworks.
Once the winning photographs are selected we will have a reception honoring the winners, so you can show off your masterpiece!
Prizes:
To Enter:
1. Email your photo to emily@frameworksonline.com
2. Please include: Photographer's full name, age, home address, contact number, email address and a title or location for the photo
3. We will let you know once your photograph was received via email.
4. Winners will be chosen by May 2, 2014 and those photos will be displayed through June 1st, 2014 at Frameworks Gallery
Entry Rules:
We will contact all of the winners by May 2nd and provide details about the Awards Reception.
Thank you and good luck!
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www.frameworksonline.com
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Amateur Photo Contest!
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Oil Painting Repair Services
Did you know that Frameworks offers oil painting restoration and repair? We can clean, varnish, repair rips and holes and bring your old or damaged oil painting back to life.
When art on canvas is damaged with a tear or a hole it
should not mean that it is destined for the trash heap. Over the past 20 years we have rehabilitated
dozens of canvases and in many cases you would have to look very hard to find
evidence of the prior damage. Often
times we can patch a small tear or hole, but if the damage is severe or the
canvas is very old and brittle we can attach the old canvas to a new linen
backing using a compound that adheres to the back of the old canvas. Imagine if you will, a new linen applied to
the old canvas using a heat activated compound (not unlike wax), penetrating
the new canvas and then through the old canvas and reaching the paint and
‘grabbing’ the old paint. This process
is beneficial especially if the paint is flaking from the canvas. We then can be aggressive in cleaning any
old varnish and dirt from the painting.
Then we can repair the tears, holes or damaged areas and touch up with
new matching paint.
Removing the old varnish is an important step in the
process. Even good quality varnish will
yellow with time, but it also protects the paint. So when the old varnish is removed you have a much fresher
painting and many darker areas seem to come to life. A new coat or two of varnish will enhance and protect the
completed restoration.
Prices will vary based on the amount of work being done, but
you can expect to pay an average of fifty cents to 1.00 per square inch.
We’re very good at what we do, so bring in your damaged art
and let us have a look.
Before and After example of oil painting on canvas restoration
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Keep Calm and Custom Frame
Personalizing your home or work space with custom framing is a great way to express your personality and to enjoy your surroundings. While others can go to the store and buy the same sofa, tables and lamps that you have, it is highly unlikely anyone will ever have the exact same custom framing as you.
Regardless of what you choose to have framed for your home, whether it is a favorite piece of art, a mirror, an object inherited from an ancestor or anything else, it will add interest to your space. Take a look at these rooms, with and without framed art to see for yourself what a big impact custom framing makes.
Whatever your design style, we have the art and framing to transform any room in your home. Visit our website to learn more! www.frameworksonline.com
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Valentine's Day Gift Ideas!
Valentine's Day is less than a week away, and those of you with significant others might be wondering what to get that special someone. Frameworks Gallery to the rescue! Stay out of the Doghouse, we have several quick, easy, and affordable items that will show him/her how much you care.
Artwork is a gift that keeps on giving, and right now we have several great paintings by Susan Muller Chase that are priced to sell!
Artwork is a gift that keeps on giving, and right now we have several great paintings by Susan Muller Chase that are priced to sell!
Chatter Blue 24 x 24 $400
Lilac & Coral 18x24 $275
Stargazers & Stripes 24 x 24 $525
Beachbrellas 24 x 36 $200
Chinese Red 16x20 $275
Call us for more info! 919-781-3118
Photo Frames are a great gift for your sweetie, especially if you put a picture of the two of you from a romantic get-a-way or special event. We have some really beautiful ones right now at 25% off!
Photo Albums are a thoughtful gift as well. Not every photo is a framer, but that doesn't mean you want to throw them out. Our archival photo albums come in several different styles and are only $20!
Happy Valentine's Day!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Framing Solutions for Home Trends
As home building and design trends have evolved over the past few decades, home furnishings have evolved to keep pace with an ever-changing market. Custom framing should also adapt to these changes. In today's blog we'll explain how to incorporate wall decor into your home by showing popular building and design trends and then giving you a framing solution to help your art relate to it's environment.
Trend-Open Floor Plans
Framing Solution= Open floor plans mean less wall space between rooms, hence less space to hang your artwork. Consider using alternative wall space, such as an upper wall space shown above. You can also use easels to display framed art, place small framed pieces in a bookshelf or on a tabletop.
