Sunday, January 3, 2016

More Woodworking

Well, Christmas is over and New Year's Day has come and gone and I'm back into my routine (more or less!)

I started the new year working on a new frame for one of the paintings I submitted to the Core Sound Museum/Wildlife Artists Society exhibition.  I had put it into a relatively narrow black frame as that was the only frame I found at the time that looked halfway decent with it and I had to frame it in a limited time frame.  However, I was dissatisfied with it then and stayed that way so decided to find a frame that really did it justice.  I couldn't find one that didn't cost much more than I wanted to spend so I made one.

Swallowtail on Swamp Mallow - oil on board ©Jan Gibson







I actually purchased a plain, unfinished wooden frame and painted it black.  Then I cut some trim molding to fit around the opening of the frame and painted it the same red color as the swamp mallow.  It may not show well in this photo, but the end result is like night and day compared with the old frame.  This is why I like to make my own frames when I have the time and the right materials to do it right - the frame can make all the difference in enhancing or detracting from the painting.  Hopefully you all like this one as much as I do!

And I don't think I've shown you this painting before.  I sort of rushed to get it ready for the exhibition and didn't think to post it back then although you could see it in the photos I posted of the exhibition.

The painting was done in the alkyd oils and is from a photo I took of a black swallowtail on one of our Swamp/Marsh Mallows.  And, yes, that delightful confection, the marshmallow, was originally made from the sap of the Marsh Mallow plant!  I guess that's why I'm so enamored with the mallow plant family - they produce gorgeous flowers and gave us that sweet treat, the marshmallow!

2 comments:

Sue Clinker said...

You are so multi-talented Jan! I love the painting and the frame is just perfect for it. Hats off to you.

ps: sorry haven't been in touch by email. We hired a car for a few days and have done lots of driving so had little time for t'internet

Jan said...

Thanks, Sue, this was kind of nerve-wracking as I did it with hand tools (it was easier than going outside in the rain to the barn to use the miter saw!)but I enjoyed it especially after the painting was framed!

Don't worry about emailing - nothing happening right now anyway. Just happy you're getting to do a bit of exploring by car for a change!