tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575732965186728372012-01-26T15:38:52.169-08:00The online journal of Holton Studio Frame-MakersTim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.comBlogger471100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-59254894250575652972012-01-26T15:38:00.000-08:002012-01-26T15:38:52.190-08:00

Recently framed this small original Edward Curtis photogravure of Apache Indians for a couple in Texas. The print had wide margins, but we wanted the effect of framing it close so used a lap-joined flat — kind of a wooden mat, although on top of the glass. We've taken this approach a number of times before.  Also wanted to show the carved corner design. Both the corner design and the chamfer on

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-40793392480252433552012-01-20T09:16:00.000-08:002012-01-20T09:45:43.604-08:00

For those of you who appreciate the aspect of handcraft in our work, I thought I'd draw your attention to the blog "Wisdom of the Hands" by Arkansan woodworker and teacher Doug Stowe. I learned about it while reading Matthew B. Crawford's Shop Class as Soulcraft. Doug is something of a voice in the wilderness in arguing for more hands-on learning and a return to manual arts in

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-17251251222311238992012-01-19T09:04:00.000-08:002012-01-20T09:29:42.000-08:00

We recently got to frame this early twentieth century landscape by Charles Partridge Adams (1858-1942). At just 10" x 14", it's humble in size as well as subject matter, and loosely painted—all aspects suggesting a fairly simple frame with a bit of carving. The tree trunks brought to mind the profile we'd come up with a few months ago for Paul Kratter's view of Lake Tahoe, "Twisted Pine Above

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-16025516810778001062012-01-18T09:12:00.000-08:002012-01-18T13:16:33.789-08:00

This recent job offers a simple lesson in two key elements in frame design: line and form. We just framed this contemporary painting by Ukrainian-American artist Andrij Korchynsky. Despite the loose style, the sweeping lines and angularity of the roofs suggested the form of the profile—a broad flat sweeping up to a scoop and then beveling back. With respect to line, a narrow raised panel at the

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-87973483930663295942012-01-17T10:51:00.000-08:002012-01-17T14:21:17.057-08:00

A customer recently commissioned Kevin Courter to paint three cottages on his rural northern California property, then had us frame the three 8 x 10's. Here it is: The idea was to create a frame alive to the soft edges as well as architectural subject matter. Given the vernacular cottages, we had to keep it simple but still worthy of the great admiration, felt by both painter and patron, of these

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-74082508468327185082012-01-17T06:00:00.000-08:002012-01-17T06:00:06.896-08:00

We've always had a steady flow of orders for framing Yoshiko Yamamoto's wonderful linoleum block prints. She has just announced a new series, "Wisdom of Trees". Beautiful!

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-82353522630587959022012-01-16T12:07:00.000-08:002012-01-16T12:14:59.785-08:00

I really enjoy chamfering and playing with chamfers as a design element. Here's an acrylic on paper, recently framed, by mid-century Texan Edward Carpenter Bearden (1919-1980). We had fun coming up with this adaptation of our Aurora frame with flat mortise-and-tenon corners. We often use it with a chamfer all around the sight edge. In this case we played off the mountain peaks in the picture by

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-29462281312587282642011-12-23T16:00:00.000-08:002011-12-23T16:18:30.629-08:00

As the year winds up, I thought I'd write about another aspect of what we're trying to do at Holton Studio—about our greater mission and purpose as a business. Because with the economy in a shambles, I believe it's time businesses think in a fundamentally new way—which is actually an old way, as you'll see—about what business is for. Is the purpose of a business to make money? In answer to the

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-37674227496761823542011-11-16T14:54:00.000-08:002011-11-16T14:58:32.850-08:00

Thaddeus Welch (1844-1919) was one of the great historic California landscape painters. This classic bucolic hillside scene by Welch came in recently, the customer looking to free it from a typical period compo frame which he rightly judged to be pretentious and unsuitable to the rustic spirit of the painting. Before Here it is in its new quartersawn white oak frame in a dark stain matching the

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-47496567162991381012011-11-02T08:22:00.000-07:002011-11-02T13:41:07.181-07:00

