HAPPY HOLIDAYS

WE AT THE PAINTERS PLACE WANT TO WISH YOU ALL A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A MOST EXCELLENT AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

FRESH WALLS

We recently rehung our gallery walls in both our Larkspur and San Francisco stores. We've added some new pieces to our large collection of framed prints, mirrors, paintings and photographs, and hope you will stop by and peruse our walls.

In Larkspur, we have many original oil paintings by; Stan Painter, Krystal Allen, Christin Coy, Laura Williams, Zenaida Mott and Sherrill Miller, encaustic paintings by Cecilia Welden, etchings by Stephanie Scott, Balkwell and Moulin, and watercolors by Krystal Allen. There is also a small selection of unframed plein air paintings by our artists available as well. Whenever you purchase a piece of original art from The Painters Place, we will give you a 20% discount to frame or re frame the piece.

Our San Francisco shop offers many wonderful pieces as well; figurative works in ink by Dan Becker, paintings in oil and watercolor by Krystal Allen, oils by Christin Coy, etchings by Stephanie Scott and photographs by Guy Pedersen. 

All three of our shops also have a large selection of framed mirrors, antique and giclee` prints,  early 20th century hand colored photographs and ready made, table top frames.

Ours is a visual experience. Come in and share our love for the aesthetic.

French Mats

French mats, or decorative mats, date back to the 16th century and are still very popular today, especially when used in the display of antique or botanical prints. They can, however, be used effectively for more contemporary works, such as photos, works on paper or giclee prints. 

As with all framing, the frame and mat need to work well with the art, without stealing the show. Sometimes just 1 simple line can dress up a project just enough, without overwhelming the art. Other times a more elaborate design can really accent the art. In design, French Mats are used to liven up a simple piece, create an antique look, accentuate a particular color scheme, add visual interest to a large border and to dress a piece up.

Designs can consist of simple lines, wash or painted panels or drawn in motifs, such as ribbons, garlands, geometric patterns and flourishes. Lines can also be embossed by using a stylus to scribe an invisible line, called a blind embossed line. Materials used, range from watercolors, gouaches and inks, to powders that are rubbed into the surface of the mat board.  Colors are usually pulled from the art and subdued so that they aren't as bright as the art, but marbled or gilded papers, which are much bolder, can be cut into strips and applied with glue to create narrow bands of color. The art, personal taste, and frame will dictate how elaborate the mat should be. You are only limited by your imagination, tools and materials, and pocket book. 

Take The Mirror Out Of Your Art

Do you own a piece of art that you just can't enjoy because of reflections on the glazing? There is a solution to this problem. Try switching the glazing to Museum Glass or Acrylic. 

Today's technology has brought glazing for fine art in to the 21st century. Available in glass and acrylic, Museum glazing is by far the best choice for works on paper and photographs. Using a process called Magnetron Sputtering, regular picture glass can be turned into state of the art glazing. By bombarding the glass with 5 different metals in a magnetron, the glare/reflection can be almost totally eliminated. A very diminished reflection remains, but looking head on it is virtually undetectable. As a result of this greatly diminished reflection, you get more clarity in the glass and can see the art better. This translates to 96% light transmission. Don't confuse this light transmission with the damaging UV light rays. Museum glass and acrylic block out 99% of UV rays and it's effectiveness does not diminish over time.

An added bonus for Museum Acrylic is that it has none of the static electricity problems common to regular acrylic and plexi glass, making it suitable to use with dry media like pastels and charcoal. The metals used in making it, ground the static charge caused by unmasking and rubbing to clean. This can make framing of very large pastel much lighter in weight and easier to handle.

Most suited to dark pieces, Museum glazing products can " take the mirror out of your art", allowing you to actually see the art and not the reflection caused by the glazing. Be sure to look for future specials on Museum Glazing products

Happy New Year!

With the start of the new year we have much to look forward to. We have moved our production facility from Berkeley to Richmond. This space is better suited to our production needs and we are looking forward to the possibilities that lay ahead of us at our new location. We will reopen an East Bay showroom and design center once we get our production up and running smoothly and are better able to determine how to create this space. Look forward to news about that in future blogs.

One of our goals for this coming year, is to create new styles and designs for picture frames. Our library is constantly growing, and we are working in new directions, expanding our repertoire of gilding, carving and wood finishes. We want to be able to offer our clientele the best that we can be. We do this be experimenting with new finishes, new carving styles, new materials and fresh designs. Our only limit is our imagination.

Some of our newest styles have included hand carving. Our carvers are amazing. They have the ability to manifest our ideas into the very thing we envisioned. Typical woods used are walnut, poplar, bass, and mahogany. These can then have a gilded, painted or wood finish added to complete the design.

We have been experimenting with different kinds of precious metal leaf in our gilding department. Recently we introduced our Oxidized Silver finish. This finish has the ability to instantly transform a frame into an antique. It's subtle luster defies it's actual color, which is that of tarnished silver with slight iridescent undertones. 

Ideal for black and white photography, graphite, charcoal, monochromatic prints and cool hued images. It creates a rich looking frame that enhances the art without stealing the show.

Another finish that we are proud of, is our wrapped metal finish. This can be done with copper, brass, or nickel. To these we add a patina that will totally transform the finish, creating depth and character. The metal is wrapped around a wood frame and can be pounded to create a hammered look. Very few custom framers have the knowledge and ability to create these fine finishes, they are very unique. 

The Painters Place has been using veneers for many years. This enables us to use exotic and rare woods, that are too costly or unavailable in board form. The sheer beauty of the wood is capitalized upon, creating an old world feel or a masculine look. We utilize many different types of burl ranging from elm, walnut and birdseye maple, to lacewood, rosewood and purple heart amongst others.

Whatever your framing needs or ideas are, we at The Painters Place are willing to give it our best shot. Whether we work from an existing style, photos or just verbal descriptions, making that unique piece just for you is our passion.