Framing your Paintings

I often wonder why I bother to frame my own work. The first answer to mind would be economical necessity, but the framing equipment required a substantial investment. If I remember correctly it involved a couple of meetings at the bank to raise the capital, not that I’m responsible for the current credit crunch we are all experiencing, but it was no light undertaking at the time. I guess the other reason is I love framing my own paintings. I love having that control of the whole process, from inception when the paint first goes on, to the final V-nails in the corner of the frame. I fully appreciate what Degas was referring to when he said “The frame is the artist’s reward”, and it is in a very real sense.

Nothing beats the satisfaction of seeing your final work in a frame. A frame makes the most mediocre painting look good, and a great painting more brilliant.

Framing is not easy. The frame is never complete until the very end, because anything can go wrong right to the end which can have the effect of running all your earlier work. A painting is only as good as its worst part and that includes the frame. No matter how good the painting is, if the frame betrays a wonky corner or shows signs of being scuffed, it can be hard for the viewer to concentrate on the merits of the painting. Its human nature to concentrate on the fly in the ointment, that’s what makes us all gloriously unhappy and keeps the self-help market booming.

After a period of long experimentation, I’ve settled on one moulding, which seems to suit all my work. It’s a slightly off white, thick moulding, with a thin gold line. It’s simple, understated and elegant, unlike the author. Most importantly there’s no fiddling about adjusting underpinners and guillotines to accommodate it. I would love to have more time to be adventurous with the frames, but at the end of the day when you’re framing your not painting and framing can never surpass painting.

They say, (they, been the esteemed critics) that a frame should never direct the attention away from the art. It should complement and enhance much like a bridesmaid at a wedding. Keeping it simple also helps achieve those goals.