A follow-up to the last entry, here's a wonderful example of a watercolor by one of California's premiere early watercolorists, Sydney Janis Yard (1855-1909). This is a frame we've used before, for other, similar California watercolors — by Percy Grey — but this job offers the re-framing aspect to the story. Before The "before" shot demonstrates the typical conventional contemporary framing

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-39181035184941498202011-10-12T14:01:00.000-07:002011-10-12T14:01:38.064-07:00

We've recently had the pleasure of framing several watercolors by notable California artists working in the early twentieth century. Maynard Dixon (1875-1946): Chris Jorgensen (1838-1876): William S. Rice (1873-1963): Marjorie Stevens (1902-1992; available through North Point Gallery): Lorenzo Latimer (1857-1941; these available through North Point Gallery): Davis Schwartz (1879-1969):

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-36105772179865388772011-10-11T16:26:00.000-07:002011-10-11T16:27:18.464-07:00

Sharon Calahan came home from the Oil Painters of America Western Regional Exhibition this weekend with a Bronze Medal! Her painting is "June Pasture," 20" x 40". We had framed it in a quartersawn white oak compound flat with carved sight edge. Congratulations, Sharon!

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-13709637116102906432011-09-07T13:05:00.000-07:002011-09-07T13:05:35.182-07:00

John Ruskin wrote, "to those who love Architecture, the life and accent of the hand are everything." One age-old kind of handwork is chamfering, and its application to frames is one of the greatest joys in my work. This is a quartersawn white oak mirror I just made for a customer to give as a wedding gift. It measures 34" x 22", and features a carved initial "S" at the top and the year at the

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-25991390021652487402011-08-27T09:37:00.000-07:002011-08-27T10:44:18.370-07:00

Steve Jobs and handcraft are not two things we naturally associate with each other. But they should be. Allow me to explain. Big news in the business world this week is Jobs stepping down from Apple. One story about this that played on the radio caught my attention, as it echoed a point I tried to make in my post-financial collapse essay for Arts and Crafts Homes Magazine called "Real Wealth:

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-15512367171001528782011-08-17T12:45:00.000-07:002011-09-07T13:08:50.868-07:00

We're excited to be welcoming James McGrew to the Gallery.  A passionate explorer and painter of Yosemite National Park, James has spent a lifetime (well, his life so far) capturing the Park's magnificent natural beauty. We're featuring his plein air work, all fairly small (i.e., nicely affordable). While we're still framing his paintings, you can see what we have pre-framed on his page on our

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-565589000155430602011-08-09T11:34:00.000-07:002011-08-20T11:47:34.558-07:00

We just framed a set of three floral watercolors by northern California artist Pamela Glasscock. To marry the delicate images with a Craftsman interior, we couldn't do better than our old standby, the Yoshida frame. Made in machiche, a tropical hardwood (sustainably harvested) from Belize, which we chose for its natural color which harmonizes perfectly with the paintings. The frame's joined with

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-9374767809580776472011-08-06T13:52:00.000-07:002011-09-07T13:09:51.892-07:00

The landscape paintings of Hanson Puthoff (1875-1972) made a major contribution to California's rich heritage of landscape painting. Unfortunately, his pieces did not always find their way into frames that do them justice. Here's one example we had the honor of re-framing this week, taking it out of a machine-made, gold painted compo setting and putting it in a handcrafted, carved quartersawn oak

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-72267759453568637242011-08-02T18:37:00.000-07:002011-08-20T11:57:08.691-07:00

Last year we re-framed a couple of paintings of stags, both by premiere nineteenth century French wildlife painter Rosa Bonheur, which I blogged about here. We just did another one, and at 48" x 36" it's considerably bigger than the first two. First, here it is in the compo exhibition frame that we were to replace: And here it is now: Given the log house setting it's going in, our solution

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-63704551730587416242011-07-30T10:11:00.000-07:002011-08-20T11:39:48.305-07:00

Our artist, Bryan Mark Taylor, won first place in the Quick Draw competition at Plein Air Easton, Maryland (July 18-24, 2011). Congratulations, Bryan! Learn more here... See the piece and the artists remarks on it at his blog, here. Here are a couple of my favorite pieces we have by Bryan: "Morro Rock Memories," o/c, 9 x 12. "Along Adobe Road," o/c, 8" x 10". See Bryan's page on our website

