I spend so many hours on each painting. I’ve got my process and sticking to my process is like a ritual for me. It’s so essential because it reliably leads me to that magical moment when I feel that the work is satisfied and has a completeness that needs to be left undisturbed; it’s a wholly complete object, it is DONE.
But now it needs to be framed.
This object that I have labored over, that I have felt the joy of completion and finality of, I now need to take on to another level of production…to have another, totally separate object attached to it, in an ornamental way, a.k.a, Framing.
How can Framing be such a challenge? I’ve just created a new painting, and I am completely familiar with it, from the subject matter to the sketches, the draft line drawing to scale, the final line drawing, then the layers and layers of paint, and all the wonderful subtleties that happen there (the process, the ritual, wink). I can do all of that, yet I cannot figure out what the frame should look like. This is where Kimi comes in!
Kimi’s got a talent for framing that is out of this world, and when she adds her frames to my paintings, I feel they become the best possible version of themselves. So naturally, I think of Kimi as an artist, and the frame is her art.
If I was painstakingly ordering a finely crafted custom frame to my particular specifications, I would perhaps have a different opinion. But I consult Kimi for the frame, and she makes suggestions (she makes all of the suggestions) and politely allows me to select as I will. But she has a pretty strong opinion and will guide me to that opinion. This is of course very welcome to me and is what I prefer; I noticed early on that she has a true penchant for weighing color and texture options and a patience for trying different looks until it is right. I was impressed by our first few collaborations as I will call them, and from there have increasingly preferred to let her do what she does best, and show me her suggestions.
So, is the frame also the artwork? Does everyone else think about this, or is it just me?
On a different note – I’ve recently admired some compelling prints, paintings, and digital art that were framed poorly and this is not a crime of craftmanship that I am calling out here, but a selection of materials, color, and texture for the framing (and matting) that ultimately was not improving or setting off its assigned artwork either in harmony, or with contrast for specific effect. It was just bad framing that ended up distracting from the artwork itself. In these cases, the frame has such a deleterious visual effect that it seems to de-value the artwork. Of course, we all know a frame can be replaced, but if the artwork is overlooked for a lack of the viewer being able to discern that it may be improved with a change of frame, then in that case, the frame is most certainly part of the art, although in an unfortunate way.
For my own work, I’ve tried my hand at making framing selections, and hope that I have not done any of my paintings a disservice with this; I’ve also used other framers and have been pleased with their results. But I was recently cataloguing my work, and regarded that as far as the frames, Kimi’s are my favorites, and I see those pieces as (you guessed it) The Frame is also the Artwork.
Styllixa Studio 