Chimera in the Rock

I named it Chimera in the Rock. I finished painting and varnished it. I did take a video of that, but it didn't turn out. I found this frame at a thrift store and I think it works great for the piece. It's important to have quality frames. Whether you're showing your art or hanging someone else art at home, the frame you put it either elevates the piece or trivializes it. It took me a long time to appreciate this. 

Quality frames tend to be expensive though. So if you want a good frame that is cheap, you have to do some leg work and searching. Thrift stores, yard sales, that type of thing. I paint a lot of 8x10, 5x7, and 4x6 inch pieces, so I'm always looking for those size frames when I go out. 

A good middle option can be Michaels or Hobby Lobby. However, some of their frames are better than others. At best, their frames are inexpensive and can compliment your artwork. However, Some of their frames look nice at a glance, but feel cheap and they offer a lot of frames that are just plain cheap. These can be good for other things though. I use some of their cheaper frames with minimal designs for certain prints, or to put graphic information in when I'm vending. There's also the problem of mass production and everyone getting their frames from Michaels. And that can be fine too, for minimalist frames with a solid color and no texture or ornamentation. Mass produced frames tend to remove the character from pieces. At the gallery the other day I saw one artist who had this beautiful dark gothic painting of a vampire woman with no eyes, and another artist had this quirky colorful portrait of a fluffy bunny prince. Both were quality pieces by skilled artists, but different. different styles, different color palettes, different subject matter, different techniques, different visions. They were in the same frame from Michaels though. It flattened the pieces. It made them seem like they were posters in a store rather than two artists with individual visions presenting their work. And that's fine. But that's how it looked: minimized.

And I'm guilty too. To me, frames have always been kind of an afterthought. So when I see a frame that I know is a Michaels frame, especially one of the lower end Michael's frames, it looks like an after thought. Try not to make your frames too much of an afterthought. 

My favorite way to get frames these days is on Etsy. You can find a lot of unique, quality frames there. I consider this the top shelf option, though. Etsy Frames can be pretty pricey, And shipping can be slow. So if you need it quick, don't do Etsy. As for affordability, Etsy has this wonderful option of paying in installments. I take advantage of that a lot.

You can also make your own frames if your skilled in that way. I am not though.