Tray frame gesso

Abstract work...

This abstract work on board has taken over 7 years to create, and is still being worked on each day, as well as being a multi layered composition, it also doubles as...

...the messy work bench

The next batch of gilded frames...

...patiently waiting for their gesso coats, these frames will have the usual water gilded and paint wash finishes that we do so often.

Over construction

The outer part of this tray frame was joined with two stacked 15mm metal wedges towards the back, and three in the middle, for added strength a dovetail key was also used on the inside, with lots of Titebond glue. The backing frame has also been a little over engineered; with crossbars and supports at the corners, but at this size I would rather go a little over the top than make something flimsy that starts to pull apart as it is moved around and handled. The backing frame was glued into the rebate of the main frame and fixed in place all round with nails.

Big tray frame

This canvas tray frame is 92" x 76", the main section is made from tulip, and the backing frame is in obeche. The measuring scale on my Morso mitre guillotine only goes upto 1500mm and my mitre saw a pathetic 1000mm so the cutting to size was done by measuring, marking with a pencil, and trimming each length to the required size.

Lots of mirrors

All of these contemporary hand made gilded and painted frames will be made into mirrors (on Monday!), and will be for sale in the shop. They are all gilded in metal leaf with various paint finishes (except for the more traditional arch top spandrel frame which is a bronze powder finish) and offer great value, whilst still being hand made and individually crafted. The gilding can be combined with any number of different paint colours, and make frames suitable for both art and mirrors.

Ribbon and stick

I've just about finished casting the 4.5 metres of this ribbon and stick ornament (it's only 3mm wide) that I need to decorate a frame. Next I will trim and cut it to size, paint red, seal, and then oil gild in 23.5ct gold before applying to the frame.

Antique carved frame

Here is a lovely antique carved and gilded frame, probably English 18th Century, that came into the workshop today. What a cracking little frame!

Another mirror frame...

I made a frame and ornamented spandrel like this one a while ago, it was just an idea and as an experiment really. The first one sold in the shop the day I finished it! so I thought I would make another and put a mirror in this one. It is a simple bronze powder finish.

Silver gilded

This late 20th Century water gilded silver leaf frame is a beauty, it has a lovely distressed and aged look. It was brought to the workshop today, and will be fitted with a bevelled edge mirror. 

Dark finish on Austin Moseley RBSA

This oil painting on panel is by Austin Moseley RBSA, and is for the John Noott Galleries in Broadway, where you can buy original works, and exclusive limited edition prints by Austin.
The wide scoop shaped frame has now been finished, it was seen a couple posts ago with some red Plaka paint on the inner and outer edges. These were gilded in metal leaf and the whole frame was then given a dark wax finish over paint washes.

Taos frame

This is the carved early/mid 20th Century American frame, which I picked up recently at a nearby auction, in a lot of 3 frames. It's known as a Taos frame and was developed around the Taos artistic movement of the early 20th Century. It's not a style I am that familiar with, but I do like many of the Taos style carved frames that I have seen, and they are an interesting variation on the early 20th Century American carved frames.
This seems to be one of the more common designs, but it's not something we see in England that often, so I think it's a good addition to my little collection. 

Frames in progress

Just a typical work in progress photo showing 4 frames being painted with bole. These frames with all be gilded in 22ct moon gold. The big painting in the background leaning against the roller shutter door, will be framed in a canvas tray with a gesso and paint finish.
Today I framed some poster adverts for Trinity House Paintings who have galleries in Broadway, London, and New York. The adverts are for their exhibition starting next week in Broadway:
 'A Celebration of British and Irish Art', which coincides with the annual horse racing event; The Cheltenham Festival, which starts on Tuesday 13th March. 
Trinity House have a very good website, all of the paintings can be viewed with their frames, which is something I am very happy about.

Trinity House - Impressionist and Modern Paintings

A carved corner frame

This early 20th Century carved corner frame was made by J.H. Miller and Co, Springfield, Massachusetts. I've said before how much I like this type of frame, and the many other styles of carved frames of the American Arts and Crafts, and Impressionist frame making movements. I wonder why these styles are not more popular (or at all) in the UK, they are virtually unseen. Maybe the American styles never really made the transfer over here, or maybe they did and didn't appeal to artists, galleries, and the public here. I'd like to make up some samples one day, my versions inspired by these types of frames....one day.

Next stages

The frame at the top, a wide scoop profile was seen being sized in an earlier post here. It has now been sanded and the inner and outer painted with red brown Pelican Plaka paint. The ripple moulding was seen gessoed here. It has now been sanded and sprayed black.

French frame 2

A French 20th Century Louis XIII style frame, these mottled finishes are often called 'Impressionist' which may not be the best or most accurate description but it has become part of framing style vocabulary.  Lovely thin mitre splines though! 
In a similar way to how any black and gold frames, especially those used on antique prints, are simply called 'Hogarth frames'. They have little in common with real Hogarth frames which are really quite lovely polished fruit wood mouldings, often with a gilded sanded panel and carved edge.

Lots of frames

These stacks of frames and slips will have a simple paint finish. They are for the very busy artist Antony Bridge, who is having a number of exhibitions this year.

Big English swept

This frame had some losses to the ornament, it's pretty big with a rebate size of 48" x 60" It's an early 20th Century frame although looks as if it has been refinished/gilded at some time. Just the awkward size means it's prone to getting damaged when being moved around.

French frame 1

This is a nice little antique French corner and centre frame, I like the very distressed water gilding and the incised details on the flat panel, also the small carved 'nicks' from the half round just inside the incised panel add a nice touch.

A beautiful frame

I don't know who made this frame, but I love it! It has a look of London frame making to me, although I suppose it could have been made anywhere, probably in the last 10 years. I like the stepped Gluck-esque profile, and the combed lines and ripple wave detail in the gesso is really lovely. The finish is distressed bronze powder gilt with fake leaf lines.

I am not sure what style this would come under, I see a mix of Art Deco and Nouveau, Austrian Secession, and Arts and Crafts... Anyone have an idea what this style comes under? An all round great frame.

Boxwood mould impressions

I have a collection of about 300 impressions taken from carved boxwood moulds, that I got a few years ago from a framer who retired. Some of the impressions are rather poor, with air bubbles and other defects but the vast majority are very crisp and finely detailed.
With these it is possible to make hard flat moulds which can used to cast compo or two part epoxy putty ornament which can be applied to frames. It's not particularly straight forward or easy to make the hard moulds but none the less it does give the potential to do so.

We have about 50 patterns made into moulds already, who knows if we ever get round to making any more soon. I do need to make some very thin ribbon and stick ornament for one job, the impressions I have of this ornament style can be seen in the middle photo, varying in width from 3 to 6mm.

Gesso coat

After a frame has been given its first size coat of glue, (depending on the preferred methods) in can be painted with gesso, or it can be painted with another size coat which contains a small amount of whiting - a very thin gesso. The top photo shows me brushing a thin gesso mix onto this frame, working it really well into the wood grain. The second photo shows how this thin gesso has dried. Next the frame will be sprayed with gesso.