This is a piece I’m working on at the moment, something I’m calling Muse. It’s a triptych done on the insert panels of an old upright piano, making it somewhere in the 18″ high by 60″ long range.
It’s still a work in progress so I’m sure this will change at some point. I’m still playing with the idea of incorporating words on the black of the frame or building a pedestal so the piece would be freestanding but it’s all unsure at this point.
I really like the feel of the architecture of the panel itself, the way it holds the paintings. I have several other pieces of this piano’s cabinet for which I have plans and if they work in the manner I hope may lead to a group of other pieces featuring architectural/ furniture elements. More of an object than a painting. The concern with such a thing is to not let it devolve into kitsch or decoration alone. The painting that adorns such objects needs to be able to stand on its own, making the viewer forget the surrounding environment, which should, in theory, enhance the painting.
But so far, I’m pretty happy with the way this progressing. This will probably not leave my studio but will hopefully inspire further forays into this look. We’ll see.
Redtree Times 
Sometimes as an artist it’s nice to move in a direction that we would not otherwise explore if we are trying to please a gallery and meet sales expectations. Sales can even sound like a dirty word if an artist were to come out and say “I want to make a ton of sales”
This is a piece that may have a limited market, It’s as much about the frame as it is the image, and a strong black frame may turn off some buyers.
The Images holds together well and the tree has a great glow,
I wouldn’t mess with words on the frame they would be a distraction from your story in the images, in my opioion. I think that the negative space is so active, that a visually active
frame would take us away from the your subject, the red tree and the light around it.
AJ has to throw better in October.
bh
Thanks for the thoughts, Brian. You’re right about this piece being as much about the frame as the painting itself. I don’t think it would work unless the painting could hold its own and I think this does.
When I talking about wording, I was thinking of using the word “MUSE” painted in small gold lettering , a letter on the four blank spaces beside and between the paintings. Kind of understated, not overdone.
Hey, AJ’s got to get on the same page with his catchers. He’s got great stuff but I don’t know if his head can stay straight. We’ll see.