Yesterday I met a new collector at the frame shop. She, the framer and I all looked at framing options together. It was a great experience. In the past, either I frame a painting myself, or the collector frames it. I’ve never met at a framing shop before.
Over the last several years I’ve found a couple really nice frames that I love and have gotten good feedback on, that tend to work well with most paintings. I usually use those frames when a collector prefers me to do the framing. But occasionally they aren’t quite right for a painting, so I’m off to the frame shop.
The decision in the frame shop can take many hours, and I always wonder “will the collector love the details, or wish it was more simple,” or the opposite…
I know that a lot of collectors and other artists also struggle with this. The options are endless, from simple almost invisible contemporary frames or no frame at all, to huge or ornate frames… Usually one frame just works the best at pulling out what is most important in the painting, and matching the collector’s taste. It can take time to find that one frame, but then when you see it framed and hung, that time was well worth it.
The frame my lovely collector ended up choosing is simple, textural and dark, but not ornate. It’s going to be great. I can’t wait to see it framed and hung!
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