JANUARY 2018

fineart.co.uk
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and promoting
the best in art
and framing
art +
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TODAY

Art and framing competitions Forty years in the business

GCF exam update Make money from printing Iranian art
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you won’t pick
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www.arqadia.co.uk
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At the 2015 awards: (left to right)
artist Gordon King, Mary King, Guild
Master Ian Kenny GCF, Linda Kenny
The awards presentations are your opportunity to shine
but of course you have to be in it to win it! Don’t miss
the awards entry deadline of FRIDAY 26 FEBRUARY

Don’t miss out! Enter today

Art &areFraming
Entries Industry
now being accepted Awards
for the following awards:
u Art Business Website Alister Colley
Don’t miss out! Enter today
Art Business Website
u Art Retailer of the Year Award Customer
(left), winner ofService
the Best-Selling
Jorge Aguilar-Agon
uArt Retailer
Best of the Year
Mount Design Digital Printer of the Year Student Artist Award
Entries
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are now
BestMount
being accepted for the
Published following
Artist awards:
DesignArtist Award
Selling Published Guild
Award Challenge
2015, with Framing Up & Coming Artist
Simon Flavill of
Art Business
Up &Website
uBest-Selling
ComingPublished
Artist AwardArtistCustomerAward
Service Jorge Aguilar-Agon
sponsor Arqadia
Art Retailer of the Year
u Customer Service Award: Nominated Digital Printer of the Year Student Artist Award
Best Mount Design
by Fine Art Trade Guild members Guild Challenge
For further details and to enter, visit fineart.co.uk, Up & Coming Artist then
Best-Selling Published Artist
u Digital Printer of the Year Framing Award NEW Small Business
go to the Awards & Convention tab Customer Service
u Guild Challenge Framing Award
For further
u Jorge details
Aguilar-and
AgontoStudent
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Artist
Art & Framing fineart.co.uk, then gobytothe
Convention is organised the Awards
Fine Art Tradetab
Guild: www.fineart.co.uk
u New Business Award
DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES 5pm on 28 February 2018.
The convention takes place on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 May 2017 at the
Download all entry Holiday
forms andInn,competition
Stratford Upon Avon from fineart.co.uk/enter-an-award-2016
criteria
The Art & Framing Convention is organised by the Fine Art Trade Guild: www.fineart.co.uk
The convention takes place on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 May 2018 at the Crowne Plaza, Stratford Upon Avon
Awards and event sponsored by
Awards and event
sponsored by
ArtSure
®

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GU ILD ARTI STS EXHI BI TI ON

F R A M I N G C O M P FER ATM IN
I GT COM
I O PENT ITSION S

Could you be this year’s Best in Show?

This prestigious exhibition exclusively features works from Guild
members and is a fabulous showcase of the talents of our artists.
The exhibition will travel after the convention to the Guild’s London
exhibition space, where it will be shown from 22 to 28 May.
Guild members can submit up to three original works per artist for
re you feeling gives you the chance

A
selection by the hanging committee. Submission is online and the closing
groovy?
date is 5pm on 28 February 2018.To
Fee and size restrictions apply. to push your talents to
celebrate the the fore; winning one
50th Anniversary gives your business a
of the Beatles’ iconic boost that money can’t

klimt and
album, the theme for buy.
the 2017 Art & Framing Don’t delay, get
Industry Awards creative today and
GUILD ARTISTS EXHIBITION
framing competitions
is The Magical
Art and Framing Convention 2018
show us just how Far
Out you can be!
Mystery Tour. Go to fineart.co.uk
Dust off your Lennon to enter the
shades, dig out your competition, and
flares and get into download the rules
some Peace, Love and and submission form.
Understanding, man… THE THEME for the 2018 Art and Framing Industry Awards framing
The Guild Framing competitions is Gustav Klimt’s iconic painting The Kiss.
Challenge is an open The Guild Challenge Framing Award is an openThe Guild Framing
competition, so
you can frame any image, object or collection Challenge
with a Klimt is sponsored
theme.
competition, so you by Valiani srl
The Best Mount Design Award is for the frame and mount which best
can frame any image,
enhances the beautiful print provided for entrants.
object or collection on Award is for the frame above) and shows off The Best Mount Design
This year’s competition prints have been created by Guild member
The Magical Mystery and mount which best ChromaLuxe
your onskills and creativity. Award is co-sponsored
its proprietary aluminium substrate.
Tour theme. enhances our fab Hippy Entering the Guild’s by Wizard and Framers
The Best Mount Design Camper print (shown The Guild framing competitions
Challenge Framing Award is sponsored Corner
by Valiani srl
The Best Mount Design Award is sponsored by Gunnar
‘We Grow Together’ by Danielle D. winner of ‘Best in Show’ Award 2017

