To many (if not most) painters the question of framing one’s work is a problematic one. To begin with, to have work framed by a professional frame-maker is expensive, and we are all aware of the possible savings to be made by alternatives.
It is possible, of course, to buy off-the-shelf frames. A colleague of mine does this, working under the limitation that he always has to make the choice before he starts work as to what size the finished article will be. In addition, few of the off-the-peg frames compare in quality with individually commissioned ones. In the early days of my working as an artist I did rely on the mass-produced article, but have not done that for some time.
It is possible, of course, to hang work which is unframed, depending upon the medium. Anything which has to be protected by glass, of course, will require a frame, but work in acrylic or oils can (at least in theory) be presented without a frame. I have never done this, but as I become more and more conscious of the cost of frames I find myself looking seriously at the alternatives. Somehow I feel that to offer work for exhibition without a frame means that it looks unfinished.
Recently I have been very productive, and as my series on ancient trees keeps on growing, and I contemplate the prospect of exhibiting it at some point next year, I finds that the question of its presentation becomes quite concerning. I could be looking at the need to spend over £1,000, without the assurance that any of it will be recouped in sales.
Consequently, over the past week, I have been considering the possibility of making my own frames. I’ve never done this before, although having done a fair bit of woodwork since I studied this in my secondary school, I have a pretty good idea of what is involved. Over the past week I have been looking, specifically, at the prospect of altering a series of frames I already have, to fit my new work. Technically this ought not to be too difficult. So, today I took the plunge and decided that I would buy the basic tools for cutting mitred corners. If it doesn’t work I will have wasted £40, but at least the decision-making process will have been advanced.
The first step, of course, is to do some tidying in the cellar, and uncover my work-bench. Let me get Christmas out of the way first, during which time I will try to build up my courage to make a start. Watch this space. I would be interested, in the meanwhile, to hear advice from any readers, based upon their experience.