To frame or not to frame…

Last one to frame…

I’ve been framing the final painting for my upcoming exhibition, Sun Path, and thinking about framing in general.

Why frame an artwork?

With a work on paper, the reason is pretty clear: you frame to protect the vulnerability and fragility of the materials of the work itself. Paper needs more armour to withstand the world.

But with my paintings on wood panel (now that I am using cradled panels) and even the textile works, there is no urgent protective requirement to frame the works. They are pretty robust on their own.

That being said, I do like framing my artworks. I feel like it conveys a level of ‘completeness’ or finish that you don’t get without the framing.

But I’ve been feeling that the way I approach my framing is a little bit ‘default’, and perhaps might need more consideration.

Framing can be used (explored and played with) as an additional method of framing the context or ideas of the work; another potential, active layer.

How can I approach framing in a more deliberate, contextual (thoughtful..? playful..?) way, rather than opting for the default?

I feel like this will be one of the questions I take forward into my next explorations (post-exhibition)…

In the mean time…all the work is finished and ready to rock…!