Go toFOR
CALL www.fineart.co.uk
ENTRIES for full details and entry forms
Open to qualified members of the Guild Society of Artists & Fine Art Trade Guild Members
 contents
Art + Framing Today, January, Issue 10 First published June 1905 as the Fine Art Trade Journal

8 News
18 Artist interview
Garry Floyd
19 Product news
21 ArtSure News
22 Comment
58 Last Word
John Hunter, Abbey Glass

PRINTING
26 Could a printer be your
business’s secret saviour?
A large format printer could boost
your existing trade as well as bringing
36 in new business, says Tony Hayton.

BUSINESS
31 The times, they are a-changin’
Peter Cleevely GCF looks back on four
decades in the business and considers
how he has adapted to change.
34 Business Talk
ART
36 A shaggy dog success story
Artist Stephen Hanson reveals how his
background in animation has brought
success as an artist.
40 Visions of Iran
CAMA Gallery brings the best of
Iranian contemporary art to the UK.
43 Art Talk
FRAMING
46 All lit up
In his second article on lighting,
Christopher Orme GCF(APF) explains
how he has built backlit frames.
45 40 50 GCF exam update
Steven McKee GCF(APF) Adv sets
out how the GCF exam works and
what candidates can expect when
they arrive at the Guild’s London test
centre, hosted by D&J Simons.
55 Frame Talk

46 18
4 January 2018 ART + FRAMING TODAY
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Published by the Fine Art Trade Guild
2 Wye House, 6 Enterprise Way, London
SW18 1FZ T: +44 (0)20 7381 6616
info@fineart.co.uk www.fineart.co.uk
Editor
Lynn Jones lynn@fineart.co.uk
Advertising and marketing
Duran Fagan
duran@fineart.co.uk
Subscriptions
Moira Sanders
moira@fineart.co.uk
Accounts and membership
Nii Tackie
nii@fineart.co.uk
Publication dates
Art + Framing Today is published five
times a year: January, April, June,
August and October
Subscriptions 2018
UK Europe World
One year £33 £39 £48
Two years £57 £67 £80
To subscribe, call 020 7381 6616 or visit
our website, www.fineart.co.uk, and
click on ‘Art + Framing Today magazine’
Liability
© All rights reserved. Art + Framing
Today is intended to inform but no
liability can be accepted for action
taken, or not taken, in reliance on it
This symbol next to an article
indicates the number of CPD
points framers earn from
reading that article. See
fineart.co.uk/aboutcpd.aspx
Master of the Guild
Ian Kenny GCF(APF) Adv
Guild Managing Director
Louise Hay
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6 January 2018
letter from the editor
Adaptability is
more essential to
survival than ever
If there is one thing all living organisms need
(aside from the obvious basics) to survive and
proliferate, it’s the ability to adapt to changes in
their environment. As Albert Einstein put it: “The
measure of intelligence is the ability to change.”
As it is for bare survival, so it is in business. In
this issue (page 31), Peter Cleevely GCF describes
the evolution of his business over the past 40 years,
from the extravagant boom times of the eighties and
early nineties, through the rise of the internet age
and the global economic crash and into the difficult
business environment that we now inhabit.
While it is tempting to pine for a golden age when
consumers seemed to have pocketfuls of cash to
burn, and shopped locally because there was no
Amazon or eBay, it serves little purpose. Neither
does pondering what went wrong, or wondering
how to revive those prosperous times. Everything
has changed.
Peter’s business has prevailed because all along,
he has kept asking the key question: “What do my
customers want right now?” Sometimes trends are
cyclical, as witnessed by Peter’s past and present
success with photography. What has worked for
‘‘
him is the ability to maintain an open mind and to
always keep his customers front and centre in his
business vision.
Also in this issue: Ben Massey advises on how
to recruit new people into your framing business
(page 34); Stephen Hanson explains how his
background in illustration and animation has led
to success as an artist (page 36); and Karen Hollis
outlines the benefits of joining the Guild Society of
Peter has Artists (page 44).
kept asking In the framing section, Steven McKee GCF(APF)
Adv provides an update on changes to the GCF exam
the key and what candidates can expect when they attend the
test centre at D&J Simons in London (page 50). In his
question: second article on illuminated frames, Christopher
“What Orme GCF(APF) discusses backlighting (page 46).
On page 20, you can find out how to get your
do my entries in for the 2018 Art & Framing Industry
customers Awards. Entering is hugely worthwhile but time is
limited. I hope you’ll give it a try, and that we’ll see
want right you at the glittering awards ceremony in May.
Lynn Jones
now?” lynn@fineart.co.uk
ART + FRAMING TODAY
KEY TRENDS
FOR 2018
S E RV I N G TH E F R A M I N G TR A D E S I N C E 1 97 7

