Early bird framing sale

Each fall, we like to offer incentives to you for early holiday framing. Here is how it works: for a framing order between $100 and $199 you save $15; from $200-$299 you save $40; and for a framing order of $300 or more, you save $75. So, the more you do the more you save. Two keys: #1 mention or print out this offer and #2 bring your pieces in for framing by November 15. After that, the sale is over.

Andy Warhol exhibit and framing

We just finished framing 64 Andy Warhol snapshots for an exhibit at East Tennessee State University that runs October 21-November 6 with a reception, Thursday November 5 at Slocumb Galleries while another at the Reece Museum runs till January 6, 2010. At first, handling of the Poloroids, we thought there was nothing notable, but it was the body of work that became so impressive and reminded me of the Pop culture nature of Warhol's style and vision. (I apologize for the sideways images. For the life of me, I cannot seem to rotate these images!)

Framing Myths....

Since there is a relatively small number of people who have had something framed custom, there are probably a lot of myths that I don't even know about. I'll list some here and add to it over time. If you have a preconceived notion regarding custom framing, please send it to me and I'll address it here.
Myth #1: So and so has a coupon for 50% off framing. That must be a good deal! See my post on January 14th. My bust on that myth is, yea, and they run the same coupon every week. If a framer uses the same coupon week in and week out, then their so called 50% off is their regular price. If you are into comparing pricing, use their 50% off price against everyone elses regular price. Their half price is pretty close to everyone elses regular price (at least ours).
Myth #2: I have a friend who frames in his or her garage. He/she is as good as you are. Yea, well.... My bust here is the professional framer who has devoted his/her life and career to framing continues to learn about products and techniques. I've removed more corrugated cardboard and "regular" mats from home framers work. Now, in deference to my home framing friends, this post is about everyone but you.
Myth #3: Acid free means archival or conservation. Some mats are by definition acid free, but they don't necessarily stay that way. Just look at an "acid free" mat after 3 or 4 years. It will be discolored. If the mat is discolored, then your artwork is right behind (both literally and figuratively). For a mat or backing to be archival, it is either cotton rag or alpha cellulose. These materials have met standards of museums, conservationists and the Library of Congress as archival grade. Back to "acid free" mats, they are buffered with calcium carbonate which is the key ingredient in antacids. A question to you, when you take an antacid does it neutralize the acid in your stomach for the rest of your life? As my friend Winnie the Pooh says, nufsad.
Myth #4: This isn't worth the extra expense of UV glass. It's just my child's painting from first grade. Maybe as important as archival mats, is UV glass. Most artwork (excluding ceramics) will fade over time as it is exposed to light. Light is not just sunlight; fluorescent, incandescent, halogen all light fades artwork. If you expect to keep a picture for 5 years, use UV glass. It's about 25-50% more than regular glass(an extra $5-$10 on most average sized pictures), but worth the expense.
Myth #5: Non glare glass prevents fading. My bust on that one is simple. It doesn't. UV glass has an invisible film on one surface that filters out ultra violet light. Non glare glass is simply regular glass that has been etched on one side to wipe out the reflection. UV goes right through it.
Myth #6: I already spent $200 on the portrait. It will be fine in a ready frame from ____-Mart. I heard an art critic talking with a student artist a few years ago and his comment stuck with me. "Your art deserves to live forever. Treat it that way." I've always said a frame doesn't make the piece, but it sure can ruin it. If you get a nice portrait or piece of art, plan to treat it like you value it. Believe me, the cheap frame will make it look cheap.
Myth #7: All you have to do is.... Some folks think the process of custom framing is easy. Well, it certainly isn't what you would call rocket surgery, but there are techniques and processes that we learn through education and experience that you can't see from the finished product. Most of those T&P's protect your work in ways you may not appreciate for several years. Everything we do is to protect and enhance your artwork.

New Facebook page...

Nelson Fine Art Center on Facebook

House Favourites

Opening First Friday, August 7 is "House Favourites" featuring a sampling of new art by Paul Bishop, Jamie Burns, Charlesey Charleton, Joan Elliott, Jerry Greer, Rick Jelovsek, Alex and Lisa LaPella, Val Lyle, Kate Pierce, Larry Thacker, and Blair White. These artists represent a broad range of media, so expect to see a wide array of art including drawing, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography, and pottery. This group has had ties to Nelson Fine Art for many years in many ways. Paul and Jerry have had gallery spaces in this gallery for more than 7 years and have been in shows here for 8 years. Jamie worked here during the final semester of her BFA at Milligan College and then stayed on for another 2 years till she began her Masters. Charlesey Charleton has been part of several print making shows during her MFA at ETSU. Joan also was exhibited in several painting shows during her BFA career at ETSU as well holding an internship here during that time. Rick Jelovsek has been in several photography shows here over the past 5 years. Alex and Lisa LaPella are newcomers having only been in this gallery for a couple of months. Kate Pierce's photography has been exhibited here for the past 2 years, Val Lyle's pastels, oils, and sculptures have been shown here for 2 years but she is well represented in galleries and exhibits all over. Blair White has worked in this gallery for the past 3+ years and has been showing and selling his wearable jewelry art since his MFA several years ago. Come out from 7-9 p.m. we'll have wine, punch, as well as foods from Earth Fare.

