Framing For Others

I've assembled a few charity shows through the years. Some required little to no framing for other people; some cleaned out my secondhand stash; and still others fell in between. The frames and my time comprise my donation (along with a print or two), all in the name of throwing some good back into the world.

The main wall of 2019's The Art of Pride show. Hello, you beauty!

Enter ConStellation 14. It is, in fact, two shows in one to prepare! In addition to my own art, I'm in charge of that for Artist Guest of Honor, Graye Muir-Lewis, who passed on in December.

I actually asked my husband if this show was an appropriate Patreon topic. I've never discussed my thought process when assembling work for not me, but I've been very careful when promoting to maintain that CS14 is Graye's show, purposefully minimizing my part.* Nicholas argued it was a great topic, as my thought process for this show was the same for any other and worth detailing, plus it's what's been happening in the studio and where your most recent Patreon contributions went (see below). So here we are!

*I don't donate to go HEY, LOOK AT ME! and the same applies for show assembly on behalf of others.  If I could ding-dong-ditch my charity shows, leaving walls of art with no promotion and no one the wiser, I absolutely would!

Me sitting surrounded by an explosion of prints--con season, ahoy!

I approach framing other's work just like I do my own. Does this piece need a flashy frame? A simple one? What color(s)? And so on. In Graye's case, I remembered they usually chose simple frames that let their amazing line work be the focus, so I did the same. I chose colors that complimented the pieces in question--it's hard to go wrong with gold, silver, and black!

Digital paintbrush dots = attempted watermarks.

The trick with Graye's work that it was all 8.5 x 11"; my frame stash is strictly 8 x 10" or 11 x 14." 8.5 x 11" rarely turns up second-hand, so despite multiple thrifting attempts, I found myself in the unusual position of having to purchase completely new frames. This is where last month's Patreon monies come in! Winter is always financially squeaky with no shows until spring, so I could not have managed this extra expense without your help--thank you, all of you! Rest assured, I still worked my frugal magic whenever possible: sales, coupons, Michael's Rewards Bucks, you name it. Leftover monies went to the black and white prints of the CS14 t-shirt design, the proceeds from which will go to Graye's memorial charity of choice.**

**This will be for cancer research; the chosen charity is still being decided/researched by con staff and family .  

As when framing my own work, I used acid-free backing paper to protect the prints from the frame back. Acid-free double-sided tape and acid-free paper were also used to update Graye's initials, per a family member's request--the only physical work they had to give me was all prior to Graye's transition. I thankfully had Graye's updated digital signature from when I designed the shirt, so I altered the year in the left-hand corner to match the years in the pieces I had on hand. Cue arts and crafts time!

There IS plexiglass there, I assure you. I'd never intentionally maim my beautiful studio floor!

One of Graye's pieces was ginormous and required a 16 x 20" frame. I was lucky enough to find a spectacular one during Michael's clearance palooza. The frame was well-packaged, with cardboard corner protectors and the works, so imagine my surprise when I took it apart for print assembly and...

Pffffffft.  That's a BIG chip out of the glass, big enough that I'm surprised it hadn't already cracked across the pane. Thankfully, the local hardware store rocks--I'll be picking up a replacement pane at the end of this week for under $5. Until then, the large print will remain in its protective sleeve, barring when I had it loosely in its frame for hanging plans (see below again!).

A quick shout-out to my most used framing tool: This 6" ruler. I use it to open cellophane, unscrew/screw tiny flanges, and--perhaps most importantly--to lift the metal tabs holding some frame backs in place. I've sliced my fingers open many a time on those &$(@ tabs, so this small but mighty ruler is indispensable. And yes, my thumb/thumbnail still has a few more weeks of bandages to go.

Now that everything's assembled, it's time for a hanging plan. Hanging plans for others are compiled just as they are for my own work: What looks good next to what? Is there a theme to follow? How do I best keep the eye moving? With the geisha panel, for example, I chose to have all the pieces with noticeable shades of red along a diagonal. All the outside pieces have their subjects facing the center piece, which--like the red diagonal--keeps the eye constantly moving.

All that remains is to type up an inventory for the art show chair and to complete the hanging tags--that goes for my own work, too! I had my part of CS (both booth stock and art show) completed by February 1st so that I could focus on assembling Graye's. I always save the paperwork 'til the end, as it's the least fun part. ;P

Until next week, my friends, when I (hopefully) am done with all con prep and can begin sharing a new painting with you. Take care of yourselves!