Gold is no longer old and we’re set for

the year when dark interiors become
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This year’s trend-setting interior shows have
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and even pitch black, mixed with gold or brass
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 news
AWARDS
Art & Framing Industry
Awards gain new backers
and more ways to win
THIS YEAR, for the first time,
there are two Customer Service
Awards open for nominations
in the Guild’s Art & Framing
Industry Awards.
Both accolades are for trade
Above: Lion MD Nicola
Harrold. Lion has won the
Guild’s Customer Service
Award several times
Three successful candidates announced
for latest round of Arqadia Scholarship
THREE SUCCESSFUL
APPLICANTS have been
announced in the latest
tranche of the Arqadia
Scholarship.
Since 2016, Arqadia
has been sponsoring
four candidates per year
to undertake the Guild’s
GCF study programme
and examination in order
to gain the Guild Certified
Framer – GCF(APF) –
qualification.
Usually two of these
8 January 2018
Send your stories to lynn@fineart.co.uk
suppliers, printers, publishers
or other B2B businesses
supplying goods and services to
the art and framing industry.
Both are in recognition
of the excellent work done
in providing thousands of
customers with outstanding
service, accurate deliveries, and
above all reliability.
Our NEW award recognises
the superb efforts that smaller
supplier businesses make
in serving our industry. To
qualify companies must be
independent, not a subsidiary
or branch and have 10 or fewer
employees, but they must of
course offer the same great
customer service our larger
suppliers provide.
You are invited to nominate
your top three suppliers
from any in the trade, in both
categories.
You do not have to be a
Guild member to nominate a
company, and neither does the
company you are nominating,
candidates are announced
in the first part of the year
and two in the second; but in
a departure from the norm,
Mal Reynolds GCF(APF) Adv,
Chair of the Guild’s Framing
Standards and Qualifications
Committee, announced that
there were three successful
scholars for the latter part
of last year.
The winning applicants
were: Graham Perryman of
Dragonfly Framing; Sarah
Harris of Folly Framing;
The Guild also welcomes
Gunnar as the new sponsor of
the Best Mount Design Award
and thanks Framer’s Corner and
Wizard for their support of this
award in the past.
We’re excited about working
with Sarah to promote the
award and look forward to
seeing some stunning entries.
This year the set piece for
the Best Mount Design Award
is an inspiring but technically
challenging dye-sublimation
print on ChromaLuxe, of Klimt’s
iconic painting The Kiss.
The panels are 30x30cm and
but if you are not already a
Guild member or a registered
visitor to the Guild website you
will need to create a login to
validate your nomination.
The new Small Business
and Annika McSeveny of
Antika Picture Framing.
Reynolds said: “The
Scholarship is an important
vehicle to gaining recognition
as a GCF(APF) picture framer.
The GCF qualification is
important to the industry
and the standards of picture
framing in the UK.
Gunnar’s Sarah Osborne
GCF(APF) Adv
entry costs £30 for members,
£60 for non-members.
To enter an Art & Framing
Industry Award, visit:
www.fineart.co.uk/enter
Customer Service award
is generously sponsored
by Lion PFS, who have
won the Customer Service
Award themselves on many
occasions.
“The benefits to which
the successful scholars are
eligible include attendance
at any Guild seminar/
workshop held in London
for the forthcoming year and
the keynote workshop at the
Awards weekend in May.
“I found it extremely
interesting to watch the
results and because they were
very close, we decided that all
top three candidates would
receive a Scholarship place.”
fineart.co.uk
ART + FRAMING TODAY

