Welcome to our August Framer's Corner!!
Each month, we like to take a moment to share some of our favorite projects with our readers. This is an opportunity for you to meet our designers as well as give an inside look at the process of framing, and the fun pieces of art that come through our shop. 

This month we bring you a design by Asheley.

This is Asheley's first framer's corner since she joined our design team a few months ago and she picked an awesome piece to showcase. This time around for our framer's corner we will explain the ins and outs of this specific project and we also have the opportunity to show you the before and after, as this piece was due up for an extreme update!
A piece that had been in the family for years needed an upgrade, and Asheley was ready for the challenge!

Jennifer, a new customer to our store, had a remarkable seriograph print that had been in her family for a few decades. Originally purchased directly from the artist, Albert Garvey in the 1970's. 
Before its update!!!

Albert Garvey and his wife Barbara resided in California in the 1970s. They seemed to have led a very interesting lifestyle as artists. It sounds like Albert and his wife Barbara were having a lot of fun during those times, leading lives of making art, going out dancing and hosting hot-tub parties. They likely had a part in making hot tub parties with friends -as sensual but not sexual gatherings-popular in the US. 

On talking about his life then, Albert said 
"We lived a truly elegant life with our own home and practically no money. I was able to work three days a week as a carpenter doing really far-out things and devote the rest of the time to my art habit."  
This beautiful piece with all the vibrant blues is known as a serigraph. A Serigraphy is a fancy term for silkscreen printing, coming from “seri,” which is Latin for “silk,” and “graphos,” which is Ancient Greek for “writing.”

When Asheley saw this piece she immediately was in love with the color scheme and style. The vibrant blues and greens in this piece really caught her attention. It appeared to be an abstract painting but upon closer look you see a sailboat in the ocean, with a bit of an abstract feel.

 As beautiful as the artwork 
was, the frame definitely 
needed refreshing. 

Asheley knew that she wanted to brighten this piece up so she chose a mat from our Bainbridge line in a very faint blue color,
this really gave the piece a fresh look.

As Asheley removed the existing framing materials, you could see damage the matting material it was obvious that the previous materials were not up to standard to keep this piece safe. Within the last few decades, framing has made large strides with helping to preserve the art we work with, including the introduction of uv protective glass, and acid free mats and backing.
Any piece that was framed in the 80's or earlier, is at definite risk of damage from the framing materials. The acids in mats from this time are very acidic, and can actually burn artwork. If you've ever noticed a browning around a matboard, this is a for sure sign your mat is acid, and your piece is being burned and should be updated immediately to prevent any further damage.

The new matting materials chosen by Asheley, are all acid free with a neutral ph balance. These archival materials will ensure the safety and longevity of the artwork.

As stated above, glass has also come a long way in the last 20 years, so replacing the glass on this piece was a priority. When choosing the glass for this piece Asheley chose our 99%UV protection Conservation clear glass making sure to protect the piece from natural and artificial lighting.


Asheley knew that the frame needed to make a statement and that for this piece to truly get an update it needed a rich colored frame. She chose a frame from Fotiou, one of our moulding suppliers, the frame has a deep teal blue color with the wood grain showing through. The texture plays nicely off the texture
in this serigraph print!
After!!!

Our client Jennifer was so pleased with her piece. It was nothing like what she had originally imagined when she came into our shop, but she was very please with Asheleys unique and beautiful design. Even more so the day she picked it up and brought it home for its renewed life.
1706 Brooks Street
Missoula, MT 59801
406-549-8589