Framemaker

Repaired frame

2012-01-29T23:17:00.002Z

Florentine progress

2012-01-29T23:02:00.000Z

The antique Florentine frame has been sanded and the carved detail sharpened up, it has then been painted with yellow bole.

My first jobs back at work

2012-01-26T20:33:00.000Z

These are a few repair jobs I started today. The little swept frame above has a few losses to the compo, then the Barbizon frame has lots of small areas of damage to the plaster ornament, finally the pierced Rococo frame has a few losses to the inner ornament. The old label at the top is from the little swept frame.
Two of these frames (the swept and the Barbizon) have been repaired by me before, careless handling by shippers (taking the frames to and from art fairs and exhibitions) has caused the various damage which means they need repairing again.

Imitation water gilding

2012-01-24T21:49:00.000Z

On this frame a centre panel with distressed paint and deep polish finish is combined with oil gilding, which imitates a distressed water gilded finish.

Canvas tray or float frames

2012-01-24T21:30:00.000Z

These two canvas tray frames or float frames have been gilded in metal leaf, with distressed paint on the inside and outside, finished off with light paint speckles.

Dutch ripple moulding

2012-01-24T20:59:00.001Z

Here is another frame that has been made while I have been away. It is a classic Dutch style ripple frame with a deep ebonised polished finish, with oil gilded inner and outer edges. I do like these styles of frames, even though they are often dark the polished finish and the ripples reflect light and create an interesting effect. The original antique frames in this, and similar styles command relatively high prices.

Anyway, back to this frame, the moulding is bought in unfinished lengths (between 2.5m and 3m long) in obeche wood with the ripple pattern already applied in a material known as pasta, which is made from wood pulp and binders. This type of moulding is made something like this; the base moulding is fed through a machine with a metal embossing wheel which has the ripple pattern carved into the wheel, the pasta material (in a dough like consistency) is fed onto the moulding, and as it passes through the wheel and the length of moulding moves through the machine, the ripple pattern is impressed into the pasta.

January jobs

2012-01-24T20:08:00.000Z

I've been away from work all for of January, and although I am back in England now, I have not really started work properly yet. Mark and Ian have been very busy at the workshop, and lots of new work has been coming in, which is good as January and February are often quiet months.
Here you can see a nice carved Florentine style frame which is being totally refinished, it is probably late 19th Century, it was in a bad state and had a pretty poor metal leaf (imitation gold) finish. The gesso is being sanded and the detail is being re-cut using metal tools. Next it will be painted in yellow and red bole.

Year's end

2011-12-30T13:52:00.001Z

The end of another year of framing, thank you to all my customers, clients, the framers I work with, and suppliers, and all of you who watch and visit the blog. Next year will see the launch of a blog/site for selling antique, repro, old, and new frames. There are various ideas for improving the workshop, production, and the frames and services we offer. These will no doubt be shown on the blog!

Happy New Year to everyone.

Last few jobs

2011-12-23T23:36:00.000Z

Here are a few of the frames that have been finished off this week, some of our typical gilded and painted frames, and a stained and waxed frame. The three gilded frames are all the same moulding profile, just with different sections gilded or not gilded.

Finished Neoclassical frame

2011-12-19T23:33:00.000Z

Cut down

2011-12-19T23:20:00.000Z

It can be a little nerve racking cutting down antique frames. The timber is often less than straight, compo can be brittle and prone to breaking very easily, the gesso can be also be fragile and poorly secured to the wood.
The last part of this Watts frame was relatively easy to cut down, the compo and gesso was very secure, so no bits broke away as it was cut. Now for some small repairs and it will be ready to frame an antique painting.

36" x 90" carved frame

2011-12-19T22:44:00.000Z

This large carved frame has been finished in a dark gold bronze powder, this was then distressed and antiqued before being sealed with acrylic varnish.

2 cut down, 1 to go

2011-12-17T22:07:00.000Z

Nearly finished this sample

2011-12-17T21:59:00.000Z

Frame sites

2011-12-16T23:13:00.003Z

I haven't done a link to interesting framing websites for ages, so much for my regular feature of linking to great frame sites! Maybe I will try and do more in 2012, and maybe one day I will even get round to updating the links on my website.