FRAMING
Guild Certified Framer gets
off to a great start in India
Stephen Finney GCF(APF) Adv with Manish Gourisaria and the class of 2017 (see panel, right)
THE MUCH-awaited Guild
Certified Framer (GCF)
vocational qualified
professional picture framing
training course launched for
the first time in India. Held
in Kolkata at the Space Circle
Club, in association with Lion
Picture and Frames (India),
participants from all over the
It’s been a busy, busy year!
THE GUILD Certified Framer
programme has seen a rush of
interest in 2017, in large part
due the efforts of über trainer
and examiner Stephen Finney,
whose visits to China and India
have taken him away from
home for 300 days this year!
In the UK, first GCF of 2017
went to Dylan Banks who was
later joined by:
David Roberts GCF(APF)
Jonathan Birch GCF(APF)
Hannah Veja GCF(APF)
Sam Stobart GCF(APF)
John Cruikshank GCF(APF)
Ian McNabb GCF(APF)
Ella Hutton GCF(APF)
Jacinta Brennan GCF(APF)
Marshall Irving GCF(APF)
Rachel Bradbery GCF(APF)
Karen Skeates GCF(APF)
Peter Harris GCF(APF)
Andrew Goodman GCF(APF)
Sue Harper GCF(APF)
GCF Advanced qualifications
saw a surge too with Aliasgar
ART + FRAMING TODAY
country came to take part in
the course and sit for their
GCF exam.
Manish Gourisaria, joint
managing director at Lion
India, says: “The first day
was fabulous and extremely
beneficial for the participants
to learn about Conservation
Level framing. Many thanks
joined by Stephen Finney,
Guild Master Ian Kenny,
Craig McKenzie and Andrew
McLaren in Conservation
Framing. FSQC Chair Mal
Reynolds found time for
Mount Design and Function
along with Ian Kenny who
also took Textile Framing
for a hat trick. Andy Goodall
added Textile Framing to his
qualifications too.
In China an active
programme of training and
exams with the support of
AFAExpo led to 25 qualified
framers in 2017:
to Stephen Finney GCF(APF)
Adv, world renowned master
trainer, for taking the time
to come to India to start the
courses.”
There are plans for a
second training course and
GCF exam session to be held
in March 2018.
www.lionindia.com
Yonghui Ming GCF
Chengcheng Cui GCF(APF)
Yue Zhou GCF(APF)
Weili Zhao GCF(APF)
Ke Wang GCF(APF)
Wei Liu GCF(APF)
Wei Wang GCF(APF)
Loson Wong GCF(APF)
Hsuan Yin GCF
Xiaoqi Wang GCF
Wei Wei GCF
Xiaoli Zhang GCF
Kevin Xiao GCF
Anlong Deng GCF(APF)
Zheng Wang GCF(APF)
Jiangtao Yu GCF(APF)
Yuan Liu GCF(APF)
Shuangyan Liu GCF(APF)
Chunhua Li GCF(APF)
Lin Guo GCF(APF)
Jianlong Zhang GCF(APF)
Huazhou Chen GCF(APF)
Wende Ge GCF(APF)
Chengjian Wu GCF(APF)
Feng Gua GCF(APF)
Well done, everyone.
GCF@fineart.co.uk
news
CONGRATULATIONS to the
following Guild members,
who achieved their GCF
certification in India:
Deepak Oulkar GCF(APF)
Punit Prahladka GCF(APF)
Dipak Dholey GCF(APF)
Manoj Kewat GCF(APF)
Sanjay Lahoti GCF(APF)
Geovanni Fernandes GCF(APF)
Liza Mayan GCF(APF)
Aliasgar Kanchwala GCF(APF)
K Narendra Shenoy GCF(APF)
Mohd Asif GCF(APF)
Mia Renny GCF(APF)
Manisha Bhatcar GCF(APF)
The Guild’s new Level 1
Certificate of Competency
was awarded to:
Mitesh Chedha
Rupak Chakraborty
India’s first
GCF Advanced
Framer
ALIASGAR POONAWALLA
became India’s first GCF(APF)
Advanced Framer when he
passed his Conservation
Framing exam, after travelling
all the way to the Guild’s test
centre in Dromore.
Founder of Creative Inc,
based in Vadodara, Gujarat,
Aliasgar passed his GCF
exam with flying colours in
2016 and has now taken the
next step in demonstrating
his professionalism. He looks
forward to working with the
Guild’s newest members
and GCFs (above) to raise
standards of framing in India.
www.creativeinc.co.in
January 2018 9
 news
Early Bath
ARTISTS, celebrities,
musicians and actors of
Georgian Bath come under
a new spotlight when an
exhibition dedicated to their
stories opens at the town’s
Victoria Art Gallery.
‘Entertainment in Bath’
looks at performers and
events in the city since its
Georgian heyday through to
its Victorian past and more
recently the Bath Festival.