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-4078281053671616952011-07-28T11:27:00.000-07:002011-08-20T11:39:48.307-07:00

Bill Cone recently brought in these two beautiful pastels for The Summer Show. "Gateway Morning," pastel on paper. 8" x 8". "Wildflowers," pastel on paper. 9" x 12". We've also just completed framing a few of Bill's works for a customer. Here they are: All are profiles that are simple but designed to suit Bill's direct and no nonsense views of the natural landscape. They're done in carved

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-12258617716726692882011-07-21T13:23:00.000-07:002011-08-20T11:39:48.308-07:00

A new entry for the quotes on the page, "Re-framing Art":  William Morris "It is indeed in...the belief in the beneficent progress of civilisation, that I venture to face you and to entreat you to strive to enter into the real meaning of the arts, which are surely the expression of reverence for nature, and the crown of nature, the life of man upon the earth." —William Morris The idea of "

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-27391402925320847632011-03-28T12:39:00.000-07:002011-12-13T08:56:03.761-08:00

A new entry for the quotes on the page, "Re-framing Art": "Als Ik Kan"     @font-face { font-family: "hiroshige"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: hiroshige; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } William Morris "Si Je Puis" tile from Red House If the Arts and Crafts Movement can be said to have a motto, it is surely "Als Ik

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-88292446153797477272011-02-09T13:27:00.000-08:002011-08-20T11:39:48.311-07:00

The last of Kevin Courter's paintings for his upcoming show, "From Dusk to Dawn," is in, and it's a great example of a theme he's been having a lot of fun with for the last few months. This is called "Evening's Solitude," and it's 8 x 16. The frame, No. 1.4 CV, is one we use often, as it's so versatile, simple and effective. Hope you'll put the show on your calendar. It opens Saturday, February

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-51341499939381648372011-02-01T17:53:00.000-08:002011-08-20T11:39:48.312-07:00

The first entry for the quotes on the page, Re-framing Art: "All true art is praise."  John Ruskin's statement is among his most quoted and is takes us right to a central motive for why painters paint—a motive that fundamentally shapes our idea of art and its place and role in our lives. Art holds up to us things we admire, love, and find praise-worthy. (It also goes directly to why—and

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-73032661690381633732011-02-01T17:28:00.000-08:002011-08-20T11:57:08.692-07:00

Recently framed this John Bond Francisco , designing the setting to echo playfully with the massive green frame at the center of the painting. This little oil, 12" x 8", depicts the artist's San Francisco studio around the turn of the century. The frame profile's a No. 16—a plain flat mitered frame with a chamfered (45 degree bevel) sight edge. Chose a flat profile to go with the relatively

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-63177908473235467822011-02-01T17:24:00.000-08:002011-08-20T11:57:08.694-07:00

 We've had the privilege of framing more and more historical work, and this past month got to re-frame this sweet oil painting, "Foggy Morning," (10" x 17") by Ludmilla Welch, who with her husband Thaddeus Welch, worked in San Francisco at the turn of the century. It's in a very low slope Century Series 3" wide profile in stained quartersawn white oak.

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-25971792682142259022011-01-10T15:19:00.000-08:002011-08-20T11:40:27.071-07:00

Early last year I got to brag here that we'd gotten a call from the set designers for the Coen Brothers remake of the classic western, True Grit. Well, as you're probably aware, the film is out and doing gangbusters at the box office. If you look closely, you'll see our frames (the oak ones—NOT the gold ones, of course) in the courthouse scenes near the beginning, in which Rooster Cogburn and

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-80015986155791926942010-08-13T17:13:00.000-07:002011-08-20T11:57:08.696-07:00

Enjoyed framing this 12" x 14" oil for Kevin Courter, now at New Masters Gallery in Carmel. Chose walnut for its color (used a light stain to get the harmony just right) and because it's good for carving. Chose a flat profile, since it's a flat composition, but at the sight edge it's got a very subtle convex, or ovolo, form echoing the form of the treetops cradling the moon. The frame similarly

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-79763138723243393332010-08-12T09:30:00.000-07:002011-08-20T11:57:08.697-07:00