There are quite a few good articles and papers on frames and framing on the V&A website, this link is to a detailed article on making a replica tabernacle frame for a 15th Century painting of 'The Virgin and Child' by Carlo Crivelli. There are lots of good photos covering each stage and it's interesting to see a museums methods.

Conservation case studies: Building a frame for 'The Virgin and Child' by Carlo Crivelli

Antique frame cut down x3

2011-12-16T20:31:00.000Z

These three frames make up a classic Watts frame; an inner husk type compo pattern, a flat oak veneer, and an outer acanthus leaf compo pattern. It will be cut down to fit a 19th Century painting. Always a bit of a shame to cut down an antique frame but it will be a good period frame for the painting.

Now for some....gilding

2011-12-16T20:15:00.001Z

The reproduction neoclassical frame has been water gilded this week. The top photo shows it with the yellow bole base layer, some red bole was put on top of the yellow. Although as is traditional, no red was put in the recesses of the egg and dart as this makes gilding the carved areas much easier.

Second Empire

2011-12-08T22:48:00.000Z

Another antique frame for some little repairs, we will also cut some glass and fit in a print. It's another French frame, in the second empire style, although I usually just describe this as neoclassical, anyway it has some nice original burnished gilding and is in pretty good condition.

Corner and centre frame

2011-12-08T22:20:00.003Z

This wonderful 17th/18th Century Louis XIV frame is carved from oak, it looks as if it has been cut down during the 19th Century to fit the current painting, (which is by a French 19th Century artist) this fits in with the practice at the time of using earlier frames, especially this corner and centre style. Interestingly the artist actually worked as a picture frame maker, along with his Father. Who knows, maybe this frame was chosen by the artist or maybe by a dealer or gallery, either way it is a lovely antique frame.
My favourite detail on this frame is the variation in the cross hatched ground, it uses four different types of pattern for the centres, the corners, and the areas between the two. It's subtle but shows some extra time and thought went into the making.

Draught exclusion

2011-12-08T21:30:00.000Z

The roller shutter door is not the most insulated or energy efficient, especially in this windy weather it is really quite draughty, so this giant tarpaulin has been put up to keep out the breeze. It still needs some work at the top of the door, but it will help keep in a little extra heat.

Great antique frame

2011-12-08T20:50:00.004Z

This lovely 19th Century French Barbizon or Salon frame came in today for some repairs, I think it's just about as good a compo or plaster ornamented frame as you could hope to see. The ornament looks as if it could have been carved, instead of looking moulded, the gilding is highly burnished and all round it's a quality frame.

Lots of old frames

2011-12-08T20:06:00.000Z

We are working on quite a few repair, restoration, a re-finishing of antique frames at the moment. There are three Watts frames, one is a frame of mine which is being cut down to fit a 19th C painting, and the other two have both had the wire/hangers fail resulting in lots of broken areas of compo.

The top two photos (the red frame) are a carved frame which is being re-finished. There is also a photo of the neoclassical frame after it has been gessoed.

Acanthus leaves

2011-12-03T20:22:00.001Z

Quick repair

2011-12-03T20:02:00.000Z

Filler, sand, pink bole, gold leaf, toning, finished.

Big gesso chip

2011-12-02T23:38:00.000Z

This antique water gilded frame has a big chip to the gesso, and some other small bits missing. It's a simple but very nice profile, made up from lots of rounded mouldings.

Distressed frame finish

2011-12-02T21:36:00.000Z

This frame has water gilding over red bole in 12ct white gold on the sight edge and outer part of the profile, the whole frame is then finished with a heavily distressed paint and wax finish.

Profile is nearly finished

2011-12-02T20:19:00.000Z

In this post the last pieces of wood are applied to the outside of this profile, next comes some mitre leaves over the outside of the corners, we can then start sizing the wood and painting on the gesso.

