Framing Paintings
Its many years since I had a painting framed but recently I had two and I am delighted with them
I didn’t frame for many reasons. Including the practical logistics when I was living most of the year in Spain. But mainly I didn’t frame because my work is quite large and I preferred the way they looked unframed on the quality deep canvases that I like to use.
For my latest show Stillness and Life I painted a couple of 70cms x 70cms (27.5 x 27.5 inches) paintings, and felt they did need a frame. Easier said than done as it turned out my canvases are a bit deeper than the standard depth. I often see frames that are not as deep as the canvases they are framing and it really detracts from the painting.
Luckily the framing experts are nearby at Creative Framing in Cirencester. They made two beautiful hand painted frames in the Farrow and Ball colour Savage Ground. They really enhance the painting, I think, without being in anyway intrusive….which is what I want in a frame.
I love the way the finished paintings looked and wasn’t the only person who did. Blue Buttons I sold the day before the show opened!
The other three paintings that sold recently were all unframed, including the three below.
They weren’t painted as a triptych but work brilliantly hung together at Clifton Contemporary. Here they are lit at night in the gallery. In this case I don’t think framing would have worked at all as it would have emphasised that they were all separate paintings.
I’d really love to know what you think about framing. You can contact me here about framing or any other questions you may have.
PS if you are wondering about the name Blue Buttons it’s the West Country name for a plant commonly called Devil's Bit Scabious, Succisa pratensis. It’s a small native wildflower with round flower head of lilac blue flowers, found in late summer in marshland, damp meadows and woodlands. One of my favourites!