Trend-High Ceilings
Framing Solution= In rooms with high ceilings the best solution is to hang a collection of artwork vertically instead of horizontally in a group. If you have two vertical pieces hang them one on top of the other, or you can layer several framed images as shown above. Also consider bottom weighting the mat to elongate the artwork and fill the vertical space.
Trend-More Windows
Framing Solution= Windows take up space where framed art might otherwise hang. Consider using unexpected spaces to hang your framed pieces, such as on the side of a built-in bookcase, or a closet door. Also, be sure to use conservation materials to protect your artwork from UV rays.
Trend-Loft-Style Living
Framing Solution = More and more homes are being built with materials such as concrete and metal, keeping the overall effect very minimal and clean. This is one of my favorite trends and I love the way this apartment has used the little bit of wall space it has to make a huge impact. Notice how the perfectly hung grid mimics the industrial style of the window as well as the shapes in the cabinets and furniture. There are 16 pieces in all, but the organization keeps it simple.
Trend-Colorful Walls
Framing Solution = This is a trend that goes in and out of style so often it's hard to keep track. But if you are bold enough to have brightly colored walls the best solution is to use neutral mats, such as black or white, that will look good on any background, in case you change your mind!
Trend - Shabby Chic
Framing Solution=Shabby Chic is a great way to take things that might be tossed out and revamp them to fit in your home. It's the same when framing something for a Shabby Chic style room. Vintage finds are great for this type of decor, and at a local flea market you are bound to find some keepers. If they need re-framing, many frame shops have collections of frames that reflect the shabby chic style. Another tip is to find several framed pieces that can go together on a wall in a "random" grouping like the photo above.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
19 and counting...
Yes, it's true. There are only 19 days until Christmas! I still can't believe it's that time of year again, and for me, the best way to get in the Holiday spirit is shopping for others. There is something about finding the perfect gift for my loved ones that really gets me excited. I'd like to take a few minutes of your time and show you a few of my favorite things at Frameworks right now.
I love original art and if you have someone on your list that does too, we have some beautiful paintings to choose from in all different price ranges.
From top left to bottom right: Harbor Scene by Jeng Xiao $750 (framed), Beachbrellas by Susan Muller Chase, $300, Portofino by Martha Cristel $625, Chatter Blue by Susan Muller Chase $520
It would be hard to find a man out there that doesn't love antique maps. We have some really great coastal maps and nautical charts. These are always a big hit, especially if you spend a lot of time at the coast, fishing or boating.
From top to bottom: Antique Map ca. 1855 of Smith's Island (now Bald Head Island) $500, Antique Map of S. Carolina Coast ca. 1853 $180
Almost anyone on your list can use a beautiful photo frame or photo album. New moms & dads, brides, graduates, grandparents...the list goes on. We have some beautiful decorative photo frames and just recently we added a great line of photo albums!
Photo albums: $20, Photo Frames: $35-$48
Happy Holidays from all of us here at Frameworks!!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Take care of your Art and it will take care of you.
I'm warning you now, don't read this blog if you actually want to learn something...
At Frameworks we feel it's time the general public learned a little about what ruins artwork on paper, and how to prevent it from happening. Whether it's a print or an original the damage done by lack of knowledge or neglect is usually irreversible.
Did you know that more art prints are destroyed in one decade by a lack of knowledge about the proper care and conservation than by wars and natural catastrophes. Let's talk about the dangers first and then we can learn how to prevent them.
1. Light
Claude Monet was an avid collector of Japanese woodblock prints. He framed them and hung them on the walls of his home. Today his home is a museum and you can see how these prints look like after a little more than a hundred years. The colors are completely faded out - destroyed by light! Exposing prints to direct sunshine but also artificial light from bulbs is one of the worst and most frequent mistakes. Even with UV protective glass, prints are not 100% safe from dangerous rays. If at all possible, try and keep your more valuable artwork out of direct light.
2. Humidity
Humidity causes molding and foxing. Foxing is characterized by ugly brownish spots sprinkled over the print. Storing art prints in a basement with high humidity and without air circulation will inevitably cause damage. Furthermore, humidity attracts pests like silverfish - another danger for your fine art print.
3. Heat
Until the second half of the twentieth century, central heating was unknown in most houses and apartments and heating energy was expensive. Today most homes have at least one heating radiator in each room and are chronically over-heated during the winter time. A permanent humidity below 40 percent will dry out the paper and make it brittle.