Splice as nice

2011-11-26T16:44:00.000Z

Mountboards are available in many different colours, the standard sized sheet being around 32" x 44", over this size there are 'Jumbo' sheets which are around 40" x 60" although the choice of colours is quite limited. Over the Jumbo size the choice of colours becomes very limited, although you can get sheets up to 48" x 96"

For this mount (external size 54" x 38") there was no colour close in the Jumbo or larger sheet sizes, and this sand yellow was absolutely perfect for the art being framed, so we spliced two smaller sheets of mountboard together. This involves cutting two bevels where the join will be, butting the cuts together and fixing with tape, the join was then reinforced with mountboard. The join is very hard to see, especially as a picture of this size will rarely be viewed close up.

Double float

2011-11-20T16:29:00.000Z

This artist's print is float mounted on 5mm foamboard, then a gap of 1/2" is left all round up to a silver mount slip. The mount slip and mount are also floating on 10mm foamboard and the outer edge of the mount has a bevel edge. Then another gap of 1" is left to the frame rebate, where a black spacer keeps it all set back from the UV acrylic glazing. The silver box frame has been cut down slightly.

Egg and dart

2011-11-20T16:03:00.000Z

Stretcher bar re-sizing

2011-11-19T17:02:00.000Z

These antique stretcher bars have been reduced in size, by about 6" on the short side and 10" on the long side.
12 sections have been cut out (8 from the outer bars and 4 from the cross bars) so we can keep the original adjustable corner joints. The cuts have been glued and joined using two oak dovetail keys in each joint. Next comes the cutting down of the frame.

Example finishes

2011-11-19T16:08:00.000Z

The top frame has a water gilded sight edge, it is then sprayed with a red base paint, on top of this is sprayed black paint which is very thin so the red colour shows through, it is finished with wax. The frame above is water gilded in 12ct white gold with a painted slip and distressed paint on the sides.

Adding sections to the Neoclassical frame

2011-11-19T15:54:00.002Z

Here I am adding some different sections of wood to build up the required profile. We are making a corner sample at the same time.

Two colour spray finish

2011-11-11T11:54:00.000Z

Gesso samples

2011-11-11T11:41:00.000Z

These frame samples have been made for an artist, the are all finished in gesso with some different wax finishes, you can't really see the difference the the photos, but there is a slight variation.

Black and gold

2011-11-11T11:33:00.000Z

A black and gold frame with red base colour.

Sprayed box frames

2011-11-08T15:41:00.001Z

These box frames are made from tulip, which is a good wood for painted and gilded finishes. The frame in the photo above has a sprayed on gesso base which is given a coat of white primer which is then sealed with a matt varnish.

The frame in the top photo is the same as the first, but after the primer coat it has had a bright white gloss spray finish which is sealed and protected with a gloss varnish.These frames are very simple and cleaning looking, with seamless corners as the mitres are not visible. It is also possible to spray directly onto the wood, building up the paint layers to get a solid finish.

New samples

2011-11-05T20:54:00.003Z

I've been meaning to make these samples for ages, I had to change the router bit on the dovetail jointing machine (Hoffmann) today for the big neoclassical frame moulding. There are 3 sizes of router bit and the keys are made from plastic, although the middle size also has some keys available in oak, beech, ash, and aluminium which can be used for some decorative effects.

Usually the key is only seen from the back, but with these I routed the dovetail all the way through the moulding, from the top we have:
ash frame, oak key, with liming wax

oak frame, aluminium key, with black wax

oak frame, ash key, with Harrell's antique wax

oak frame, beech key, with finishing oil

Red primer

2011-11-05T20:28:00.000Z

Here is my spandrel experiment after it has been sprayed with red primer, next comes some sanding before some black paint is put on the gadrooning and rosettes.

Neoclassical frame... eventually

2011-11-05T20:18:00.001Z

This simple flat moulding with a bevelled inner edge will form the base of a reproduction 19th Century neoclassical frame. It's 4 3/4" (120 mm) wide and will have 5 more sections added to make the profile, it will then be water gilded.

Tray frame

2011-11-05T20:04:00.000Z

We have made a few float frames recently, this tray frame is made from two mouldings joined together which are then painted black. A wooden subframe is used so that the painting sits back from the face of the frame by 4mm.

Finished panel

2011-11-05T11:04:00.000Z

Here is another painting by Julie de Bastion, framed by floating the panel on a painted backing, in a painted slip and frame.

http://julie.debastion.com/

Spandrel

2011-11-04T12:15:00.004Z

This is just an experiment/sample frame I am making, a spandrel is usually used when a painting is circular, oval, or some other irregular shape, and it is to fit in a traditional rectangular or square frame, as opposed to a round or oval frame.

