The Special Olympics are More Than Just a Game

“More Than Just a Game” is an exhibit of photographs by Len Rubenstein that featured a variety of athletes from the Special Olympics. We were honored when Mary Beth at the Special Olympics office brought us the job of mounting the 20 photos, but we didn’t grasp just how fantastic the concept was until we saw the photos. Len Rubenstein’s studio setting and large format made each portrait quite personal – just having them in the store to work on became inspiring for us.

We got an invite to see the show at Boston’s Institute for Contemporary Art on the evening of November 14. It was a thrill to be there in person and see them in a world-class gallery setting. Coming from a framer’s point of view, it was hard to imagine how the pieces would look after being mounted so simply. But being able to walk around the photos created a much different impression than if they’d been hung on a wall. There was a feeling that the work was just about each person and his or her personality – very different than being confronted with a piece of art that the viewer is forced to face from only one point of view.

Check out this video of Len Rubenstein’s photo shoot – it’s easy to see just how much pride & joy went into the project, for Len just as much as the athletes.

Whiskey-a-Photo

If you’re anything like our own area manager – if you enjoy science, whiskey, and photography – then today’s post is for you! Vanishing Spirits is a series of photographs by Phoenix-based photographer Ernie Button in which he explores what happens after the last drop is drunk in his macro photographs of evaporated single-malt Scotch whiskey.

The idea for this project occurred while putting a used Scotch glass into the dishwasher. I noted a film on the bottom of a glass and when I inspected closer, I noted these fine, lacey lines filling the bottom. What I found through some experimentation is that these patterns and images that you see can be created with the small amount of Single-Malt Scotch left in a glass after most of it has been consumed. The alcohol dries and leaves the sediment in various patterns. It’s a little like snowflakes in that every time the Scotch dries, the glass yields different patterns and results. I have used different color lights to add ‘life’ to the bottom of the glass, creating the illusion of landscape, terrestrial or extraterrestrial.

Many of these appear to beautiful abstract paintings, while others are indistinguishable from satellite photos of interstellar landscapes. Be sure to check out his site – he’s got lots more that are just as impressive.

Autograph collectors unite!

Matt Raymond & Tom Cruise

One of our managers recently met with Matt Raymond, an expert in the field of autograph collecting, or “in-person graphing.” Matt was introduced to the hobby in 2006 by a friend, and it quickly became something of an addiction. He’s been publishing a blog for 2 years now called Autograph University, where he shares his collected insights and adventures and reveals a side of celebrity we rarely see firsthand.
Jake, our Milford store manager, answered several framing questions that Matt and some fellow collectors were curious about. “Even though I have a few autographs of my own, I didn’t know anything about what was involved for the serious collector,” said Jake. “But after speaking with Matt, I get how it can be a rush to meet some of these athletes and celebrities and have a really special souvenir of that moment.”
Matt was nice enough to put together a video of their interview about the do’s and don’ts of framing. If you’re into autographs, or even just enjoy learning about sports figures and other celebrities, be sure to check out his blog.

Tell the chef there’s a face in my aluminum pan

When you’re preparing that Thanksgiving dinner this week, stop and take another look at those tin pans – you could’ve turned those into art. Israeli designer Idan Friedman created a series of portraits embossed into disposable aluminum food trays. Friedman says, “All people featured in the project are part of my everyday life, ranging from close friends to passers-by.” These photos are from an exhibition at a gallery in Tel-Aviv, Israel.

There’s always room for improvement

Anyone who’s done custom framing before knows how much different the art can look with just a slight change to the framing design. Here’s a great example – a customer brought us a water-color painting that she’d custom framed at another store several years ago. She didn’t feel that the mat colors or the frame worked with her living space anymore. We began by changing the mat colors. The choice to use 3 mats in the original design was a good one because it affords greater subtlety than one or even two mats. So we kept that idea – here’s the before…

… and the after.

The first frame had a paper-wrapped finish, whereas the Big Picture Collection are all frames with a real veneer. When we showed the customer how we sometimes stack two frames together to create a truly unique look, she really liked that idea. You can see the smaller, simpler frame on the inside edge of the larger, copper frame – it acts as a nice break between the more obvious frame and the taupe mat.

Before (left) and after (right)

Don’t ever be afraid to improve an old piece of your art that’s already framed. And when you do, take advantage of the custom aspect and add that extra mat or include a second frame. That choice will pay you back for many years.

Art with a new wrinkle

The internet has shown us art being made with all types of common household items, and now you can add a steam iron to the list. This is a promotional video with Philips Russia recreating great paintings with a simple white cloth. Suddenly, we’re feeling pretty inadequate about that pile of shirts we tried to press over the weekend.

Nathan Fillion meets Jimmy Stewart

One kind of item that we’re asked to frame quite often is autographed memorabilia. In an upcoming post, we’ll be meeting with Matt Raymond of Autograph University to find out more about autographs from the collector’s point of view. In the meantime, a customer happened to bring us several celebrity photos that were signed, so we thought this would be an interesting precursor to our meeting with an expert. We’ll get to see what he thinks of our designs. These first three 8X10 glossies are of the stars from the TV show, “Castle”, Nathan Fillion & Stana Katic.The customer is going to hang these as a set near one another, so we stuck with the same design on each one. Using a metal frame means that it can be a skinnier profile, saving wall space for the collection. The important elements are the archival mount and the conservation glass to protect the photos while they’re on display.
The customer also had a couple of signed Jimmy Stewart photos. We thought it was interesting to see the older film pieces juxtaposed next to a modern television show. Displayed all together, they make quite an impression.

The #1 way to manage your holidays

It’s that time of year when we all start to feel our lives being taken over. Winter weather, holiday shopping, family get-togethers, events at school – it all gets pretty hectic. The best way to stay ahead of the game is to take out your to-do list right now and get a handle on your schedule before it gets a handle on you!

#1 Take advantage of the big 50% OFF Custom Framing Sale at Big Picture Framing. You need to decorate your walls before the holiday party? Cousin Lola’s coming over and you forgot to frame that photo she gave you? Need a gift for that hard-to-shop-for someone? That’s what this sale is for, people! The timing is perfect – save money and get stuff checked off that to-do list before everyone else is out there shopping at the same time. And before it’s too late.

It’s a healthy path from the kitchen to the frame store

We’re pleased to share another guest post, this time by Jane from our Arlington & Lexington stores. If you want to find out more after reading her write-up, you can check out Jane’s own blog at Corn in the USA.

When I’m not at Big Picture, there’s a pretty good chance you can find me in my kitchen experimenting with pastry recipes. Baking offers a relaxing hobby and a tasty finished product, but my real objective is to find ways of making my favorite desserts healthier and with a smaller carbon footprint than the ones you buy at the store.

The search for sustainable ingredients is a fun and challenging journey in itself; and I’ve found some fantastic local farms and health food stores who supply me with the ingredients I need.
Pasture-raised dairy products, raw sweeteners like maple sugar, and whole wheat or nut-derived flours are all great substitutes for conventional baking ingredients. They are healthier, more sustainably produced, and maybe I’m biased, but I think they taste better.
My most recent adventure was muffins made from freshly picked Massachusetts apples. They were a hit when I brought them in to share at work!