Museums keep a constant temperature in their exhibition rooms. Extreme temperature fluctuations cause expansion and contractions of paper and makes it uneven.
4. Pollution
Pollution comes in the form of acids in papers and furniture, dust, dirt or the sweating from your hands. Also insects as a kind of natural pollution fall into this category.
Acids can be in the paper on which your etching or lithograph was printed or it can be in the mat or folder paper. It causes the colors to bleach out and it causes discoloration of the paper. Of course, you have no influence on the paper of your print. It should be acid-free. Maybe the most endurable paper is the Japanese handmade washi paper.
Now, how to prevent these dangers from affecting your artwork....
FRAME THEM CORRECTLY!
But what does that mean exactly?
Basically, that means that a professional, standard archival, quality frame shop will only use 100% cotton rag or other all natural and reversible materials in their mats and appropriate archival protective processes for framing. Framers who offer archival framing services will only use linen tape, for example, to secure the work of art to the mat so it does not shift in the frame. They should never use cellophane tape or masking tape or another adhesive such as basic glue to hold down a work of art within a frame. You should ask about this procedure and the framer, a good one anyway, will tell you that they are using the proper materials. Don't be embarrassed, just ask the questions so you get your work framed properly.
Here is a cheat sheet on questions to ask your custom framer as you're shopping around. I'm always surprised how many people get quotes for framing and have no idea what they are actually paying for. The hints are in parenthesis.
1.Do you offer and provide acid free mat board when framing?
(Most framers do!)
2.Is there an extra charge for acid free mat board?
(The answer is typically Yes since acid mats are usually more costly, but they are worth it.)
3.Is this frame solid wood?
(Solid hardwoods are expensive, but worth it in terms of protection. This is a cost and personal preference issue.)
4.Is this a molding made from another material? If so, what material?
(This is a cost question and you should know what you're getting. Are you getting glued together sawdust? plaster? something other than solid wood?)
5.Is it ok to drymount my valuable antique or work of art?
(drymounting is fine for inexpensive pieces like posters, if you are sure you only have a poster, but for valuable or original works it is a No-No as it reduces value significantly.)
6.Is that gold frame that I selected a gilded frame?
(Make sure you are not getting a gold frame and paying for gilding. A gilded frame is one which has had pieces of gold leaf applied to the frame. This is usually done by highly skilled artisans. A gold frame that is not gilded may be a very good frame at a competitive price, but it just may not be a gilded frame.)
7.How do you secure the work or piece to the mat?
(An excellent option is linen tape.)
8.Will there be space between your object and the frame?
(You do not want your object right up against the glass. A mat or invisible spacer provides the necessary space you need between your object and the glass.)
9.Are you using glass with a framing project that includes a textile or fabric like a sampler or sports jersey?
(Although you see it done everywhere and it may keep the dust out, the glass creates an environment that traps heat and moisture which will ruin your piece over time.)
10.How much is the mat?
(Depends on size of the piece being framed and archival qualities of the mat.)
11.How much is the labor cost?
(Depends on frame size, number of cuts in the mat, quality of the products)
12.How much is the frame itself?
(Wood frames are usually more expensive than metal frames or composition frames. Size impacts cost as does details, form or style, gilding, handcrafted frames, specialty stains, carving techniques.)
13.What is the difference in price between UV glass and regular glass?
(Typically, UV glass will cost about 40% more than regular glass.)
Ask as many questions as you like and if the framer doesn't answer your questions or explain the process well or to your satisfaction, go to another framer. I would bet that no matter where you live, there is more than one framer in your town.
At Frameworks we feel it's time the general public learned a little about what ruins artwork on paper, and how to prevent it from happening. Whether it's a print or an original the damage done by lack of knowledge or neglect is usually irreversible.
Did you know that more art prints are destroyed in one decade by a lack of knowledge about the proper care and conservation than by wars and natural catastrophes. Let's talk about the dangers first and then we can learn how to prevent them.
1. Light
Claude Monet was an avid collector of Japanese woodblock prints. He framed them and hung them on the walls of his home. Today his home is a museum and you can see how these prints look like after a little more than a hundred years. The colors are completely faded out - destroyed by light! Exposing prints to direct sunshine but also artificial light from bulbs is one of the worst and most frequent mistakes. Even with UV protective glass, prints are not 100% safe from dangerous rays. If at all possible, try and keep your more valuable artwork out of direct light.