The window is cut from MDF, this is primed and then the moulded ornament is cast and glued in place, for the spandrel aperture I picked a gadroon ornament (this is sometimes called a pie crust), which is a typical ornament for a neoclassical frame, and is often seen on oval or round frames. The corner rosettes are intended to break up the area in the corners. The outer frame is a pretty standard fluted cove with acanthus leaf corners which I made some time ago. Next a red primer coat will be painted on, before the spandrel is finished with bronze powder. I am also working on one with a round aperture, I will post some photos as it progresses.

Work in progress

2011-11-04T11:57:00.004Z

In the top photo I am in the process of joining a big frame on the underpinner, in the background Mark 'gesso' is busy spraying gesso on frames.

The next photo shows a floating type design, a canvas will go in the inner frame which will be mounted to the linen mountboard which is backed with 3mm MDF, the outer frame has been extended to accommodate the extra depth.

The next couple of photos show another floating design, the canvas panel is backed with foamboard which is secured with gummed tape. This foamboard will then be fixed to the backing board and will give the floating effect, a 1/4” gap is left all around the image, the frame is a scoop slip with an outer box frame which are both painted.

The last couple of photos show a canvas which is screwed to a backing board, the frame is sprayed with gesso and then has a paint and wash finish. The painting above is by Julie de Bastion:

http://julie.debastion.com/

Re colour

2011-11-03T11:09:00.001Z

This frame has been re finished in a different colour, it was black over red to begin with, it is now a strong gold colour with some rubbing through to show the black/red base.

CRASH!

2011-10-30T15:16:00.000Z

The string that was holding this painting on the wall broke, and the frame crashed to the floor. Most of the missing sections have been kept so it is just a case of piecing them back together. The painting is 19th Century, although the frame is not original and was added in the last 20-30 years.

A framed textile

2011-10-30T15:06:00.000Z

This textile has been stretched over foamboard and secured in place with T-pins, it has been double mounted and the framed in an antique looking gold frame. This frame has a generous rebate depth, which makes framing textiles much easier as the combination of glass, mount, foamboard and backing is usually quite deep.

Another hand made finish

2011-10-30T14:56:00.000Z

Gilding with a heavy patina and burnished black bole over red.

Distressed gilding

2011-10-29T16:11:00.001+01:00

This heavily distressed frame is water gilded in 18ct green gold on the flat and outer, with 12ct white gold on the inner section. I think it will make a very decorative and unusual hand made mirror frame. The profile is the same inner part that we used on the cassetta frame in the previous couple of posts.

Finished cassetta frame

2011-10-29T15:44:00.000+01:00

Colouring a panel

2011-10-29T15:37:00.000+01:00

The wide cassetta frame being coloured with wax and then dry pigments, to get a distressed type paint finish.

2011-10-29T14:09:00.000+01:00

This watercolour is by Broadway artist Karen Grant, it has been float mounted on mountboard and a spacer in the rebate keeps the painting away from the glass.

More masking tape nastiness

2011-10-28T16:57:00.000+01:00

Here is another example of poor quality tape used in picture framing, from the front you can see the adhesive seeping through and marking the image, and the photo of the back shows the culprit is masking tape.

Green/grey painting

2011-10-28T11:31:00.002+01:00

The water gilded cassetta frame is being painted with a greeny/grey paint.

Black frame

2011-10-28T11:21:00.000+01:00

This deep cove shaped frame is a lovely shape and has a sprayed black finish which is finished with wax and a good polish. The moulding is bought in ready coated in gesso, which can then be finished with gilding or a paint effect.

Louis XVI

2011-10-21T19:11:00.001+01:00

This is a nice example of an antique Louis XVI style frame which could be also called a neoclassical frame, with carved ornament and water gilded finish. It is probably French, late 18th or early 19th Century. It needs some minor repairs and will be cut down to fit an antique print.

Limed oak

2011-10-21T18:23:00.000+01:00

Another week is over and the last job finished this afternoon was this wood engraving by Howard Phipps. It has been mounted in a soft white museum board and framed in a simple limed oak frame.

