Top Ten Framing Tips

Cindy Cambridge, Account Executive with Larson Juhl, an international framing company, spoke to our artists' seminar at Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum about trends in framing and how quality framing impacts the sale of art. Here are some tips she shared:
There are no rules...only guidelines.

1. Frame to enhance the art, not to match the room.
2. In a completed frame design, the art should be the first thing you see.
3. Moulding width should be determined by the following: size of the art, scale of shapes within the image, visual weight, scale of the room and furniture in the room.
4. Mat width should be: at least slightly wider than the moulding or at least slightly narrower than the moulding width.
5. Neutral mat colors (white, gray, tan and black) allow the artwork to be the focal point, and allow the completed piece to be more versatile if it moves to a different location.
6. Paper as well as textile art should be framed behind glass. In each case, there should be space between the art and the glass, provided by a mat or sspacer.
7. Double matting, fabric mats, a fillet or stacking frames are all ways to increase the perceived value of a piece.
8. Conservation grade materials (including mats, mounting items, glass and acrylic) should be used on everything. the value of protecting the piece far outweighs the minimal difference in cost.
9. Acrylic is the better choice in a child's room, or if the finished piece needs to be shipped.
10. Art doesn't go out of style, but framing trends come and go. Replacing a single element of a framed item, or all of them, can update the look of any piece.

Trust your custom framer to help guide you in finding the best solution for each item you are having framed. When done correctly, custom framing should enhance a single piece of art along with the room in which it will be displayed.

Broomfield artist Ruth Soller exhibits in New York City

Ruth Soller, Broomfield artist will exhibit her oil paintings in the Something Different Exhibition at APW Arts Gallery in New York City from July 17th through August 23rd, 2009. Opening Reception will be July 17th from 7 pm to 9 pm. Soller will be sending the most recent pieces in her Painted Pueblos of Santa Fe series, Canyon Road Corner and Presbyterian Profile, as well as Catalina Fountain and Catalina Planter. Soller previously exhibited in Limner Gallery on Avenue of the Americas, New York City in 2001 and 2002. This year she is participating in a worldwide Sketchbook Project touring exhibition sponsored by Art House Gallery of Atlanta, Georgia, with a stop at Third Ward Gallery in Brooklyn, New York. The Something Different Exhibition will feature 200 artists from around the world. One artist from this exhibition will be selected to present a solo exhibition at APW Arts Gallery. Ten artists will be selected to present a group exhibition. Works in the Something Different Exhibition will be featured on our website www.APWarts.com and for purchase online. General inquiry: info@apwarts.com
Hours: Friday - Sunday 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm Phone: (718)-383-0671 48-18 Van Dam St - Long Island City - NYC 11101


Soller’s oil paintings of the historic architecture and the colorful people of the West, glow from within with southern charm. After twenty years of painting her work has developed a distinct and recognizable stylized realism. She perceives intensified colors, simplified forms and dramatic value contrasts in her compositions. A full-time painter residing in Broomfield, Colorado, she is inspired by the grandeur of the nearby Rocky Mountains. She paints the western landscape in a magical, mystical, surreal style. Her works have been exhibited from New York City to Los Angeles and from Montana to Alabama. She is represented by Solveig Lark of Gallery East in Loveland, Colorado and Rebecca Barrett of The Link Gallery in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
APW Arts Gallery first opened their doors in March of 2008 in New York City's Lower East Side. Since then it has organized and curated a number of exhibitions featuring local and international artists. APW Arts Gallery is innovative in that it showcases works such as custom vinyl toys as well as traditional media from both emerging and established artists. Previous exhibitions included World of Imagination, Custom Toy Contest, Sketch It Out, Art on Record, A Postcard is worth 1000 words, and Deck Deck Deck. Future scheduled shows include New York City Art Book Project, T-Project, and Just Stick It. In March 2009, APW Arts Gallery transitioned into a new 5,000 square foot space in the growing creative community of Long Island City, NYC.

Painted Pueblos of Santa Fe

NEW PAINTINGS SERIES: SANTA FE SCENES-Our recent trip to Santa Fe inspired my new series of paintings. The public is invited to come and see the debut of these vibrant jewels at an open house at Gallery East, Tenth & Lincoln, Loveland, CO, Tuesday-Saturday, gallery hours 11 am-4 pm.