2. Humidity
Humidity causes molding and foxing. Foxing is characterized by ugly brownish spots sprinkled over the print. Storing art prints in a basement with high humidity and without air circulation will inevitably cause damage. Furthermore, humidity attracts pests like silverfish - another danger for your fine art print.
3. Heat
Until the second half of the twentieth century, central heating was unknown in most houses and apartments and heating energy was expensive. Today most homes have at least one heating radiator in each room and are chronically over-heated during the winter time. A permanent humidity below 40 percent will dry out the paper and make it brittle.
Museums keep a constant temperature in their exhibition rooms. Extreme temperature fluctuations cause expansion and contractions of paper and makes it uneven.
4. Pollution
Pollution comes in the form of acids in papers and furniture, dust, dirt or the sweating from your hands. Also insects as a kind of natural pollution fall into this category.
Acids can be in the paper on which your etching or lithograph was printed or it can be in the mat or folder paper. It causes the colors to bleach out and it causes discoloration of the paper. Of course, you have no influence on the paper of your print. It should be acid-free. Maybe the most endurable paper is the Japanese handmade washi paper.
Now, how to prevent these dangers from affecting your artwork....
FRAME THEM CORRECTLY!
But what does that mean exactly?
Basically, that means that a professional, standard archival, quality frame shop will only use 100% cotton rag or other all natural and reversible materials in their mats and appropriate archival protective processes for framing. Framers who offer archival framing services will only use linen tape, for example, to secure the work of art to the mat so it does not shift in the frame. They should never use cellophane tape or masking tape or another adhesive such as basic glue to hold down a work of art within a frame. You should ask about this procedure and the framer, a good one anyway, will tell you that they are using the proper materials. Don't be embarrassed, just ask the questions so you get your work framed properly.
Here is a cheat sheet on questions to ask your custom framer as you're shopping around. I'm always surprised how many people get quotes for framing and have no idea what they are actually paying for. The hints are in parenthesis.
1.Do you offer and provide acid free mat board when framing?
(Most framers do!)
2.Is there an extra charge for acid free mat board?
(The answer is typically Yes since acid mats are usually more costly, but they are worth it.)
3.Is this frame solid wood?
(Solid hardwoods are expensive, but worth it in terms of protection. This is a cost and personal preference issue.)
4.Is this a molding made from another material? If so, what material?
(This is a cost question and you should know what you're getting. Are you getting glued together sawdust? plaster? something other than solid wood?)
5.Is it ok to drymount my valuable antique or work of art?
(drymounting is fine for inexpensive pieces like posters, if you are sure you only have a poster, but for valuable or original works it is a No-No as it reduces value significantly.)
6.Is that gold frame that I selected a gilded frame?
(Make sure you are not getting a gold frame and paying for gilding. A gilded frame is one which has had pieces of gold leaf applied to the frame. This is usually done by highly skilled artisans. A gold frame that is not gilded may be a very good frame at a competitive price, but it just may not be a gilded frame.)
7.How do you secure the work or piece to the mat?
(An excellent option is linen tape.)
8.Will there be space between your object and the frame?
(You do not want your object right up against the glass. A mat or invisible spacer provides the necessary space you need between your object and the glass.)
9.Are you using glass with a framing project that includes a textile or fabric like a sampler or sports jersey?
(Although you see it done everywhere and it may keep the dust out, the glass creates an environment that traps heat and moisture which will ruin your piece over time.)
10.How much is the mat?
(Depends on size of the piece being framed and archival qualities of the mat.)
11.How much is the labor cost?
(Depends on frame size, number of cuts in the mat, quality of the products)
12.How much is the frame itself?
(Wood frames are usually more expensive than metal frames or composition frames. Size impacts cost as does details, form or style, gilding, handcrafted frames, specialty stains, carving techniques.)
13.What is the difference in price between UV glass and regular glass?
(Typically, UV glass will cost about 40% more than regular glass.)
Ask as many questions as you like and if the framer doesn't answer your questions or explain the process well or to your satisfaction, go to another framer. I would bet that no matter where you live, there is more than one framer in your town.
At Frameworks www.frameworksonline.com we are more than happy to answer any questions you might have and be totally up front and honest about our pricing. We do not add additional mark-ups just so we can provide a deep discount, or a buy one get one free promotion like the bigger box stores. We simply provide the highest quality custom framing at the best price.
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