Portraits by Gainsborough
and works by the Georgian
comic artist Thomas
Rowlandson will feature in
the exhibition.
Highlights from the
gallery’s own collection
of paintings, drawings
and prints will be on show
alongside important loans
from the Royal Collection,
lent by Her Majesty The
Queen, and the National
Portrait Gallery.
The free exhibition runs
from January 13 to March 14
March at 12pm-2pm.
www.victoriagal.org.uk
BRANCH NEWS
Northern Ireland
branch gathering
Northern Ireland branch
recently held their autumn
meeting in the new
premises of Abbey Glass
in Antrim (see Last Word,
page 58). Before the branch
meeting, members were
treated to a presentation
on digital photo restoration
delivered by the Branch
Master Darrin Walker
GCF(APF), DW Framing &
The Village Gallery. This
provided members with
10 January 2018
BUSINESS
Art & Framing Roadshow
reveals early 2018 dates
ANOTHER EIGHT Art &
Framing Roadshow
events are scheduled
take place in 2018.
Travelling
the country, the
industry event will
feature a mix of
art, framing, print,
and photographic
supplies.
Don’t miss your
chance to try out
equipment, look
at new mouldings
and mountboards,
watch expert
demonstrations, and
talk about training,
qualifications and
standards.
New in 2018 is
an opportunity
for Guild member artists
to be involved in their local
Northern Ireland
Branch Master
Darrin Waker
GCF(APF)
an opportunity to learn new
skills and possibly add to
the services they could offer
in their businesses. During
the presentation, members
were able to see how the
images were restored and
had to opportunity to ask
questions. This was a great
networking event for members
and a thoroughly enjoyable
afternoon. Further such events
will be organised and all NI
and Ireland members are
encouraged to attend.
Darrin Walker GCF(APF)
info@dwframing.co.uk
event. On offer are spaces
for two artists per show, who
London branch
catches up over
Christmas dinner
After Nick Hood’s successful
three year stint as Branch
Master came to an end last
Christmas, the Branch has had a
quiet year. Now it’s once again
alive and kicking if the success
of this year’s Christmas get
together is anything to go by.
This well attended event,
at which members and their
guests enjoyed good food,
drink and company, also
managed to conduct some
business.
Discussions included issues
such as the future meeting
programme, how we can
attract new members to the
Guild and how to increase
membership involvement in
Branch events. With many good
ideas emerging from this lively,
well humoured and positive
debate, new Branch organiser
Andy Goodall has a lot to
consider as he mapped out the
will each be allocated
two display tables. If
you would like to be
considered to take
part in the art and
framing professionals’
event please contact
louise@fineart.co.uk.
Art and Framing
Roadshows will be
taking place in a town
near you in 2018. The
dates and places for
April and May will be:
24 April Nottingham
25 April Norwich
15 May Maidstone
16 May Kempton Park
Details of events to
take place in July and
September are yet to
be announced. Check
the next issue of Art +
Framing Today for updates.
artandframingroadshow.com
Branch’s future programme.
The evening concluded
with a quiz based on
Holbein’s Ambassadors, and
the traditional raffle, which
included a large number of
valuable prizes, donated by
our trade supplier members
– thanks guys, much
appreciated.
The London Branch
membership is a relaxed,
approachable, business-
like group and as usual,
technical and business
discussions took place on a
one-to-one basis, usually in
the bar. For many it is these
networking opportunities
that is the great strength of
the Branch.
If you were unable to
attend this event and have
views on the above topics
you can contact Andy at andy.
goodall@btconnect.com, or
via the Guild’s office.
Email your branch news to
lynn@fineart.co.uk
ART + FRAMING TODAY
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SPRING FAIR NEC

