Suffolk Jelly

On a recent trip to Suffolk, driving up the coast from Orford, we took a detour through Saxmundham hoping I might find a fleece. The weather had turned cooler and we were planning a circular walk from Dunwich. Saxmundham was fleeceless but Sue had spotted some paintings in the window of a frame shop. They were vibrant accomplished paintings of cows heads staring directly back at us. Like a face to face encounter, capturing all the animal’s character and vitality with a few sure brushstrokes. Continue reading “Suffolk Jelly”

Frames of reference

All The Little Wonders

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”

Frames of reference

Frameworks

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”

Frames of reference