Santa Fe means "Holy Faith" in Spanish. Santa Fe is the oldest state capital city in the U.S. Built in the early days of Spanish colonization, around 1610, San Miguel Mission is considered by many to be the oldest mission in the U.S. It was burned and then rebuilt in 1710. In Spanish Colonial times, this was the church of the working people in the Barrio de Analco. Today this church contains many fine examples of historic Hispanic religious art.

Canyon Road is today the home of dozens of prestigious art galleries, shops and restaurants. This street was once a dirt track used by people to haul firewood on burros to sell in downtown Santa Fe. In the 1920's, artists moved in because rents were the lowest in town. Farolitos (candles in paper bags), little bonfires traditionally called luminarias and thousands of carolers make this a magical place on Christmas Eve. A chile ristra, a string of bright red chiles, is a perfect inexpensive keepsake. They are traditionally hung in kitchens or by a door.

The most familiar of all Native American dwellings are the monumental pueblos of the Southwest, which are believed to have evolved from simple earth lodges. The earthen roofs are supported by massive horizontal timbers placed on top of the thick adobe walls. Because of the difficulty of cutting the roof timbers to precise lengths with stone tools, the ends were normally allowed to project somewhat beyond the wall surface. This is the principal difference between native buildings and related Spanish Colonial buildings built of adobe. Several of the New Mexico pueblos have been continuously occupied since pre-Columbian times and thus have the distinction of being the most authentic surviving Native American dwellings.

Spanish domestic buildings commonly have long, narrow porches (the corridor or portale) that open onto internal courtyards. Porch roofs were supported by hewn logs, usually capped by distinctive carved brackets. Because they faced internal courtyards, traditional porches are seldom evident on the external facades. With the arrival of Anglo influence, however, front-façade porches became fashionable.
Spanish Colonial buildings are unusually durable when executed in stone. In sharp contrast, adobe walls are unusually susceptible to deterioration; if the roofs are not continually repaired, rainwater literally melts them into a formless mass of mud. Regrettably, many of the most authentic examples were abandoned in favor of frame dwellings.

Sources:
A Field Guide to American Houses, by Virginia and Lee McAlester, Alfred A Knopf, Inc., copyright 1997.
The Collectors Guide Santa Fe, Taos, Albuquerque, Vol. 22, No. 2, 2008-2009
Inside Santa Fe, Vol. 9, No. 2, 2008-2009

A Bolt of White Cloth

During our visit in Cheyenne, Wyoming for the Western Spirit Exhibition and Sale, I was fortunate to attend the Artist Development Seminar at Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum. Sandra Starr, Senior Researcher at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, spoke on “A Bolt of White Cloth: Exploring the Flexibility and Adaptability of the American Indian Artist”. Here are a few fascinating facts from her talk. The Treaty of Canadaigua between the Iroquois Confederacy and the United States was signed in 1794. Some terms of this treaty continue to touch the lives of the Oneida today. For example, an allotment of treaty cloth or annuity cloth was given to each enrolled Oneida. Since the Oneida word for “gift” did not include the idea of reciprocity, it is unlikely that they understood that the United States was taking control of their land through the treaty.

The allotment of cloth was determined by an amount of money established in 1794 and has not been adjusted for inflation. Today the cloth continues to be delivered by United Parcel Service and distributed on a per capita basis. Originally gifted bolts of calico and muslin were meant to help with the clothing needs of tribal people. Later, tipi liners decorated with illustrations of events and feats of bravery were made of the muslin given as gifts in treaty negotiations. Women also made quilts from the annuity cloth. The treaty cloth has gone from a fine white cotton muslin to an inexpensive unbleached muslin used for sheets and pillowcases. The quantity of treaty cloth allotted per person has diminished from about four yards by two yards in the early days to a strip 4 inches wide by 48 inches long in 1998. Still Oneida oral tradition teaches each new generation the potent symbol of the annuity cloth.

GALLERY NEWS

I'm excited to announce that Rebecca Barrett of The Link Gallery now represents my work in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Rebecca has owned and operated galleries in Denver and Estes Park, Colorado. Originally born and schooled in Cambridge, England, Rebecca received a degree in photography from the University of the Arts London. She has published work in magazines in the United Kingdom and the United States. Rebecca worked as a house photographer for a jazz club in London, did portfolios for musicians, and designed album covers.

The Link Gallery features fine and applied art from American, British and European artists which encompasses jewelery, paintings, photography, art glass, sculpture, ceramics and prints. As well as quite traditional pieces the gallery carries work that tends to be witty, maybe a little quirky, and definitely different! Rebecca invites you to feel welcome to come in and browse.