A frame should not detract from a painting. Instead a frame is meant to focus the eye on the painting in the most favorable way possible. Yes framing is important and has been so for hundreds of years. In this article I want to tell you a little about my approach to framing my paintings.
Make no mistake framing is often a headache for artists. The risk of wasted expense, time delays getting the frame complete and then trying to get the right look for the painting can be a chore. Often artists leave the process to a framer and hope for the best. I decided on a different approach.
Frames are subject to fashion too. Remember those skinny frames of the eighties? No thanks! I wanted more control on the framing process so invested in my own framing studio years ago. One of my better decisions since it gave me creative control on the final event. How the painting looks before delivery to the collector is important to me. If I could not be happy with the painting on my own wall I could not expect a collector to accept it either. The plus is that I can confidently offer each collector a framed painting within the price. Framing prices are wholesale on materials. Labour is free. This is a win for collectors and I am happy with the final result. In the above video I show you two framing options that I am currently using. The dark outer frame and a gold outer frame. These options work great with most paintings and look fantastic. More modern chunky frame options are also available on request. There are a few exceptions for large paintings that my require a much larger frame, but for the most part the two shown are winners. If you would like to see my framing process here is a video of the actual cutting process. Remember that all locally purchased paintings come with a frame and delivery included in the price. International pricing will have to be extra, of course, but I do prefer to sell internationally without a frame. This saves costs and reduces chances of damage. So there is more to the painting business than putting brush to canvas. Framing is a bit of real world labour too. A nice break from the painting process and a nice way to round off the final look of a painting. Perhaps you cannot believe that 2016 is over already. I know that the six months before July are a bit vague. The last three months are a blur and the others are missing altogether. What happened? So a time to reflect and jog the memory is required. What was 2016 all about and how can you make 2017 better?
Highlights and Other Bits To be honest I find it difficult looking back on 2016. Yes we all had our personal ups and downs. Hopefully more ups. There are the hopeful moments and the despairing ones. The laughs and frustrations. Loves and losts. But if I must find a way to sum up the year it would be this. Almost everything was dominated by one thing. Fear. Fear is Contagious Yes the number one enemy is good old fashioned fear. Franklin D.Roosevelt famously said that we have nothing to fear but fear itself. This was way back in 1933 when the world was in the grip of the Great Depression. Roosevelt knew that what Americans needed was hope. One may say that food and shelter would be first. But without hope the people suffering in the 1930's would not be able to create anything new. Fear robs us of hope and our creative spirit. What Has Changed Now? If we compare ourselves to the millions who lived under the Great Depression we look rather spoiled. If you can read this blog and I can write articles online then we are way more fortunate than those poor souls. It is almost guaranteed that if you are living in a peaceful part of the world you will be better off today than in the 1930's. So what is the problem? My Awareness Resolution I broke a Golden Rule in 2016. The one that says "Avoid the Mainstream Media". If there is one thing that thrives on fear it is the media churning out so called news. Thanks to the US elections it was easy to get sucked into the news circus. How crazy were all the dire predictions? After this holiday season, away from news channels, I can honestly say that I feel better. More positive. More creative and I am looking forward to new challenges in 2017. The secret is to be aware of the message that feeds you. Bad news will bring you down. Good news inspires. Our thoughts determine our actions. Take Action Two things will determine our future in 2017. Thoughts and actions. Your own thoughts and your own actions can lift you or bring you crashing down. At the very least make them your own thoughts and not some media house pushing an agenda. I am looking for creative solutions to grow my art career. Improve my art, meet new collectors and artists. Work with like minded people and to learn from leaders in my field. We all need mentors who have walked the path before us. If you can learn from someone like this your creative vision is automatically enhanced. Find Your Creative Niche Not everybody wants to paint. Many people tell me that they read my blog because they like creativity even though they make something else. Jewelers, designers and decorators, for example, have written to me about their creative journey. What activity gives you a soul-boost? That is the one to focus on and grow your passion for it. Study your creative niche and take action to grow your art. Because that is what you are. An artist. Write Your Own Script If we can banish fear we can achieve anything! The idea then is to determine your own future. Write your script. Not just a few resolutions. A script has more detail. There is a beginning, middle and end. You want more specifics about actions and outcomes. Know what you want to happen in 2017. Write the script and take action to make it happen. One scene at a time. Add to the script as you go along, but know what it is you want for the