I've made a few frames before, for different artists for the annual BP Portrait Awards, and a couple of years ago I made a gilded and painted frame for a painting which got the second place prize, there is a little story behind that frame but won't go into that now.No paintings in frames I made got through to the final 55 this year, but I have just been looking at the 2011 shortlist and was really struck by the painting 'Holly' by Louis Smith, which is a huge 8' high canvas, with the frame its 12' x 8' and depicts a classically inspired allegorical and narrative portrait. To me this stands out as being something quite different to many of the usual entries.
I have always liked classically influenced paintings and frames, such as from Egyptian, Greek, or Roman origins, and one of my favourite types of frames that often features these styles is the tabernacle or aedicular frame. Louis Smith has framed his painting in a suitably grand architectural frame, I believe this was designed and made by the artist himself, follow the link below to see detailed photos of the painting stages and frame construction. A very impressive piece of work. The artist's website is well worth a look round and I hope he wins this year.