Just finished framing this wonderful Kevin Courter oil on linen, 20" x 16", titled "Soaring Skies." I wanted the frame to extend the perspective with the right form and amount of line work, but keeping it simple and rustic in spirit. The color came out of the shadows in the grasses. Shadows are frequently a good source for frame color, helping the frame remain subordinate to the painting. The

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-45288532190257587962010-08-07T12:35:00.000-07:002011-08-20T11:57:08.698-07:00

This is another re-framing job that we did maybe a year ago. It's a still life, oil on canvas, by 19th century British painter Edward Liddell. Here's how it was framed when it came in:  And how it looked after we re-framed it in stained quartersawn white oak to be more in sympathy with its rustic spirit: Here's the profile, fairly flat over all, but refined and with beads all keyed to the highly

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-53282189078056282192010-06-28T12:26:00.000-07:002011-08-20T11:57:08.700-07:00

Have you ever looked at a painting and realized that you were fighting to see past the frame, that the frame was actually inhibiting you from seeing the painting? Maybe you've held your hands up to one eye and used them to block out the frame. That was very much my reaction—and I suspect the reaction of the customer who brought it to me—when I first laid eyes on this sweet little oil by the great

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-49195274249106942832010-06-25T16:33:00.000-07:002011-09-29T15:41:53.358-07:00

Geoffrey Agrons is a good customer and a superb photographer. We just framed this set of his photos printed on handmade Japanese paper, and they present a good opportunity to demonstrate two important lessons of framing design: framing contemporary photographs close, and individualized frame design. Geoffrey sent seven photos, most of which are of the Cape May area during last winter's huge snow

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-27055265116836906902010-06-23T13:55:00.000-07:002011-08-20T11:39:48.325-07:00

Suitable frames for tiles are hard to come by—especially as the old tiles in particular become more highly treasured: folks want to do them proud, but production frames on small works of real handcraft only accentuate their makeshift nature. Yes, tile frames are easy to overdo, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with a totally plain frame. But tiles are highly architectural, which makes them

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-13144103334269290542010-06-21T08:00:00.000-07:002011-08-20T11:57:08.702-07:00

"All true art is praise," as John Ruskin said, getting right at the heart of picture-making (and blowing the top off a lot of pretentious blather about art, too). Last fall Kevin Courter brought in this work of praise, a 16" x 20" oil on linen, less than 2 weeks before our show, "A Heaven in the Eye" was to open. It's a stunner, as you can see, and to a frame-maker an inspiration. My enthusiasm

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-14270716591985998552010-06-19T12:15:00.000-07:002011-08-20T11:39:48.329-07:00

We just rehung the Gallery to show off all eight of our painters. It's a true delight to walk in and see such a lavish display of this tremendous group of artists.I hope you'll come by and experience it!

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-70712515460388300282010-06-18T14:18:00.000-07:002011-08-20T11:39:48.330-07:00

What's it take to get through a recession? A little "True Grit" helps. The Coen brothers are remaking the John Wayne classic and needed authentic-looking quartersawn oak frames on several Matthew Brady portraits that will help dress up a courthouse scene. Left to right, that's Tim as William Wheeler, Trevor as Albert Pike, and Eric as Edmund Kirby-Smith. Nice job, and it'll be really fun to see

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-89084168655334465352009-11-17T21:47:00.000-08:002011-08-20T11:39:48.334-07:00

The opening for the current landscape show at Holton Studio, A Heaven in the Eye, took place last Saturday, Nov. 14th. The show features 7 Northern California landscape painters: Kevin Courter, Christin Coy, Mark Farina, Paul Kratter, Terry Miura, Robin Moore, Brian Mark Taylor. Tim Holton has assembled a strong show of landscape paintings, all beautifully framed in his Craftsman style frames,

Christin Coyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11734564634202845296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-87227026412361959772009-04-07T16:03:00.001-07:002011-08-20T11:39:48.337-07:00

In late February I spent a couple of days at Silver Lake just south of Lake Tahoe. A recent storm left a fresh layer of snow and cooler temperatures. I had a chance to do some sketching (I'll write about that later) and did one painting.Winter painting offers some unique challenges, mainly staying warm. The obvious extremite to keep warm is your hands, but most of the time I'm able to paint

paul kratterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138736697179518300noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-39929328836772754682009-04-02T14:40:00.000-07:002011-08-11T16:00:24.792-07:00