HALL 4 BO1
 news
BUSINESS
Spring Fair to host Britain’s largest
collection of international brands
Framed prints by wildlife artist Catherine Kleeli, from Athena, Hall 1 L41
Works on Paper Fair
returns to South Ken
THE WORKS on Paper Fair, the
UK’s specialist fair for art on
paper from all periods, returns
to the Royal Geographical
Society, South Kensington,
between 1 and 4 February 2018.
The 2018 fair will see
specialist art dealers offering
a wide range of drawings,
watercolours, original prints,
posters, and photographs.
The fair covers every period,
so early English drawings
sit alongside Victorian
watercolours, Modern British
art, contemporary prints
and photographs, and 20th
Century posters.
12 January 2018
The event features a series
of talks on each day of the
fair including Grayson Perry,
the Turner Prize winning
artist, who will present a talk
in support of the Art Fund
on Thursday 1 February.
Emma Mason will speak on
Sunday 4 about the Guinness
Lithographs of 1956 and 1962
in the context of other mid-
century print series, involving
many of the important artists
of the day, such as Edward
Ardizzone, Edward Bawden,
Barnett Freedman, David
Gentleman and John Piper.
worksonpaperfair.com
Bernard Cheese
(1925-2013),
A Fisherman’s
Story,
lithograph. To
be exhibited by
Emma Mason
Prints
SPRING FAIR – the largest
showcase of gift and
homeware products in the
UK – returns to the NEC from
4 to 8 February 2018, with the
show’s flagship Home sector
set to showcase a number of
exciting new international
brands ahead of next season’s
buying cycle.
Spring Fair’s Home sector
will enable retailers to review
and evolve product ranges,
bringing together hundreds
of suppliers who will present
a plethora of inspiring, deco
fashion, on-trend homeware
items, including textiles,
furniture, interior and outdoor
accessories, as well as soft
furnishings.
Iconic Athena is back in
the frame for success
AFTER more than 53 years
of highs and lows, business
is booming once again for
Athena, the iconic art publisher
and framing company.
The company has grown
in size and vision since the
last shop closed in 2014 and
it relaunched as an online
gallery, art wholesaler and
contract picture framer.
Now it has a curated gallery
of emerging British artists
(available to art retailers either
shrink-wrapped or framed),
a range of innovative sports
memorabilia frames, and a
clear strategy for the future.
Athena directors Nick
Morgan and Simon Coates
reported a record Christmas
for 2017, with a 40% rise on
last year’s sales.
“All parts of the business
are growing”, says Simon.
“Athena is alive and kicking,
and kicking in even more
directions now.
Framing is a core part of
Athena’s business with 300-
400 wooden and MDF frames
per day manufactured and
Guild members Athena
1L41, Creative Fine Art 1L31,
D& J Simons 1L24, Fujifilm
1L51, and Gunnar 1J50 will
once again be present in
Hall 1, alongside art and
framing companies Artko, Art
Marketing, Chantry Fine Art,
Collier & Dobson, Daryl Davies
Fine Art, HHJ Trading, Innova
Editions, Mary Ann Rogers,
Morrigan, Richard Cooper
Bronze, The Art Group, The
Ready Made Picture Frame Co,
Yvonne Coomber Art, Who Art
Now, Artho Creation, Frame
Company, Blue Poppy Art,
Pyramid International and
multiple new exhibitors in the
art and greetings sectors.
springfair.com
Gillian Arnold, Tropical Sunshine
sent out from the premises in
Easingwold, near York.
Athena is now gearing up for
Spring Fair (see above), where
it will showcase Perfect Places,
a contemporary new art range
which has already attracted
interest. Perfect Places is a
celebration of Great Britain
and Ireland, featuring local
landmarks by artists Stephen
Millership, Richard O’Neill
and Tabitha Mary.
The firm’s plans for 2018
include limited edition prints
and possibly a return to the
greetings card market.
athenaart.com
ART + FRAMING TODAY
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The winner will be announced at the show on the 8th February.
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 news
FRAMING
Framiac launches FramR Free
FRAME PRICING specialist
Framiac has launched FramR
Free – a free version of its
popular FramR software.
Framiac owner Mark
Wilson explains: “Pricing
causes more anxiety in
framing than any other
subject. Am I profitable? Am
I charging too much? Am I
being consistent? Framers
need a simple way to price
that doesn’t require complex
charts and calculators.
“FramR Free is a free
pricing app that takes all the
stress away. It’s engaging,
professional and simple to
New and
revised Guild
publications
GUILD STANDARDS don’t ever
stand still, as the Framing
Standards and Qualifications
Committee work tirelessly to
improve information provided to
the industry.
Two key documents have
been updated in 2017, by FSQC
volunteers who give freely of their
own time and expertise.
The GCF Study Guide has now
been revised to reflect current
exam requirements, and will
remain valid until 2021.
Tapes and Adhesives for
Mounting and Hinging Art on
Paper has finally passed from
the consultative phase to Guild
Guidelines and Specifications.
Thank you to all on FSQC for
your hard work and dedication.
www.fineart.co.uk/shop
14 January 2018
use, but will price the most
complex framing designs.
“FramR Free is easy to set
up; you can be pricing in
just a few clicks. All major
supplier catalogues are
available and you can choose
