Carol Coulter Framing

So, the Festival is over for another year. As is the summer by the feel of things. A distinct chill is in the air and I’ll soon need to put the heaters on here at Jamaica St.

As readers of my blog will know, I framed several copies of the winning Fringe poster this year along with a number of other artworks that were exhibited at various venues across the city. In my quieter periods, I put the time to good use by doing a bit of DIY and maintenance so the outside of the workshop is looking quite neat and tidy. The new signage has been much admired and has prompted one nearby resident to say ‘I never knew there was a framer here’. (There has in fact been another framing business here for twenty years). Hopefully it will attract new customers.

I am now looking forward to my involvement in an up-and-coming charity event that takes place on Thursday 29 Sept at The Old Ambulance Depot. It’s in a very worthy cause and you can read all about it at Billy’s BIG Charity Auction page. A number of celebrated photographers from Scotland and the North of England have kindly donated limited edition, signed prints that I have the pleasure of framing. And as the organiser of the event, (Gareth Howells of Newhaven Agency) has given me free reign to do what I like, I’m having fun trying out one or two new things.

I’ll put up some images once they are finished to whet your appetite. You may even want to come along and bid!

Much to my amazement, it is a year since I was asked by artist Brigid Collins to frame a number of paintings for entry into an exhibition at the Kilmorack Gallery, near Beauly. They were the first ‘proper’ framing commissions I had ever undertaken and so hubs and I made the trip all the way up to Inverness-shire to see my handiwork ‘in the flesh’.

Well one year on, and in collaboration with Brigid, I have just completed two frames for her work in this years Christmas 2009 exhibition which previews this Thursday 27 November. ‘You could not come’ and ‘Our two soules’ are shown above and opposite.

Over 30 artists are represented, including Brigid’s husband, Alan McGowan and the exhibition continues until Christmas. If you are up that way, it’s a beautiful gallery and well worth a visit.

OMG! I am so tardy! Only too aware that I haven’t posted for quite some time – but two months!
I’ve had some really nice framing projects since you last visited, so no excuse really for not showing them. I have lots of shots to upload, which I will do very soon (though not just now ’cos I’m off to yoga).
Amongst the clients I have been working for, three of them have work entered into the RSW (Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour). The exhibition, which finishes this Saturday 12 September, is on at The Meffan in Forfar. Looking at the website, www.rsw.org.uk there’s lots of great stuff, so if you can, pop up to Angus before this Saturday. I am going tomorrow with my friend and artist Brigid Collins, who has two entries in the exhibition.

Unbelievably, now half way through the year, here we are in June. Flaming June – as it is often referred to. And so far, it hasn’t been a bad one. A fair amount of sunshine with a smattering of showers and some nippy winds.

The workshop is heating up nicely and the windows have been thrown open a few times this week. And it has been a really good week work-wise. One that I have thoroughly enjoyed.

Last weekend I had a call from a client for whom I had done some work late last year. Her name is Aine Divine and she is a portrait painter who also happens to paint things other than people. Anyway, she had an exhibition looming and she called me to see if I could frame a number of oil paintings in time for this weekend. Never one to turn work away – particularly when I get the opportunity to work closely with the artist – of course, I jumped at the chance.

Aine came to see me last Sunday and we discussed what style of mouldings we felt would work for each individual painting. I really enjoy working with Aine as, although she has an idea of what she thinks will work, she pretty much leaves the decisions to me.

The following morning, I spent a couple of hours considering each individual painting in order to decide just what I would do with them. One thing I really enjoy doing, is working with bare wood, then hand staining and waxing the finished frame. I knew Aine liked this approach too as she had seen some of my other commissions, so decided I would do that with two of the larger pieces – Little Women, a mixed media piece and Sleeping Child (which along with the others, can be seen in the gallery opposite).

With both of these, I added slips. A cream covered slip in the case of Little Women, and a gold slip which I lightly brushed with an ivory paint, for Sleeping Child. Little Women is probably the most contemporary of all the paintings and as it is mixed media (oil and collage), we felt this one needed to be behind glass. (All the other paintings, beings oils, are not behind glass.)

