I have been spending a great deal of time at the framers. There is no doubt that a work is enhanced by the finishing touches of a mount and moulding. Sometimes I think one can get away with a secondary work, as long as it is framed well! But it was only today that I realised what the process actually meant.
Many of my works begin as a bit of a musing – make a mark here and there and see where it leads, pull out a colour and see what it inspires. There is, initially at least, only a faint outline in my mind of where a piece is headed. It is about exploration, about vague ideas and shifting inclinations.
After a little while the musing becomes a thought. It begins to be formed, to have some sort of structure, a little bit of logic. There is still nothing fixed, so happenstance, and errors, can profoundly affect the direction but there are judgements made and some conscious decisions about design and process.
Gradually, the thought becomes a statement – something with a personality and an opinion of its own. The piece distinguishes itself from others and takes on its uniqueness. The path has been taken, for better or worse, and the trail is being trodden deliberately. Indeed, the destination itself is within sight.
A frame, the final acceptance of ‘finished’, does more than just present the art in its best light. Framing takes a work from musing, from thought and statement and makes it a declaration. A painting, once framed, celebrates its message in a way that it could do only inadequately in its naked state. It now claims space, it claims time. It gathers all the mental energy and creativity in its being and trumpets it to, moreover, impresses it upon the world.
Until later,
Kirsten
Everyday Thoughts of an Artist 