It is normal for the guest speaker at a Sidmouth Society of Artists demonstration to be an expert at landscape, portrait, or abstract painting, but the most recent featured guest was an expert in framing and all that goes with it.

Fully qualified specialist Jo Palmer, who is the proprietor of her shop ‘The Framing Lot’ situated at Dawlish, delivered a lively and fast-moving presentation that was to fill many of the gaps in the knowledge of her audience.

In the frame

She began by stressing that framing a picture is essentially a form of marketing. Let’s face it - many a brilliant artist flounders helplessly when moving in the circles of commerce, salesmanship, and presentation. To make her point Jo produced a Fortnum and Mason gift box, a distinctive blue with a white ribbon crisscrossed around it. Very individual and, for those that move in those circles, the ultimate stamp of quality. For 'gift box' we must read 'picture frame and mount'.

Keeper of the Frame

 We were advised of the various merits of different qualities of mount board, frames, hanging brackets and importantly sealing tapes. Which of us can truthfully say that we have never used Sellotape, masking tape, or parcel tape?  The trouble is they contain staining agents that can disfigure and mark our pictures.

When Jo moved on to the quality of mounting board, which became somewhat technical, I was struggling to keep up. It is no wonder that there is a Fine Art Trade Guild that sets standards of competence by for framers’ examination.

Frame, set and design

Jo’s most convincing illustration of the power of good framing came when she held up a moderately good painting of an urban scene with a dog and bird in it. When surrounded with a narrow blue mount it looked amateur and unappealing. With a wider grey mount, a little better but still no cigar. With a wider still neutral mount in a stylish white frame it looks great. At a guess the first effort looked like it might fetch £20 and the last one looked like it would fetch more than £200 - same picture!

She concluded her presentation by stating the framer’s maxim:  ‘If you find yourself looking at the frame, that’s wrong …. if you are looking at the art, that’s right.

We're moving!

The next demonstration for the SSA will take place at a new venue: the Conservative Club next to the Radway Cinema, whereupon the featured artist is David Norman, whose subject will be ‘French Café’. Why not join the SSA? Visit www.sidmouthsocietyofartists.com