What you don't see...

Custom framing is not an exact science, but things seem to go together best when you're careful. When you pick up a completed custom framed piece, aside from being aesthetically pleasing, it should be free of dust under the glass, corners should be pretty seamless, and the frame should be free of dings or bumps. What you don't see are the countless openings and closings to get that last speck of dust out, care to keep the frame from being bumped by other frames in the process, and time taken to doctor the corners to make them perfect. In the course of working on your framing, your framer may have to solve many problems to assure your satisfaction. Here is a sample of what happens in the process of "framing:"

• Your framer pulls uncut moulding to make your frame. He (since your author is a he, I'll keep it simple and say "he") inspects it for flaws and other shop dings, cuts the frame and sets it on the nailing table.
  
• Next, he prepares the corners for joining, inspects it again, joins the corners and hangs it for finishing. So, in this process, there are 3 opportunities for damage.
  
• Next, he pulls matboard, inspects it for damage, cuts the mat opening to fit your artwork, cleans the bevel and inspects it for bad cuts, mounts your artwork in the mat and sets it aside for finishing. In the mat cutting process, there are in essence about 3 chances to damage a mat, although there are countless times when a mat can be damaged (e.g. a matboard cut on your finger is highly painful and blood does not come out of a mat).
  
• Next, after inspecting it, he cuts the glass and puts the frame "package" into the frame. Glass either fits or it does not. If it does not, you cut another. It's a rare instance that you can cut just a little off a piece of glass. On one project, I went through an entire box of 4 sheets of glass before I succeeded in cutting one that fit the frame.
  
• Now, the glass fits, blow out dust from the glass and mat, drop in the matted piece, pop in a couple of staples and inspect for dust and particles. If there are particles, you pull the staples, blow out the dust, staple again and inspect it again. If there are no dust particles, you proceed to the fully stapling part. If there is dust, you open it and blow it out again (I've found if you don't get the dust out in the first 2 tries, because of Murphy's Law, you can count on 4 or 5 tries).
  
• Dust is out and you staple up the back, paper it, wire it, apply your label and bumpons in the corners. Rarely, are there failings in this part of the process.
  
• Now, your framer inspects the corners and uses a corner filler to smooth out the seams where the corners come together.
  
• Finally, he calls you to tell you it's time to pick up your work, puts it in a bin and waits for you to come get your masterpiece.

There you have a small sampling of the process of a framing project. As your framer, it's our job to measure accurately, cut accurately, treat your artwork with care and respect, and inspect, inspect, inspect.

Owning original Art

Have you ever gone to someones home and your senses were filled by their Art collection? Creating an Art collection is much different from decorating a house although your Art will eventually decorate your home. Your Art is much more personal than a mere decoration. Deciding to collect art is exactly that, a decision. And it comes from an appreciation of the creativity around us. Like any big project, you break it down into manageable steps (like the saying, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.) Step 1, say to yourself, "I'm going to build an Art Collection." Don't stress, step 1 is free. Step 2, identify what media you like or prefer (e.g. oil paintings, pastels, sculpture, printmaking, ceramic, etc. ) Step 3, decide you want to buy one piece of art each year. Or, I want to spend $300 (or $3000, etc.). It becomes a game. When you go to a gallery, you say to yourself, "is today the day?" Once you decide to enrich your world with Artwork it's a matter of narrowing down to the piece to buy. If you have a gallery or artist you like, visit regularly. If it's a gallery rather than an artist, learn about the artists they represent. If you like a particular artist's work, ask to meet him or her. Like I said earlier, owning Art is very personal. Attend openings. At Nelson Fine Art, we have an opening reception for artists every month on First Friday. If a piece of art at a reception seems interesting to you, ask the gallery owner to introduce you to the artist. Visiting with an artist can give you a better sense of what he or she was trying to accomplish. Just like that, you've added to the art experience. You can't do that with a vase or print you buy at a store. Step 4, buy! Now wasn't that simple? And in a few years you will have a collection of Art to be proud of. Benefits of buying original art? You own one of a kind pieces. If you met the artist, you have a better understanding of your piece. By buying original Art, you also encourage your artist to continue. And you keep the dollars local.