which catalogues to include.
Best of all, catalogues are
automatically updated.
He adds: “FramR Free gives
framers greater confidence
in their pricing ... and it’s
absolutely free, forever.”
FramR Free is available for
Windows 10 on tablet, laptop
and PC.
www.framiac.com/free
Judging panel announced for
prestigious book illustration prize
THE FOLIO Society and
House of Illustration have
announced that Helen Dorey
joins the judging panel for
the 2018 Book Illustration
Competition (BIC2018).
Helen is a Sherlock Holmes
expert who has served as
a council member of the
Sherlock Holmes Society of
London and is invested in
the world’s oldest Sherlock
Holmes Society, The Baker
Street Irregulars of New York.
Helen said: “It’s a great
honour to have been
asked to join the judging
panel and I anticipate a
wide range of amazing
responses to the challenge of
illustrating Holmes for a new
generation.”
She will be joining five
other judges on the panel:
Sheri Gee, Folio Society Art
Director; Colin McKenzie,
Director of House of
Illustration; James Rose, Folio
Society Editor; Olivia Ahmed,
House of Illustration Curator;
and 2017 competition winner,
Darya Shnykina.
Colin McKenzie said:
“I’m particularly excited
to see how illustrators will
respond to the challenge of
illustrating such perennially
popular stories as these and
Available for Windows 10 PCs, laptops and tablets, FramR Free has a
clean and simple interface and is fast to set up
am delighted that the judging
panel will be joined by Helen
Dorey as such an authority on
Sherlock Holmes.”
Now in its eighth year, the
Book Illustration Competition
is a partnership between The
Folio Society and House of
Illustration.
This year’s Book
Illustration Competition will
be open for entries until 17
January 2018 and judging
will take place in the New
Year, with the winner of the
2018 competition revealed
at an exclusive ceremony
at House of Illustration in
February 2018.
The winner will receive
the prestigious commission
worth £5,000. Five prizes of
£500 each will be presented
to the other shortlisted
entries. The new edition of
The Selected Adventures and
Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
by Arthur Conan Doyle with
illustrations by the winning
artist will be published by The
Folio Society in October 2018.
The annual international
competition is open to
illustrators over the age
of 18, both student and
professional, who have
not been previously
commissioned by The Folio
Society. Illustrators can visit
www.houseofillustration.org/
BIC2018, where they will find
the entry details.
The selected long list will be
available to view on the House
of Illustration website from 1
February 2018, where members
of the public will be able to vote
for their favourite entry.
Past winners include Darya
Shnykina, Alan Marks, David
McConochie, Sean McSorley,
Finn Dean, Igor Karash, and
Matthew Richardson.
The annual international
competition is open to
illustrators over the age
of 18, both students and
professionals, not previously
published by The Folio
Society. To date, the BIC has
distributed over £50,000
worth of prizes and has
received thousands of entries.
The winner will receive the
prestigious Folio Society
commission worth £5,000
to illustrate the competition
title. Five runners-up will
each receive £500.
houseofillustration.org/
BIC2018
foliosociety.com
ART + FRAMING TODAY
 news
ART
History of drawing at Camberwell
Left:
Jennifer NR
Smith, Flow
Study II
Ready to take your framing
business to the next level?
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provides you with a powerful
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➤ Leaflets, stickers and other marketing
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Enrol for the Guild’s GCF programme today!
Find out more at www.fineart.co.uk or call Moira Sanders on 020 7381 6616
16 January 2018
CAMBERWELL College of
Arts is to host A History of
Drawing, a survey of the
practice and teaching of
drawing at the college over an
80-year period.
The exhibition will
feature the work of more
than 60 artists, includng
Edward Ardizzone, David
Hepher and RB Kitaj,
alongside work from more
recent graduates such as
Izat Arif, Adam Farah and
Jennifer NR Smith, and
current teaching staff,
including Miraj Ahmed, Tim
Ellis and Janette Parris.
The exhibition also features
a new large-scale vinyl
drawing, The Temptation of the
Diagram by Matthew Ritchie.
Throughout Camberwell’s
history, the definition of
drawing has expanded,
from lines on paper to
3D and digital space.
Artists have increasingly
explain to your customers all the
reasons why they should only entrust
their precious art and memorabilia to a
GCF qualified framer.
explored drawing’s uses
in fields beyond fine
art, incorporating new
technologies, politics and
science. The works in the
show include medical
illustration, drawing
machines, and moving image
works, exploring a wide
range of issues.
A History of Drawing
will be accompanied by
a new publication and a
symposium event about
drawing in education,
including presentations by
Dr Hester Westley (Artists’
Lives Interviewer and
Goodison Fellow, National
Life Stories, British Library)
and Ruth Stiff (Associate
Curator, Kew).
The exhibition is curated by
Kelly Chorpening, artist and
course leader of BA Drawing
at Camberwell College of Arts.
arts.ac.uk/camberwell/
about/camberwell-space
ART + FRAMING TODAY
 news

