Surviving The Flu and A New Look For Older Work

Well here it is Friday and I really feel I haven't accomplished a lot this week. Monday John was sick with the flu and Tuesday I came down with it. It was only the 24 hour variety but it still knocked me out for a few days after just trying to regain my strength. When I finally made it out of bed on Wednesday to get some juice, I walked into the kitchen and promptly walked back to bed pulling the covers over my head. Guess I was hoping beyond hope that when I got up again the kitchen would look decent instead of looking as if they had a dinner party for 25 but forgot to clean up afterwards. I knew there was trouble when John left for work that morning and said "sorry about the kitchen". That is a sure sign to not get out of bed at all. But I know they tried their best............she says with a concerned look ................ on the bright side they did take good care of me even though the girls wouldn't come in the bedroom. They just stood at the door with worried looks on their faces asking how I was feeling. No wonder they looked worried...when I got a glance at my face in the mirror that afternoon I was shocked. When did I start looking 103? It briefly crossed my mind that if there was a fire I would have to leave the house looking this way. Yikes!





Last week I brought out all of my work and set it up in my studio just to get a good look at what I had for the show in June. Although I loved the work I wasn't crazy about the matts and frames I had originally picked out. When the work was first completed I thought plain white matt and a plain wood frame was what I was looking for but now it just seemed to lack presence. Recently I had seen a style of framing I was interested in which took a smaller image and used a larger matt. I felt a lot of my more urban pieces were missing the punch I thought they deserved. I knew I wanted something that was a bit edgier and more dramatic. My favourite framing shop which luckily just happens to be up the road, The Village Gallery was having a huge sale so off I went to see Diane.

With framing you do have to be careful to not let the frame take over the work. It should compliment it but not overpower it. The last thing you want as an artist to to have the viewer see the frame first and the work after. There are many theories on framing .....I just read a blog in which the blogger talked about how framing seems useless as usually the person who decides to buy your work reframes it anyway. If someone buys a piece of my art and then decides to reframe it....so be it..... but I feel when the work is shown it is my job to have seen in the best possible light with my vision for it firmly in place.

Diane, Buffi and Lorraine at the Village Gallery are just about the "best". Diane and Buffi spent two hours with me going though various options for changing the work up a bit and creating a more edgier look and feel. This is one of the perks of living in a small village........walk up the street to your local framers who also happen to be your good friends. Everyone knows everyone here which depending on how you look at it could be a blessing or a curse.

We took "The Village" and removed the existing matt and frame and used a black extra wide matt and this gorgeous burnished frame........almost has a deep copper look to it. They raised the double matt which gives it a very three dimensional look and I absolutely love it. It totally changes the work and gives it a more intimate feeling..........don't know how to describe it any better than that. We decided to do "Early Morning" that way also as I have always felt they were a pair having both been inspired by the beautiful village of Sintra in Portugal. The colour from both of these pieces just pops against the darker matt. Yes, as you can tell I am very excited.

Well I am back in the studio today......seems spring has left as quickly as it arrived. They are even calling for wet snow the next few days. Good weekend to sip some tea and get out a good book. Wow, I really nattered on for quite a long time today. I must be feeling better.

Hope everyone is well and ..........healthy.