Fabulous Metal Frame Colors

Nothing says Art or Poster like these Nielsen Metal Frame colors. A wide variety of electric colors are available and are just perfect for kids art, teenage art and modern posters!

Do you have a collectible limited signed music poster from a concert? People have been using these on New Orleans Music Festival and Grateful Dead posters to spectacular effect.

Remember Nielsen Metal frames are the highest quality made. Accept no substitutes!

What is a Gallery Wrap?

One question we get asked a lot is “what is a gallery wrap”?
Some paintings or printings on canvas, usually the larger ones, can lend themselves to a gallery wrap. This is where we use a stretcher bar that is thicker than normal and wrap the painted or printed art work around the sides of the stretcher bar. Some painters plan for this and paint the sides of the canvas that 
wrap around the stretcher bars so the painting can hang without a frame or be put in to a floater frame. 

See gallery wrap detail example below:

For original paintings we think about artist intent and follow the visual clues the artist has left us. Did they paint the sides when they originally painted the art? Was the canvas stapled to the back of the stretcher bars or the sides? Where has the artist placed their signature? These and other factors come into play when evaluating whether a painting or a print on canvas can be gallery wrapped.

See a complete gallery wrap example below:

Fortunately, for all involved, we have 40 years experience in stretching canvas. We can help you navigate the choices you have in stretching a painting or printed art on canvas and whether or not to frame it, floater frame it or gallery wrap it.

Happy Holidays from Frame Warehouse

Some elves visited the Oak Park store this week to get everything ready for the holidays. Shop local and shop small this season. Frame Warehouse has gifts for everyone on your list. Custom frame a family photo or purchase a framed art print, Frame Warehouse’s friendly employees are there to assist you.

Needlepoint, Embroidery and Cross Stitch

Few frame shops have the experience to properly handle your fabric art. Here at Frame Warehouse we have 40 years of experience handling needlepoint, embroidery, cross stitch and fabrics of all kinds. Silk scarves brought back from the fashion houses of Paris, carpets from Persia, fabric art from India, South and Central America and Africa, silk paintings from Japan and China, we have seen and framed it all.

Let’s focus on needlepoint. All needlepoint begins with the blocking process. In the photo below you can see the needlepoint art being blocked so it is square. This process involves hand stretching the needlepoint and leaving it sit stretched so it becomes square for framing.

Next, the fabric is hand sewn down to an acid free board prior to beginning the framing process. There are lots of different ways to frame fabric but sewing is the most archival of all. Many frame stores simply glue or tape fabric down and we are frequently called to reframe these properly as the tape or glue gives way over time or discolors the fabric.

I mentioned above the acid free backing board that we use. You may have a fabric piece in your home that was framed many years ago and chances are it was not done with acid free materials. Feel free to bring your piece in or call to discuss how we can upgrade your fabric art to full archival. With blocking and hand sewing the wonderful folk art quality of any fabric piece is preserved. We hope you consider us on your next framing project!

Works by Local Artist Steven Fisher

The fabulous painter and print maker Steve Fisher signing prints of his influential Lake Theater painting at Frame Warehouse. 

We have proudly sold Steve’s original art work for many years and we are exceedingly happy to sell these wonderfully done giclee’ prints. Printed with archival inks on a high quality paper these prints will look vibrant for a long time. 

Why not consider investing in a Steve Fisher original painting? We have a great selection of his iconic work featuring the local landmarks that are often overlooked. 

Friends moving in to town? Friends leaving?
Why not gift them a Steve Fisher print or painting. They are a joy to look at every day with their intense colors and Steve’s two fisted visual approach.