Behind the Scenes

I couldn't bear to leave this baby trapped forever behind glass, so I gave him free rein to chew his way out of the plexi glazing.

Leaving a gaping hole in the frame package may not be the best example of conservation, but it goes a long way toward this little guy's morale.




Grooves were cut into the top and bottom edges of concrete, to allow the tile to be slipped into a hole cut smaller than the size of the tile. The edges of the tile were cleaned of grout for a clean presentation from the front.

The original wedding photograph had been displayed for years under a mat with a circular opening, which left the photo faded in the shape of this circle. To disguise this fading, while integrating the circle into a group of rectangles, a v-groove design was carved around the new circular opening. The shape of the design is square, but has soft, rounded corners to act as a bridge between the various shapes in the grouping.
There were multiple considerations for the function of this frame: it needed to display the anniversary party invitation, display and protect the old photo, and to allow easy access at a later date for adding a current snapshot of the couple to be taken at the party.
Because this frame was intended as a family heirloom, conservation boards, UV filtering glass and reversible mounts were used throughout the framing package.

Fillet is mitered and joined with glue. Fillet is attached to top mat and a sink mat is cut to offset its thickness.

Photo and invitation are mounted. Top mat is hinged to backing to allow easy access for adding current photo. The gold seal from the envelope is mounted to a small, beveled platform and is attached to the surface. A hand-written note is inserted to remind the recipients to add a photo from the anniversary celebration.

