Our April Art Show was Highly Motivated

We kicked off the 2024 art season in April with a solo show by local portrait artist Max Singler.

gallery wall with 7 oil painting portraits of Cannabis rights activists, the artists' name Max Singler is above the paintings in black text

“Highly Motivated”, Max Singler’s premier showing of an all new collection of portraiture, was a major success. The collection features both immediately recognizable and lesser known Cannabis rights activists. Each painting is accompanied by an explanation of the individual’s work within the movement.

As a cohesive unit, the collection evokes a sense of unity among people who operate in small, individual actions to achieve a common objective. Often villainized in decades past, Cannabis has recently emerged in the social consciousness as a benign pastime; especially with the ongoing legalization process in the United States. This body of work seeks to normalize that trend even further.

Rich colors and masterful brushstrokes bring each personality to life. Upon closer examination, intricate details emerge with extended contemplation of each oil painting.

A reception with the artist in attendance was held on April 20th and was met with a fanfare of attendants. In fact, we tested our limits for how many art patrons can fit in our doors at once! Snacks, drinks, laughs, and music permeated the atmosphere with a sense of playfulness and fun.

Baas Framing Studio gallery is full of people observing art and eating, drinking, laughing, having fun

We held an auction for the Cannabis-Rights organization “Last Prisoner Project”, raising over $100!

It was the highlight of the evening: raising money for a worthy cause as well as connecting beautiful artwork with eager art collectors.

Humorous print of dinosaur and shark in a silver frame is up for auction along with 3 glass pendants from StoneGlass

Pendants by StoneGlass and art befitting a 420-themed show were up for auction.

3 people smiling: Max Singler the artist, Colleen Godfrey is the gallery owner, and Miles Lark helped with art installation

A special thanks to Miles Lark for helping with the coordination and installation of the show!

From left to right: artist Max Singler, Baas Framing Studio owner Colleen Godfrey, and friend of the arts Miles Lark.

Retrofitting Frames: Antique Shop Finds

Sometimes an old frame is not suitable for artwork anymore and needs to be recycled. Then there are frames that still have life left, but they need some extra TLC to look their best. That’s where a dedicated and knowledgeable frame shop comes in!

Vintage gold ornate frame with burgundy velvet liner and inner textured gold frame. Note the damage: especially around the corners.

This lovely old frame was rescued from an antique mall to be used on a manuscript print from the 1600s. The velvet was in need of cleaning. The corners of the frame were showing gaps and missing parts of the finish. Finally, the interior gold textured frame was a little too much on the eye, and needed to be replaced with something more elegant.

Here you can see the gaps forming at the corners as well as the missing finish on the gold and black sides.

The framer began by covering the delicate velvet border with tape so as not to get it dirty as the frame was retouched.

Notice a part of the upper profile moulding is missing as well as a crack forming at the corner.

Although still not prefect, the retouches soften the look of damage immensely and lend a feeling of care and consideration to the framing presentation.

Next the framer filled all the gaps with specialty glue to provide extra stability. Then the finish was carefully retouched using paint and putty to replicate the previous colors and cover the damage.

The inner gold frame is removed carefully to allow a new fillet to be inserted.

The framer removed the inner textured frame to create a better style. This also allowed for a better final cleaning of the velvet liner as well.

A small gold fillet replaced the old gold inner frame, opening up the frame by a few more inches.

And finally the antique print could be installed with acid-free matting, backing, and Museum Optium Acrylic for a stunning no-glass look.

The finished frame, completely retouched and sporting a new fillet.

The end result is a gorgeous marriage of art and frame: each complimenting the other. Great care was taken to match the shade of gold on the new fillet to the old gold of the frame - making a nice transition for the eye. The upgrade of Optium Acrylic allows the viewer to see every minute detail in the tiny print.

Bellisima!

Framing Redesigns: A Collection of Native Arrowheads

This beautiful mount of hand-collected arrowheads was in need of some attention. The initial glue mount of one of the arrowheads in the top left corner failed, leaving the arrowhead free and potentially damaging the other arrowheads around it.