ending. My 2017 Screenplay: Act one. Scene One ...ACTION! Gentle Presistence As many have said before the gentle river has carved out many great canyons over time. Nobody likes a pushy and overbearing person. Ultimately when we have everyone moving peacefully in one direction great things get done. Go easy on yourself and others, but stick with your script. You will be amazed at how a little positivity and kindness can do so much. Final Word The past year would have been a bust without YOU. Artists, collectors and creative friends. I want to conclude the year by saying THANK YOU! I appreciate your positive involvement over 2016. To everyone that has taken a moment to share their common passion for art with me. I do appreciate it. I wish you and yours a peaceful, joyful and creative 2017. The new look Loosen Up Your Painting website is ready for you! The growing membership to Loosen Up Your Painting.com has been great to see. There have been regular monthly lessons covering painting topics in depth. Artists are uploading photos of their paintings for critique and a new Q&A section has been added. You can ask for feedback on whatever painting questions you may have. Why Loose Painting? Do you find that your paintings need something extra, but you are just not sure what it is? A touch more life and feeling that would express your idea better? How do artists get that impressionist style to work and not turn their paintings into a muddy mess? If you have similar questions you know how frustrating it is to get the answers you need! I had this issue for years and it was making me bonkers. Was it a big secret? Why could I not find the answer to that fresh painting style I so wanted? Well the truth is that almost all painting books do not answer these questions. Mostly they cater to artists starting out. Beyond that it is a mist of confusion. The Answer to My Search Finally I started putting the pieces together. Learning the language of painting was a huge step in the right direction. This discovery is the basis on my course Learn to Paint With Impact. But there was more to find out. The most common question was how to lose the tight painting style that many artists still struggled with. This was going to be another step up in the learning curve. Painting loose does not mean sloppy painting. In fact a sound knowledge of painting techniques is required. Plus confidence with colour and brushwork is required. Once again I could not find a dedicated resource on this topic. So I decided to make one where I could share what I learned with other artists. In turn artists could share their journey and help others too. Membership for a Song After talking to artists it was also clear that regular high quality lessons and personal feedback would be essential for this site. Of course despite enthusiasm this does take much time and some cost too. This meant that a small membership fee would be necessary. But at only $4.99 per month this should be a worthwhile investment for artists. There is a free 7-day trial too. You can also select the Annual Option and save 20%. What Can You Expect?
Sneak Peek See video lessons on:
Take if for a Spin If you are curious, take the resource for a test and see whether it will add value to your painting. I am sure it will. Most importantly to get more value out you can contribute and ask questions that will help others too. You can learn more and sign up here. I look forward to meeting you and helping you to loosen up your painting.
I am reading an excellent book called How to Be Alive: A Guide to the Kind of Happiness That Helps the World by Colin Beavan . It is about getting back to living life fully. Getting off the hamster-wheel of life where we chase things and waste out personal resources - including our precious time. One story in the book is about a guy on holiday who gets an opportunity to play a ukulele. I think they were in Hawaii. He has never played an instrument before. A friend shows him four chords and he slowly learns them. He gets a kick out of learning these simple chords. A ukulele is much easier to learn than a guitar. He feels good. Before going home he sees a second hand ukulele going cheap and buys it on the spur of the moment. When he gets back home he looks up a few ukulele lessons on YouTube. He practices off and on making quick progress with these simple lessons. Minutes a day. He focuses on one simple tune and soon can play this melody. He feels great. Little by little our ukulele player gains confidence and even starts to sing a bit too. After a time he plays his ukulele in front of his friends and they love it. Some time later, after more practice, he performs for a larger group. He is appreciated by strangers for his ukulele playing. He is amazed about where he has reached considering his lack of musical education. The Takeaways are:
No Fear and No Pressure By taking a simple and honest approach he also put aside the fears that come with unreasonable expectations. Spending too much money can bring on guilt. The pressure to justify the expense. Then there is the self-defeating mantra that comes when the activity is inevitably abandoned. How often have you felt bad about not meeting unreasonable expectations? Yes we have all been there. Instead take a simple and genuine approach. One that does not set you up for failure. Embrace the journey and see it through to the end. That is the way to build confidence and achieve results. Why not follow the ukulele approach for everything? Take it easy and learn comfortably. Not spending too much money. Getting the job done a little step at a time and being humble. Not comparing ourselves to others. Taking pleasure in the process. PS: A reminder that you can find a Free painting course on my website. Use the ukulele approach and have fun painting. Pin for later ...