Gilding progress...

2011-10-20T21:14:00.002+01:00

Here is the next stage of making the wide cassetta frame, which Mark has been water gilding today. He also finished some lovely burnished samples, in 23.5ct gold and 22ct moon gold. The Duncan MacGregor paintings are all ready and waiting to be delivered, and various other jobs have been started and finished today, can't believe another week is nearly over!

Antique French frame labels

2011-10-20T20:08:00.000+01:00

Framing an original print

2011-10-20T12:31:00.003+01:00

This original print is mounted with 3mm thick cotton museum mountboard, it is glazed with UV filter glass, and the frame is a classic water gilded and highly burnished finish. The shape of the profile is often called a bolection or simply a reverse. The gilding has been given a small amount of distressing.
I think certain profiles with a water gilded finish suit the work of artists like Graham Sutherland and Francis Bacon very well, often using the distressing and revealing the leaf overlaps as a distinct and intentional effect, they give a period look and it is perhaps close to how the artists may have originally framed their work.

Two mouldings joined together

2011-10-20T10:05:00.002+01:00

This frame is made from two mouldings which have been slightly modified, the wide flat profile has had a 1/2” cut off the outer edge, removing the outer hollow. The deep frame has been reduced in depth by 1” at the back and also had a 1/4” cut from the top of the profile. The frames are then joined and glued together so they can be sized, and covered in gesso and bole. Next comes the polishing of the bole before it is water gilded.

Duncan MacGregor at Broadway Modern

2011-10-18T19:55:00.003+01:00

Here are the last few frames to be made for a big exhibition of paintings by Duncan MacGregor, held at Broadway Modern gallery each year. We will have framed 40 paintings by Duncan and the exhibition starts on Saturday 5th November.

Duncan MacGregor at John Noott Galleries

Frame display

2011-10-16T14:37:00.000+01:00

It has taken me over a year since moving in, but I have at last started putting some frames on display in the reception room! A selection of antique, period, reproduction, and recently made frames. I intend to cover every remaining bare patch of wall in frames, going through to the kitchen, and even in the toilet!

Burnished gilding with wash

2011-10-16T14:18:00.000+01:00

Burnished water gilding

2011-10-16T13:26:00.000+01:00

Here is the frame from the previous post after it has been burnished. This is done with a tool made from agate, the surface is rubbed which condenses the leaf into the bole and gives a deep reflective finish which resembles solid gold.

Gilded frames

2011-10-16T13:25:00.000+01:00

Art World Gallery

2011-10-16T12:39:00.000+01:00

This painting on canvas has been framed in a painted scoop slip with a water gilded box frame, the leaf is 23.5ct and it has been distressed to show the red bole under the gold. It is for Art World Gallery.

Poor choice of tape

2011-10-16T12:30:00.000+01:00

Here is another example of how not to mount a picture. This original drawing has been fixed to the mount with masking tape (not by us!), which is not suitable for mounting pictures. The adhesive will change rapidly, either drying out completely or turning into an aggressive gooey mess, nice.

2011-10-16T12:26:00.000+01:00

It has been a rather forgettable week at the workshop, I have made a few mistakes measuring up jobs, cut a few frames and mounts the wrong size, and made various other minor errors. On top of all that I have had a headache since Thursday, oh well things could be worse, best just to smile and carry on!

Frame samples

2011-10-08T17:29:00.001+01:00

These water gilded and painted frames have been made by Mark, who started working with me in April. They have been made from offcuts of moulding and can now be sold in the shop.

Finished bronze powder and painted frames

2011-10-08T15:36:00.000+01:00

Here are the two frames I was working on a while ago, the art is float mounted, and the frames have a bronze gilt and painted finish. A spacer keeps the art away from the glass.
These are for Art World Gallery: http://www.artworldltd.com/

Gesso and bole

2011-10-08T14:32:00.000+01:00

The white frames are being covered in gesso, the red frames come with gesso ready applied and have been painted with bole, they will then be water gilded in 12ct white gold.

Fingerprints - NOOOO!!!