You can see the fallen arrowhead in the left upper corner. The original frame had a fun, native motif but was not conservation-quality; nor was the mat, as the bevel was brown, indicating acid and the associated discoloration.

So our first course of action was to take apart the old frame and reglue the arrowhead to the backing. In this case, the backing was a extremely unique material: real leather hide! The leather was heavy so there were extra precautions taken to ensure that it would not slide around underneath the new matting.

There is wear and tear around the old frame edges, and a few parts where the veneer was pulling back. A new and deeper frame would allow a true shadow-box treatment.

Once the old matting was removed, we found that the leather had discolored under the mat. Instead of hiding this new element under a mat that would produce the same pinched proportions as before, we opened up the design and leaned into the unique extra line.

Here you can see the depth of the new frame, which allowed a shadowbox to be built. The sides of the box were lined in black to give even more dramatic dimension against the grey/brown top mat.

This extra line became a beautiful addition around the arrowheads and acted almost as a second mat. By moving the mat line outwards and adding several more inches of top-mat around the whole design, the piece became lighter, more focused on the arrowheads, and ultimately more inviting to the eye.

The finished piece: a beautiful woodgrain frame with an open shadowbox in shades of tan, black, and soft brown.

The result is a beautifully reframed piece with better dimensions and Optium Museum Acrylic which lets viewers see the fine details of these exquisite arrowheads up close and with more clarity than before: Stunning!

MORE Best of 2023

So many unique framing projects in 2023, we couldn’t stop at just 6! Enjoy an encore of framing masterpieces!

We created a protective clear acrylic box for this antique ceramic statue from China. A linen base and hidden mounting pin complete the elegant and secure presentation for a precious object. Definitely one of our favorite pieces of the year!

Gilded gold frame and velvet liner on an engraved book plate from Davidson Galleries. (Browse their incredible collection to find more gems like this!) Museum Glass and a delicate filet were added to refurbish this vintage presentation.

A leather printing plate in the shape of a dragon was a memento of a client's travels in Indonesia. The heavy leather was sewn to a linen backboard and we used a deep, textured wood frame to create dimension and Museum Glass for crystal clarity.

psychadelic red groovy frame with yellow mat around acid sheet art

This wild and wonderful Frank Kozik print in an acid yellow mat and lipstick red "Gaudi" frame from Roma Moulding was a winner! Nothing subtle about it, which is perfectly psychedelic.

To Kill a Mockingbird bird with special signature in shadowbox

We worked with a new client to frame an autographed copy of To Kill A Mockingbird and a facsimile of the title page. A custom Conservation Plexiglas box holds the book securely without tape or glue. Flax linen and a walnut frame complete the look.

Created for the popular Magic: The Gathering card game, this illustration is all about duality and opposing forces. We extended the concept into the framing with a spliced mat and two-tone iridescent metal frame...Magical! Artwork by Kaja Foglio.

Best of 2023

As we enter the new year, we always take a moment to appreciate the most unique and beautiful framing projects we had the pleasure of working on throughout 2023. It's a joy to reflect on the fine art and family mementos that passed through our studio, and we look forward to providing more amazing design ideas in the year ahead. Enjoy!

"Bronze Fins", print by Shag in a bronze metallic frame by AMCI. If ever there was a frame made for a piece of art, this is it! The black matting adds a dramatic touch.

Stained glass in a silver gilt frame. The floating look was achieved by mounting the inner frame to a sheet of clear acrylic -- a great solution to create privacy in the client's window.

Korean wedding jacket and shirt in an ivory linen shadowbox with ebonized walnut frame from Picture Woods. We took great care in the mounting of this precious item, including the use of Optium Museum Acrylic for optimal clarity and protection from UV light damage.

"Bally" poster by Bernard Villemot gets a classic treatment in a black frame and white mat. Great design never goes out of style!

Collectible masks in silver shadowbox frames: this project turned out super sharp! The masks were mounted to linen boards in contrasting tones. A great example of how small objects can be given greater presence with framing.

The client wanted to amplify the pastel colors and organic feeling of this 2023 concert poster. We pride ourselves on a having huge selection of frame samples (like this pink-and-purple inlaid wood frame from Italy) just for unique projects like this. Fun!