Getting Myself Framed

[amateriat]

I'm hustling my way through preparing for my exhibit, and the big hangup until now has been affordable framing. "Affordable" in the world of art is sort of a sliding-scale thing, but I've been dealing with a low ceiling in terms of budget, then painted myself into a corner regarding timetable.

Then, in Manhattan yesterday, after seeing David Byrne's Playing The Building (http://www.davidbyrne.com/art/art_projects/playing_the_building/index.php) installation at 10 South Street (tomorrow's the last day...see and hear it if you possibly can), I hopped the subway up to Pearl Paint's Frame shop on a lark. I'd cruised their site a few weeks back and saw a few good deals, but they appeared to be web-only, and I felt I didn't have time for ordering a bunch of frames, sight-unseen, that way. I wanted to see if I could (1) see these frames in-person, and (2) possibly get as good a deal for bulk purchase as was offered online.

What a surprise: for some reason, not only were the frames in question available in-store, the in-store price was significantly less than online. But the kicker was when the person helping me in the shop mentioned that the matte included with the frame was not acid-free...then proceeded to show me another brand of frame whose included matte was acid-free, and went for the same price. Only problem was that they wouldn't have more in until Monday or Tuesday, so I'll be cutting things even closer in terms of prep, but I'm going to roll with it. Wish me luck. ;)


- Barrett

[photomoof]

Pearl has good frames, but can be spotty on supply. The acid free issue should not be a deal breaker, if you get backed into a corner.

[amateriat]

Fred: The acid-free issue won't be a biggie if they can't come through with the recommended frames, believe me, but I'm hoping they'll have these on hand by Tuesday. As an absolute fail-safe, I might check out Dick Blick over the weekend as well.

Life is short, art is long...and prep is hurry-up-and-wait. Can you tell I'm new at this? ;)


- Barrett

[bob338]

you might check out the light impressions catalog. they used to have good deals on cut to size metal frames.

bob

[ChrisN]

Barrett - that's good work finding the frames you want. Good luck with the exhibition - I'd love to attend but it's a little far for me! Do you have a 'net version?

[amateriat]

Bob: I get the LI catalog, and I'm on their e-mail list. Prices are rather off-the-chart for me, and their "specials" have been hit-or-miss. I use them for other items, but for frames, Pearl has 'em beat by a mile.

Chris: I'm trying for a rough-and-ready Web version of the show, but I might simply do an RFf Gallery version for the sake of speed. As you can see, "advance preparation" hasn't been my strong suit here.

[Bob Michaels]

Barrett: AmericanFrame.com has helped me out in a time critical spot. That is where I get all my frames, Plexiglas and custom cut mats. But they still are mail order and I don't know what your time frame is. Next weekend?

I do recommend AmericanFrame.com as they have never messed up anything they have done for me. All mats are cut perfectly and all frames are sized exactly. And their prices are good.

[amateriat]

Bob M.: Thanks for the suggestion. I might try them in the future. However, doing the math, they come out noticeably higher than Pearl for the sizes I'm going for (11x 14" or 11x17" matte/16x20" frame). Given the luxury of time, they might come out a bit more competitive, but for now I need to go with what seems to be working now.

I've re-calibrated the monitors, so it's time to fire up the big printer and get to work...


- Barrett

[photomoof]

I have looked at those frames from Pearl, and frankly the miters are so good they are hard to distinguish from frames that I have which were made by a museum framer, here in NY.

They are very tight and well aligned.

[Ray Nalley]

Here's another good online source for inexpensive frames.

https://www.framedestination.com/

[amateriat]

Hell's bells: Pearl got their shipment in, but the 16x20" frames weren't part of it. I'll have to go with Plan B (which, in fact, was Plan A), with the original frames I'd been considering. (I was starting to wonder when the "fun" part of this would start...)


- Barrett

[ChrisN]

Oh dear!

Good luck!!! :)