Every artist needs a space to make art. Fortunate artists have a dedicated space they call their studio. Others have to make do with a corner of the living room or bedroom. The latter aspire to greater things as I did once when I used my bedroom corner as an improvised studio. I did not mind and it trained me to be careful about messing paint. A useful skill. Now I have a suitable studio all to myself. How fortunate am I!
There is no doubt that the word studio conjures up romantic images. It certainly sounds a lot better than office. Spending time in your studio sounds like time well spent. On the other hand does anyone wish to spend more time in an office? Why would they? It sounds too much like unpleasant work. Setting up a studio is not difficult. An easel and a small side table for your palette and paints is sufficient. A little cupboard space to keep some of the other items like brushes, jars, painting panels and so forth will ensure a neat and welcoming spot. The most important point is that your space be ready for more work at short notice. Consider the welcoming studio used by Paul Cezanne shown above. There is real energy within such a space. Clutter Kills Creativity Aside from having your studio on standby for when the muse strikes you will also need to keep an eye on creeping clutter. This condition befalls all artists. One day you will open your studio door to stare at piles of assorted artist’s kit blocking free movement and wonder where it all came from. Clutter is insidious. It robs energy and hampers free thought. There is another problem however. Artists seldom spot the clutter before it reaches critical conditions. Fortunately I have my wife who is the bane of all clutter. She recently put me on notice to sort out my studio. This might have turned into a domestic disturbance, but I had to concede that I could not reach into certain corners without moving piles of canvasses, used paint tubes and other oddments that should have been binned long ago. I had to do something. Make a Date to Restore Your Studio So a Saturday was set aside for the task. What I thought would be a morning’s work turned into two days of labour that left me with aches and pains for the next week. My better half made me carry out every item in the studio until we had the bare shell. The walls needed repainting and from there it was an extreme makeover. Nothing was spared and we were ruthless. How did a little bedroom corner turn into a cluttered studio? Give it a few years and other priorities. Before you know it you have something that will no longer be an energising space within which to create. Having gone through this process I am resolved never to repeat it. If something comes in then another item must be thrown out. Resolve to Make a Sacred Space I know there are some artists who seem to insist on cluttered studios, but I suspect they are missing out on something. A studio must be a sacred space where energy can move freely. Air, light and sound not to mention the artist’s movements must never be blocked by clutter. Friends and collectors should not be horrified but noises and movement under piles of canvasses. Rather let them share your studio and the delight you have in creating. So if you have a studio take a moment to assess whether it needs a clean out. You may also remove a few creative blocks together with all the clutter. Have fun! Need a little inspiration? Check out my Artist's Studios Pinterest board. There are tips for storage, studio layouts and much more. Try watercolor sketches for a quick and simpler way to do plein air painting Does the thought of setting up an easel with all of your oil painting kit outdoors make you cringe? For many new to plein air painting the inconvenience of carrying much equipment and and materials can make an outdoor adventure seem daunting. Oil paints pose problems with cleaning up with hazardous solvents too. There is another option using watercolors.
It is true that once you have an oil painting system in place plein air painting becomes simpler. However watercolor painting gives you all the benefits of plein air with a fraction of the equipment and materials. I recently took my standard watercolor kit and reduced it further until I could have it all fitting into a small should bag. The kit consisted of:
What about the paints? I selected a range of watercolor paints and squeezed sufficient amounts into the folding palette before setting out. Another option of course is to use watercolor pans, but I prefer tubes. All of this fitted into a small sling bag. An easel? I had an MDF board that is about A4 in size to which I could tape the paper with masking tape. The board also doubles as a backing board in my carry bag to keep the contents safe. With this light kit I set out to the beach and was able to complete a sketch quickly and easily. The quick drying watercolors made the finished product easy to transport. Watercolor painting lends itself to quick and spontaneous work, which is ideal for plein air painting. It encourages quick thinking and commitment, but you can still plan your composition beforehand using a pencil. This approach can be used for informal journals, sketches or more resolved watercolor painting. The choice is yours. The experience is a lot of fun too. There is less focus on setting up and more time to get on with the painting process itself. Try watercolor journaling as a way to break into regular plein air painting. I am sure it will be a fun experience. April is full of public holidays. It is also a time of significant cultural and religious observance around the world. I know many professionals grumble about the disruption to business. However I prefer this time of year to the annual end of year madness. We all need a break and a quiet moment with family. The weather is great too. So take a a breather.
