Rowley Gallery Blog
A mint condition 1966 record sleeve, of thick cardboard typical of US albums of the time, with eyeconic psychedelic artwork by John Cleveland. It is set in a deep bevelled mount with an incongruously rustic frame, seen here sitting on an easel. I veneered three faces of the moulding with a gnarly oak burr, then stained it and finished with French polish. Continue reading “Strange Meeting”
On a recent visit to the Wallace Collection I was lucky enough to get to see inside the lecture theatre on the lower ground floor, where they display some of their historic collection of picture frames. Many of them original frames for paintings on the floors above, now exhibited in new frames. Continue reading “Wallace Collection Frames”
We framed this drawing of Southwold two years ago. It was made by Ron Fuller and came from the Secret exhibition at the Royal College of Art in 2009. We were recently asked to frame four more from the exhibition in 2011 and so this framed postcard came back to us as a sample to copy. I was a little reluctant to give it back! It is such an evocative drawing and condenses many of Southwold’s most memorable landmarks into one composite image. Continue reading “Postcard From Southwold”
We were recently shown this double page from a Bonhams catalogue for the sale of the contents of the St Lucian property of Lord Glenconner. It marks the passing of a longstanding customer, who whenever he was in London it seemed, would bring us items for framing, sometimes beautiful, always exotic and unusual. He will be sadly missed. This drawing on glass of the Great House, Mustique was a gift from Princess Margaret in 1986. He has written this on the label. But that label, designed for us by Iain Bain in 1995 and used for the next ten years, shows that we must have framed it later. In fact, according to our records, we framed it in 2004 using a gessoed black frame with a gilded edge. After 18 years he had decided to reframe it. It is inscribed to the bottom left corner: To Colin with my best wishes for your 60th birthday with love from Margaret, December 1st 1986.
Sometimes it can seem that our job as picture framers is to domesticate artworks for the gentle folk of Kensington. This huge, tumultuous and exuberant painting arrived in our workshop in August at the height of the London riots. Buildings were burning, shops were being looted, we were all wondering where it would erupt next, and in the circumstances this painting seemed emblematic, like some kind of apocalyptic landscape. Not only was it enormous but it was also a riot of colour, and containing it would be a challenge. But yet framing did not tame it’s wildness. Despite being framed it remains a beautiful force of nature. Continue reading “All The Little Wonders”
Here are some that I’ve been saving up. This first one, Intemperie by Catalan artist Perejaume, was at Fondation Maeght, St Paul de Vence in 2007. An enclosure built of picture frames, facing inwards inviting you to step inside and look through them at paintings by Bonnard, Leger and Chagall on the gallery walls beyond. It was originally sited on a mountain top in Garraf, south of Barcelona, where it could be used as an observatory of the surrounding landscape. Continue reading “Frameworks”