I got some great pictures for Christmas. Not being one for surprises I chose them myself! Here they are, framed up and ready to go for a little show-and-tell...
I've got a few sculptural type things on my walls, but very little in the way of pictures* so I've spent a few months researching prints-I-can-afford-to-buy-now, looking for things in the £25-£65 type bracket, with frames of similar prices.
I've got a few sculptural type things on my walls, but very little in the way of pictures* so I've spent a few months researching prints-I-can-afford-to-buy-now, looking for things in the £25-£65 type bracket, with frames of similar prices.
The first one is a 'Spoon (Austin, TX)' music poster from Animal Rummy for a music event in Austin, Texas. They sell lots of amazing posters, concentrating on works related to the various musical projects of the wonderful Mr Jack White. I loved the unusual mix of old photograph and modern graphics in this design, the aged-looking paper (French sand speckletone paper) and the metallic copper coloured printed lettering. Amazingly, given my lack of awareness of modern music, I actually have the album of one of the acts mentioned, The Strange Boys, which makes it feel nice and personal. I'll be hanging it in the lounge above one of the sofas.
In the same room, I've also got a Wayne Pate silkscreen print called For the Birds. This will hang above the fireplace and be my main focal point when sitting in this room. I like lounges to be quite tranquil so I wanted something fairly simple here, that wasn't a constant distraction and this piece, reminsicent of a Picasso drawing, does the trick beautifully. Because of their irregular sizes, these two needed special frames. I'd love to shop local at my brilliant local framers, but I needed a budget solution. I used the bespoke / design-your-own frame and mount service at eFrame.co.uk. I was really pleased with the choice of frames and mounts and you can even upload your image to get a better idea of the finished effect. I chose a skinny flat white frame and a 'granite' (but actually medium grey) mount. I am taking a gamble here and writing this before I've seen the finished results but I will update this if I'm less than delighted (in the name of journalistic integrity I have NOT opted to for the money-off-in-exchange-for-website-mention offer on their site).
In the kitchen, over the dining table, I have a 'Carousel' print from the brilliant Elphick's on Colombia Road. Sharon Elphick sells a few of this 60s illustrator David Weidman's prints. I love the colours which will work great with my dining area window seat shades-of-green curtains and the sixities folk-y style of the piece which sits happily with the nearby four season plaques by Bjorn Wiinblad. This print is a standard size so I've framed it in a white 'Bacall' frame from Habitat. I love these because you slot your pic between two panes of glass, meaning you can use your wall as the mount colour. Great if your walls are anything other than white - in this case mine is a very strong cream - 'Farrow's Cream' by Farrow and Ball. Sadly, Habitat have reduced the range of sizes available. I have a few but wish I had stocked up when I could. I'm really into skinny frames and think the days of outsized frames and mounts are over.
*I'll have to do a blog on my existing pictures including pieces by James Brown / General Pattern and Modern Toss as well as some amateur / bootfair pieces, some other time.
UPDATE: OK, so all the prints are framed and hung and I'm pleased with them all. I was surprised that the eframe frames come with some sort of plastic rather than glass but as this is good news for our fragile old horsehair plaster walls, I can't see a downside. Here are some snaps I took today:
