It always feels good to complete a frame and this 16″ x 20″ is no exception, it’s titled Flower Nouveau because it just seems like a different way of looking at a flower carved into the corner of a frame.

Flower Nouveau 16 “x 20”

Flower Nouveau Corner Detail

The previous post about this frame found me wrestling with how to transfer the somewhat complicated design to each corner.  Using a half template that can be flipped so each side is the same is great for the outside shape, it’s getting the inner details the same that gave me fits.  After posting my concerns on the Picture Framers Grumble I was happy to get a response that helped me solve the problem.  Something I knew and had showed students in years past but totally forgot!  After first drawing or copying a design on a piece of transparent paper you trace 1/2 of the design on one side of the frame. Then you can flip it to do the other side which gives a reversed image.  The graphite (use soft pencil) used for the first tracing will transfer to the second side.  Anyway, very nice to get a response and also a link to a YouTube video from someone else on the Grumble.

Toning the frame after all of the carving and gilding is complete can be a challenge.  Like so many of the other “crafts” people do you can screw up all of the work with one mistake! After sealing the composition leaf with shellac my preference is to use casein paints as a wash.  The flat finish and ability to reverse the process is its appeal.  A light grey to replicate years of dust and patina is my preference.  Here’s a side by side comparison of how things changed:

Gilded and shellacked only

Casein applied & wiped back

Waxed and buffed

Notice how the frame progressed from the bright, brassy finish to a mellower look.  I couldn’t help but put one of Diane’s recent paintings in it to see how it would look.  The title is Ticket to Ride and I’m proud to say I was her photographers assistant, carry the props guy for this one.  It’s taken at the Heritage Museum in Henderson, NV.  This is the old Boulder City train station that was moved there and restored.

Ticket to Ride