I have a solo exhibit at Yukon Artists at Work gallery in Whitehorse in April, and I’ve been somewhat busy painting for it. There will be approximately 25 new works for this show, entitled Serenity.
But with an exhibit comes the fun of framing. Framing paintings can be a monumental pain in the posterior, and there are limited places I can do it. Because many of my paintings end up being carried or shipped out of town, I often use acrylic panels rather than glass. While convenient, there are two key reasons why they aren’t my fondest choice.
The first is scratching. Sadly, some panels are rather susceptible to damage and most of the bulk frames I’ve seen can scratch too easily. They are also rather expensive and I really need a better source of frames. Amazon used to carry a brand of frame named Aueur, and they were really nice basic frames with tempered glass. However, they are made in China and, I assume, with the tariffs on them coming into the US, became too expensive to carry. Now, their bulk frames come with a 1 mm panel that is simply too flimsy.
I did luck out in one regard. I was given a number of frames by Carcross Tagish First Nation archives because they were gifting a photo collection to the Council of Yukon First Nations. The frames are not of archival importance, and take up valuable storage space, so I gratefully accepted when I was asked if I could use them. However, they needed backers, mats and glass. However, Arts Underground had some framing materials up for grabs, and I grabbed. Thanks to both institutions for their kindness.
The second issue with acrylic panels, and why there are only a few places I can work in the house, is that they come with a protective coating. This is held, on both sides, by static electricity. When you have three cats, one weighing 24 lbs and shedding a brother daily, static is not your friend. I think my record for reframing a painting to remove cat hair is 6 times.
Anyway, I have 14 paintings framed and there a few more finished to frame up. And, of course, I really still have two months to paint more…
Doug Rutherford 