In the beginning...
...there was a frame posted for free on a website, amongst some other frames. And it was taken by yours truly sometime in the fall of 2019. THANK YOU FRAME GIVER!
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| The first part of this freestyle |
The wooden frame was examined, turned over, considered from all angles, and offered to friends who might be looking for an unusual size piece to fill with some original art (or who were into the original Wyeth print).
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| Andrew Wyeth print in wooden frame |
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| Back side of the fame |
The frame was pondered for a while, offered to other friends, and I considered trying to create something original of my own to fit the size. But its time had not yet arrived, destiny was still waiting, my indecisive delay was all part of the plan.
The chance conversation that revealed a destiny
And then a friend went to Nepal, and brought back a hand-painted poster of the cosmos wrapped up tightly in a poster tube for transport.....and then some time after returning the friend mentioned that he needed a frame for his new art, and asked if I could help.
Upon seeing the cosmos painting my eyes nearly popped out is disbelief. Not only did I have a frame, it was beautiful wood and had the PROPER DIMENSIONS. This was freestyle fate, or magic, it couldn't have been a coincidence. So I started the process of dismantling the frame and carefully flattening the hand-painted poster that had been rolled up for so many weeks. I covered the art with wax paper and then some heavy books and just let it sit undisturbed for a few weeks.
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Hand-painted cosmos, covered with wax paper,
underneath the original matting for size comparison |
When the time was right to get started on the frame makeover, the first step, as always, was to disassemble the frame to clean all the components.
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| Back of the frame, dust cover and points removed |
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| Wooden frame on its own |
This particular wood frame had a very open grain, and it was a bit rough in places. I'm not sure if the roughness of the wood was a deliberate choice to go with the rustic style of the print, or a result of the age of the frame and perhaps the wood drying out over time.
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| Corner view of wooden frame before refinishing |
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| Scuffed part of wooden frame, before refinishing |
No matter the cause, I like my frames to feel smooth, even if their main purpose is to be looked at, not handled. So I decided to gently sand the whole frame to smooth the surface with a fine grit sandpaper.
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| Wooden frame, smooth after a gentle sanding |
After sanding, I finished the whole piece with furniture wax to give the wood some protection and shine.
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| Frame after first application of furniture wax |
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| Closeup of frame after furniture wax application |
After applying the furniture wax and buffing it to a shine, I allowed the frame to sit for at least a day to allow the wax to cure.
Conclusion
I delicately reassembled the frame with the poster, and was over-the-moon with the results. See what beauty some patience and karma can lead to?
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| Refinished wooden frame with hand-painted cosmos art |
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| Sweet cosmic dreams |
Happy freestyling.