Made another big step in this year's plan to grow the theme of the picture gallery as contemporary paintings of the local and northern California landscape: Sacramento painter Terry Miura recently delivered his first batch of paintings. They are a real privilege to have here, and I look forward to framing them and displaying them. Terry, who's a friend of Paul Kratter, is also a graduate of the

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-30426316569434132802009-03-13T13:47:00.000-07:002010-06-15T14:01:38.434-07:00

With wedding season approaching I thought I'd put out a couple of examples of pieces we've recently done as wedding gifts. This picture's framed close in a simple walnut "Hudson" frame with a gilt slip. Walnut, which is a tight-grained wood, has a smooth finish which suits the finish of the photo. The form gives a picture some space but has a graceful shape that suits the figurative subject

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-15330252646836562652009-03-06T15:52:00.001-08:002010-06-15T13:46:11.875-07:00

Of all the woods we use, we tend to emphasize quartersawn white oak. But walnut has always been a big favorite too, especially for carving. In preparing for the Paul Kratter show in June, the painting we decided to use for the publicity suggested walnut. Here's a corner detail of the frame, which is a compound design, meaning it's composed of more than one molding. This one has a cap molding as

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-63222847465585980542009-02-24T15:15:00.000-08:002010-06-15T15:08:37.562-07:00

Jean Sanchirico, who we started representing last fall, has launched her website, www.jeansanchirico.com. You can preview the ones we have, which we've framed, at Jean's page on my site.6/15/10 update: Jean is no longer represented by us, but is still a great friend (and the best neighbor!), and I urge you to follow her on her site. Her work is shown in our Portfolio, here.

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-8520500679463743762009-02-17T14:50:00.001-08:002010-06-15T14:02:40.041-07:00

Was up at Pt Reyes this weekend and had a frame to drop off for Tom Killion, a wonderful printmaker who lives and works up there. If you don't know Tom's work, you're in for a treat. He works in the tradition of Japanese woodblock printmaking, but has been at it long enough to have evolved his own very distinctive style. Tom's extraordinarily well-traveled, and his work reflects his travels. But

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-40337005141741362342009-02-14T14:42:00.000-08:002011-08-20T11:57:45.387-07:00

We recently framed this Paul Kratter painting for a couple in Washington State, and I wanted to share one aspect in particular that we're emphasizing more and more. It's what Walter Crane, the first president of the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society called "mural feeling" - the effect of a framed easel painting framed and hung to feel like a part of the wall. As Crane wrote, "The easel picture,

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-71267199853972324212009-02-02T11:20:00.000-08:002010-06-15T13:36:13.030-07:00

I recently took a trip with my friend Richard, also a painter, up to Mendocino and Fort Bragg. We traveled in Artie, our newly acquired RV. Our weather was amazing for January, sunny and warm during the day, cool at night with some fog. The coast line was glorious with one picturesque cove after another. We stopped and painted where we could find a place to pull over and enjoyed having Artie to

Christin Coyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11734564634202845296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-90082554610305116642009-01-27T12:19:00.000-08:002010-07-01T11:01:21.865-07:00

A couple of weeks ago an artist and customer, Mallory Lake (more on her another day) forwarded me a link to the website of Jefferson Hayman (www.jeffersonhayman.com), a New York photographer with an exceptional interest in picture frames. We had a nice chat on the phone. Turns out he used to be the director of Eli Wilner and Co. Jefferson and I share a fondness for the old oak frames. (More on

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157573296518672837.post-10685656042889440892009-01-24T13:55:00.000-08:002009-02-02T11:55:19.101-08:00

The holiday card from my landlord (and friend; some of us are too lucky) this year said, “Beat the odds! Have a great year!” Things do look bleak. But without venturing my opinions on matters like the auto industry and stimulus packages that people don’t generally look to picture framers to explain to them (I promise to stick to things I know about), I’m feeling strangely positive about the

Tim Holtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07457178144089462255noreply@blogger.com1