I don’t normally show my paintings here with the framing, instead focusing on the image only. But framing and presenting the work properly is a big deal. A poor presentation can lessen the impact of a good piece, create a barrier that the viewer can’t get past. A good presentation allows the work to be seen in its best light, holding the piece as though it were a gem and the frame was a fine setting. You may notice it but the painting itself remains the focus.
I’ve had a certain look for many years now. It’s a simple profile with a distinctive color that is built for me by a friend, Stephen. For about the last 13 or so, he has provided me with sturdy raw frames built to my specs and I stain them to attain the color I desire which is normally a warm yellowish tint with red undertones. The edges are normally black.
I tend to use the same frame for almost all my work. It is simple and is immediately recognizable as my framing. It also allows work from different years to hang easily together, giving them a sense of continuity and unity. Plus, it allows me more time to paint by taking away the decision making process in choosing frames for individual pieces. Early in my career, I learned that this process of choosing was very time consuming and wanted to come up with a way that took it away yet still gave me a distinctive and complementary frame. Hence, the frame I’ve used for well over a decade came about.
But I still want to change things up periodically, if only to see my work in a different setting. The piece above is a new one that I call Into the Mix which is a 10″ by 22″ image on paper. It has a very distinct texture with raised ribs of gesso running chaotically through the background beneath the paint. All in all, a very strong and individual piece.
I really wanted to try something different with the presentation of this piece so I went with a frame that I’ve been experimenting with on a very limited basis. This is only the third one of these I’ve produced. It is a very simple flat frame with layers of gesso built up on top of it in the form of thin ribs, echoing those in the painting, then painted black. The black gives the ribs visual depth and the gessoed ribs effectively cover the mitred corners, giving the frame a feel of unity and strength. I like the look very much for certain pieces such as this, but don’t know if I will adapt it any way for wider use. It’s just something I need to try to periodically see how the work looks in different settings. Here, I think the new look works pretty well.
I’ll have to think on this…
Redtree Times 
I do like the way the frame and painting complement one another here.
I’ve come to appreciate the importance of framing as I’ve worked with my blog. Not only the choice of image but its presentation is critical in helping to maintain the words as the focus.
A photographer friend who keeps a blog talks of having the opposite problem – learning to use words in such a way that they “frame” his photographs and help to increase their impact, rather than overpowering the images.
It’s been interesting to follow the developing field of “visual rhetoric”. Increasingly, we’re coming to terms with the truth that everything from frame choice to word placement on a page affects understanding and appreciation.
Visual rhetoric. What an interesting term. I know I am intrigued by the way the written word physically appears to the reader, be it on the page of a book or a computer screen. How the words are placed and arranged within the form creates a visual rhythm that draws the reader in much like the colors and composition of a painting. I can think of many times when the arrangement of words in the article of a magazine or newspaper have pulled me in before other articles around it.
Good point.
There is a lot of contrast between the black frame and white mat that draws my eye away from the atwork and your painted edges. Look at the painting on your computer and move backwards.
The framing is very strong.
What do I know.
I think the contrast becomes a little less apparent and not so overpowering when seen in person, when you can see the impact of the color and forms of the painting in their full sizes. However, I think it would be too strong with a wider frame than the one shown.
Hey, how’s the hip?
I like what I see of the frame here, but would love to see it in person. Will you be bringing any to the West End Gallery? Hope so