Anyway, the work was completed and delivered on time (about 5 hours ago) in readiness for the weekend-long exhibition that starts tomorrow Saturday 13 June and continues on Sunday 14th as part of the Roslin Studio Trail. This also takes in the work of Sarah Keer-Keer. Both their studios are in the village of Roslin (surprise, surprise) and they can be found at:

2 Pentland View Terrace (Aine Divine) and 24 Manse Road (Sarah Keer-Keer).

Do try and visit. If the weather holds, not only will it be a lovely day out, but there are lots of original artworks for sale – at very competitive prices. Not to mention, quality framing!

Aine’s work can also be found at: www.divineportraits.co.uk

I was delighted, earlier this month, to be asked by my neighbour/friend/client, Brigid Collins, to frame a couple of pictures that she was entering for the RSA Spring Exhibition. Entry into this esteemed event is not automatic and all entrants are rigorously judged, so it was with bated breath that we waited to see if she had been successful.
And she was!
Her two pictures, numbered 20 and 60 in Gallery One, are shown here and opposite. I had great fun creating the frames, using a wide, natural barewood moulding which I then stained and waxed – many times over – to get the deep, rich colours and lovely patina.
For ‘Come See’ (no 20) I used two layers of ebony stain followed by generous helpings of dark Jacobean wax to match the greeny-black tones in the painting. For ‘Late Fragment’ (no 60) I lovingly applied about four layers of walnut stain then again, finished with the same dark wax to add that extra depth of colour and richness that so complemented the beautiful tones in the painting.
I was lucky enough to be invited by Brigid to attend the Friends of the RSA evening last Thursday (23rd) and saw my frames in all their glory. Her paintings (mixed media) are wonderful and, like most of the art on show, not at all expensive to buy. Indeed, the RSA (part of the Own Art scheme), is offering interest-free credit whereby any amount from £100 to £2000 can be used towards the purchasing of artwork. A brilliant idea.
So do, pop along and see these and many more wonderful paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs and architecture. The exhibition runs until May 20.

Last week I was at the Spring Fair at the NEC in Birmingham. Luckily I decided to get the train rather than drive or fly. Either of which would have caused major problems getting back. The snow – there was lots of it.

Anyway, it was my first time at the fair. The biggest of its kind in the UK, and probably one of the biggest in Europe, it attracts about 3,000 exhibitors and about 70,000 visitors. Although not surprisingly, numbers, I was told, were down a lot this year on previous.

I was there to see the exhibitors in the Art and Wall Decoration sector in Hall 12, mainly to meet the suppliers (Lion, Arqadia, Ashworth and Thompson) that I have been dealing with over the past few months who until now, have just been names on the end of the phone. And to pick up hints and tips from experts in the world of framing who were there conducting seminars throughout the day.

These seminars were organised by the Fine Art Trade Guild (FATG) and were free to all attendees. Amongst the speakers were Graham Case from Blackhall Framing here in Edinburgh, Mal Reynolds from Harlequin Frames, Mike Royall from Royall Framing and Steve McKee of Dromore Framing in Northern Ireland.

All gave valuable insights and advice on their areas of expertise but I found the talk on Framing Samplers by Mal Reynolds most interesting. And he had some beautiful examples of old (sorry, don’t know how old) Dutch samplers that he had painstakingly and beautifully framed. Mal is coming to Edinburgh next month to conduct a workshop at Atkin Framers in Livingston and I look forward to attending that.

Also giving his time for free, was Pete Bingham at the Lion Stand, demonstrating his finishing skills using Everest paints. Pete, I understand, has been doing this for many years and the speed with which he created unusual and effective finishes was a pleasure to watch.

I must mention also, my friends at Bohemia here in Edinburgh, who won Buying Team of the Year for the exciting and innovative range of gifts, clothes, toiletries and collectibles they source from the world over. Congratulations to Jenny and all the team!

Anyway, it was a fun couple of days and I made it home safe and sound. Unlike the poor unfortunate people whose trains, planes and automobiles were canceled, delayed or stranded. My train was on-time, warm and not at all busy. I drank wine, had a feta and roast tomato salad (both courtesy of M&S) and read my book (Restless by William Boyd) for the best part of four hours. Most civilised, and how train travel should be.