Recently I have decided that in the past I have been far too ready to have work framed in anticipation (or even just hope) of an appropriate exhibition opportunity. This has been far less the case in recent years, as I have become more canny about these things, but I do have quite a large stock of older pictures which are framed to a respectable standard, but which I don’t really expect to exhibit again. As a consequence I am developing a strategy of trying systematically to match new work to old frames.
It might sound odd, but I begin with the proportions of the new work I have in mind, and then look through my storage racks in order to see if I can find a picture which could be “retired”. It is far easier to adjust the dimensions of a newly-planned work to suit a frame than it is to alter the proportions of the composition. This is all working out quite well so far. I have just made the fourth selection of this kind, and so far the results are quite acceptable. It is necessary to bear in mind, I’ve discovered, the anticipated dominant colour of the new picture when making this kind of choice. Certainly I will be saving myself a good deal of money in this way.
Of course it will not be possible to do this on every occasion. I will be framing my “Green Man” series for exhibition in Lincoln Cathedral in the spring, and there is no possibility that it would be able to recycle frames on that occasion. As a first resort, however, I’m finding that it has a lot to recommend it. Apart from anything else it does impose a discipline in evaluating my own work which is a relatively new situation for me, I have to confess.