A perfect time to get the paints out and have a dabble. What a stress breaker this is. I see many folk out jogging or cycling early in the mornings. Exercise is important for stress relief, but I can assure you that if the idea of pounding the pavement does not appeal then try painting. It is yoga for the mind and spirit. If you are looking for something different then how about taking your paints outdoors. Perhaps the garden or on your long weekend holiday spot and paint. Watercolor journals are so easy to take with and enjoy on holiday. So put away the briefcase for a few days, throw the tie into the closet and get the paint brushes out. If you have children who are bored with TV (they all are) then get them to join you. Is is amazing to see what children come up with when there is no pressure. Such innate talent! Have a great time on your holidays! It is a quiet day in the studio. No outdoor work today so I am working on a few ideas for beach scenes based on recent plein air work. Here is a snippet of action from my studio-cam! Hopefully I have a decent painting to show you soon. If not then back to the easel! There are strong opinions among artists about framing paintings. Some artists view the framing process as a nuisance and will do anything to avoid it. Others embrace framing their paintings as part of the creative process. Perhaps some accept it with indifference? I would regard myself as falling into the second group. I enjoy framing very much. What is the big deal anyway?
I did not always frame my paintings. I used to hand this over to a friendly framer who gave a discount to artists for work in bulk. Despite this however it was a chunk of cash each month. I could not wait for a sale either, because I could not determine my framer's schedule. The painting had to be ready for delivery, which meant paying for the framing in advance. This hurt cashflow and as any professional artist knows cashflow is important and uncertain. I had to do something about this situation. The deciding factor was that I did not have creative freedom in the framing process either. I am fussy about the look of the frame and sometimes the framer's available moulding was simply not good enough. Fortune smiled on me as a friend managed to locate a barely used Morso guillotine and pinning machine. With no second thoughts I jumped in and purchased them then set about building a framing studio. Yes it did take a while to pay myself back and learning the trade was not easy at first. The creative freedom to match my paintings to suitable frames more than made up for the learning curve. As costs go it has saved me a good deal in overhead too. Also the wholesale costs could be passed onto collectors. It is a win-win situation. I also resolved to avoid skinny-frame syndrome. So often collectors have endured skinny-frames due to high framing costs. An ugly compromise! A generous frame that is sympathetic to the painting makes an enormous difference. Some may say that a good painting must stand on its own. I believe that a good frame will not save a bad painting, but a good painting will be enhanced by a great frame. Should artists do their own framing? Yes, If you enjoy the idea and do not mind some messy labour now and then. Of course there must be an economic rationale too. Does it detract from the artist's creative work? Personally I find that framing is a welcome break from painting at times. Crunching through mouldings with a giant guillotine can be cathartic! I also get the pleasure of finishing a painting's journey. What to paint? Can an artist rely on inspiration alone when faced with a blank canvas? Facing creative challenges is part of the deal when choosing art for a career. The secret is not to overthink it. I have been working on a series of paintings inspired by the approaching summer. Although I have always been too impatient to paint similar scenes in a series I find that I am enjoying this recent spate of summer inspired work. Very strange! No really it is for me and that is why I have been sitting at my desk today looking at these six or seven paintings wondering what has happened. Where did this creative burst come from? For one thing I know that I am more conscious of time. Not to bring you down or anything but recently there have been people close to my family that have passed on. I have also lost my faithful ridgeback this week from old age. I miss having the old guy around the studio. Truth is painting is a therapy too so this probably explains the need to paint fast and loose without questioning the subject too much. Looking at these paintings makes me realise another thing too. Although I love painting country scenes, light in trees and our veld - deep down I am a coastal boy at heart. There is something about the sea and sand that is simply within my understanding. I can sense the sand, salt and wind. I know that feeling when I paint these scenes. They are not contrived. It is real. I think there is much more to come on this subject before I turn to other painting topics. Back to the subject of inspiration and time. Inspiration happens when I work. Sure I get ideas, but inspiration is what gets my hands dirty and things happen. That is when the idea taps into the infinite well of inspiration. Too much thought hinders inspiration. Get painting. The first painting may be a warm up. I scrape it down and start again. Never walk away from the failed painting. It is simply part of the warming up process for the main event. Then crack on and paint until exhausted! Time is a damned liar! It fools the young into thinking there is plenty still to come. It taunts us when we get older and dares us to think we can cheat it. No there is only one moment and that is now. If we use this moment then we can call it even. So I cannot overthink my painting and dwell on what should be done. I know what needs to be done. I have to get on with it. We all do. |
AuthorMalcolm Dewey: Artist. Country: South Africa Archives
March 2024
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