2011-10-08T14:21:00.002+01:00

This is what happens when hands and fingers are put all over a frame just before it is gilded. The bole (very fine clay) is absorbent and the natural oily residue on the palms and fingers remains on the surface, when the frame is water gilded and distressed these prints will stick out like a sore thumb. The only way to stop this is not to handle the bole surface, or to wipe it down with meths to remove the greasy marks. This may not stand out that much in the photos, but trust me, in reality it hits you like a slap in the face!

Lots of frames

2011-10-08T13:37:00.001+01:00

Here are about a third of the oak frames for the big order that was finished this week. They are framed photographs and limited edition prints. The smaller pile of frames on the right are lots of photographs, the frames on these are made from our moulding, glass, back, and mountboard offcuts.

Bat watch

2011-09-30T20:41:00.000+01:00

Just as I was about to close the roller shutter door this afternoon, I saw this little bat clinging to the wall, right next to the door, and only a couple of feet off the ground. I think it is a called a Pipistrelle bat.

Oak frames

2011-09-29T21:03:00.001+01:00

We have a big order on at the moment for lots of prints and photographs framed in oak frames, here are a few of them!

Cool frame with offset corners

2011-09-29T20:15:00.000+01:00

This great looking polished wood and veneered frame came in today to have a few changes made to it...
It is not that old, but a reproduction, I think the style is 17th Century.

Finished frame

2011-09-29T20:00:00.000+01:00

Applying a colour wash

2011-09-29T19:56:00.000+01:00

Here I am applying a colour wash to a frame, this is a water based emulsion which is mixed 1 part paint to 5 parts water.

When the back is as good as the front

2011-09-28T19:28:00.000+01:00

I have mentioned before how much I like the back of frames nearly as much as the front, and like a true frame nerd I regularly take photos of the backs, corners, and old labels. Here are a few examples showing some different joining methods: a butterfly key at the top, then a dovetail joint, the middle photo shows a Newcomb Macklin style ply spline, and the last two are mitre splines. There are some other methods used traditionally which I will post another time, I will also post some modern methods when I get a chance.

I think if you pick up an antique or old frame and see any of these joining methods, it straight away stands out as a very well crafted frame. I think old framers labels should be photographed for historical record, many are clearly fragile and should be protected with a piece of melinex.

Colouring the bronze gilt frames

2011-09-26T19:50:00.000+01:00

Painting frames

2011-09-26T19:30:00.000+01:00

Here are the two bronze powder frames being painted and finished. The gilding is masked off and then the middle section is painted. You can also see some samples being painted.

Bronze finish

2011-09-25T13:31:00.000+01:00

These two frames have been sprayed with gesso, then painted with red bole on the inner and outer sections, and in these photos I am brushing on bronze powder bound in glue. The middle section will be painted.

Painting by Jeremy Houghton

2011-09-25T13:20:00.000+01:00

The finished framing for Jeremy Houghton, an old frame with contemporary painting.

More gilded box frames

2011-09-25T13:03:00.002+01:00

Here are some more box frames that we have been finishing off this week, again they are gilded in 12ct white gold, which is slightly distressed to reveal the bole and leaf overlaps. The sides are painted, then the whole frame is then sealed with an acrylic varnish. Because of the 50% silver content in white gold, the surface will tarnish over time, this is accelerated by handling and finger prints. A coat of sealer or varnish helps protect the surface and prevents the leaf from tarnishing.

Strap clamps

2011-09-23T16:05:00.000+01:00

These box frames have been joined and then clamped, they are then left over night before being prepared for gilding.

A nice carved wood frame

2011-09-22T19:32:00.001+01:00

This nice little antique frame is carved, it certainly has some character about it, I especially like the mortice and tenon (I think that's the name) jointed backing frame. It is being used to frame a contemporary painting, which is something I enjoy doing, as I like combining old with new.

Samples

2011-09-22T19:21:00.000+01:00

Here are a few samples that we have been making recently. It is often the case that a finish will be adjusted for each painting or individual job, so we don't have that many on display in the shop. I have wanted to try and standardise the finishes and increase the number on display for quite some time, as there are a number that we use regularly. A finished sample with the exact colour references, paints used, and how it was achieved will make it a lot easier to make our regular frame effects.

White gold box frames

2011-09-18T17:43:00.000+01:00

These box frames have been water gilded in 12ct white gold, this leaf is a 50/50 mix of gold and silver.

Two 19th Century Barbizon frames

2011-09-18T17:17:00.001+01:00

These are a pair of good quality, nicely made, French composition frames. They are having some minor repairs.

Moon gold

2011-09-18T17:02:00.002+01:00

Here are two paintings on canvas, they have been framed in water gilded and painted frames. The gilding is in 22ct moon gold. Which is a mix of 22 parts gold and 2 parts palladium. This framing work is for Art World Gallery.

A few jobs

2011-09-12T19:10:00.000+01:00

It's the rugby world cup at the moment, so here is a signed England rugby shirt that has recently been framed. Then we have a little watercolour that has been very simply framed. The bright original painting in the white gesso frame is for Art World Gallery. Lastly in the top photo, this antique frame has been repaired and tidied up.

Carlo Maratta frame

2011-09-10T18:42:00.002+01:00

This is a classic example of a carved and gilded, English 18th Century Carlo Maratta frame. It has come in for some minor repairs, and to have a sight edge slip fitted. It was cut down sometime in the past, luckily it is a good fit for the customers painting, although needs a very narrow slip to cover some rough edges around the canvas. A Maratta frame of this size (rebate 25" x 30") could cost anywhere between £700 and £1000

Duncan MacGregor at Broadway Modern

2011-09-10T17:47:00.001+01:00

We have recently been working on lots of paintings by Duncan MacGregor, for his annual exhibition at Broadway Modern. They are framed in a white scoop shape slip with a chunky silver square frame.

http://www.john-noott.com/artist/macgregor~duncan/macgregor~duncan.php

Work in progress

2011-09-10T17:19:00.002+01:00

Here are a selection of jobs we are working on at the moment, from the top we have a late 20th Century English swept frame with some minor damage, you can see the white sections I have replaced.

Next we have a frame which is being painted with red bole, this is one of two frames for paintings of African elephants and rhino, the other frame can be seen at the top right.

Our make-shift drying rack (some shelves) has 5 frames which have been painted with gesso.

Then we have two photos of some antique gilded frames which need tidying up. I especially like the bevel profile with shot inner ornament.

The last photo shows two frames which have been gessoed and then painted, they will next have a very pale/subtle colour wash. That's it for now!

Edward Noott gilded and painted frames

2011-09-10T16:40:00.001+01:00

We have just finished a big order of frames for an exhibition of paintings by Edward Noott. They are water gilded, most in 23.5ct gold, but a few in 12ct white and 22ct moon. The gilding is combined with paint, washes, and colouring with pigments. The exhibition will be at John Noott Galleries in Broadway and it opens on 24th September 2011.
http://www.john-noott.com/exhibitions/edward~noott~2011/edward~noott~2011.php

Painting on canvas

2011-09-03T15:28:00.000+01:00

This painting on canvas is framed in a hand finished, neo classical fluted cove frame.

Back at the workshop

2011-09-03T12:13:00.001+01:00

I am back at work now after a great summer holiday. Here are a couple of deep frames which are used to float frame some paintings on board. The wood is obeche and is finished with clear wax.

Now for a fun frame

2011-08-13T08:53:00.001+01:00

Now for a completely different and unusual frame! So I started with a couple of frames made from offcuts, a 6” x 4” and 10” x 8”, both flat square sections. These were sized and then painted with gesso. I then drew on some very simple motifs and symbols, the ones on the larger frame were built up with gesso, while on the small frame the symbols were incised with a metal scribe. Next came lots of different bole colours, and water gilding in various types of leaf. The gilding was then distressed to get the different bole colours showing through, and finally the frames were sealed. I was going to do some burnishing and punched decoration but enough is enough and that would have been a little over the top! The finished framing is a little present for my wife.

While this frame is intended as a bit of fun, I think a similar idea, using pastiglia, incised, and punched decoration could make a very unique and special range of wedding and general photo frames.

repairs

2011-08-10T19:18:00.001+01:00

This nice period frame was falling apart at the corners and had a split and broken rebate along two sides. It has been tidied-up and made secure.