Its Frame Time!
BEHIND THE SCENES:
First show of 2019 is coming up this weekend and we need to get the winter's paintings in display frames.
Why did we wait until right before the show to frame?
Well, it's because of the oil paints Nick uses. He prefers to work with oil paints so he can continually reassess and blend the shape's layers as he is painting.
Good quality oil paints will be dry to the touch after a couple weeks but can take up to six months to completely dry and because they are organic they will continue to cure over the years. You can go to museums and see 500 year old oil paintings. Those pigments will still be strong and the oils will ever so delicately flavor the texture and style of the painting.
The secret is that realism paintings over all these centuries continue to be framed in gold. There is just something about how light reflects from the gold surface onto an oil painting which perfectly accentuates the composition.
Once Nick's paintings are dry enough, we spray them with archival varnish to even out the sheen. Most of the time we use a satin finish unless of course the artist wants a different effect. After the varnish is dry, we frame. It's a bit of a stressful delay tactic doing this so close to the show time but, we are trying to maximize the open air drying, even if it is just that 1/4" of the canvas that would rub in the frame anyway.
Nick will be going to the Heart of Texas Air Show this weekend and at the end of April he dives deep into the Texas Hill Country to attend the Wimberley Arts Fest. If you are planning to attend either of these events please stop by and say hi!
