Framing: this Artist's Bane

Wall of frames: be afraid, be very afraid......

Why can't someone invent a Universal Frame? I'm not talking about size. I'm talking about a frame that looks good on whatever style of artwork you put it around and doesn't cost an arm and a leg! Perhaps the only part I hate about painting is having to frame the thing. And yet I know that if you choose the wrong frame you can effectively kill a painting, so care must be taken.

When I was in college I often just "stripped" the paintings (nailed thin strips of wood to the outer edges). It was cheap, I could do it myself, and it went fine with the strange, abstract, and odd things we were required to create in order to get that degree. But the kinds of things I am doing now need more than that, and I would rather be painting than sawing and nailing frames together.

Custom framing (even with my 60% off coupon) is out of the question, so I haunt art stores looking for frames on sale and comb the internet (always a risk since you can't actually touch the frame and computer colors can lie). I also recycle frames that I already have. Paintings of the same size going to competitions at different times can wear the same frame, but for a big show where all your works are exhibited this doesn't work. Right now I have approximately 25 paintings sitting around waiting for a frame of their own.

My latest foray has been to frame my painting, "Heart of the Mill", that is off to a competition. It was the usual agony and the results were only adequate, I couldn't afford spectacular.

I have no solution except to soldier on. But if someone ever invents a Universal Frame they should get in touch with me. I'll buy a few!!