ART

Jackson’s launches International

Open Painting Prize 2018
JACKSON’S Art Supplies
has launched the third
International Jackson’s Open
Painting Prize. This year’s
competition has a top prize of
£5000, a People’s Choice Prize
of £2000 and six Category
prizes of £500, as well as the
opportunity for finalists’ work
to be exhibited in London at
the Hampstead Affordable
Art Fair.
Entries on any theme
will be accepted and will be
judged initially online, as a
single JPEG or PNG image.
The judging panel includes
Peter Brown NEAC (British
figurative painter), Luci Noel
(director of the Affordable
Art Fair Hampstead
and Battersea, Autumn
Collection), Jacqui McIntosh
(exhibition manager, Drawing
Room Gallery), Siska Lyssens
(freelance arts writer), Mark
Roscoe (portrait artist and
winner of the Jackson’s Open
Painting Prize 2017) and Karl
Bielik (abstract painter).
Artists who get through the
first round of judging to win
a place on the long list can
look forward to having their
work displayed permanently
in Jackson’s online gallery.
They will also be eligible for
the People’s Choice Award,
which will be decided by a
public vote.
The following six category
prizes will then be awarded by
the Jackson’s judging panel
so each subject can be judged
among its peers:
n Portrait/Figure
n Animals
n Still life/Botanical
n Non-representational/
Abstract
n Landscape/Cityscape/
Seascape
n Scenes of Everyday Life.
The winner of the Jackson’s
Open Painting Prize and
a number of shortlisted
works will be exhibited
at the Affordable Art Fair
Hampstead in May.
The entry fee is £5 per
artwork (maximum five
artworks per artist).
Deadline for entries is 16
March 2018.
For further details,
including the full entry
requirements and how to
enter, visit:
jacksonspaintingprize.com
Right: Mark Roscoe, Eniola
Sokalu, first prize winner in the
International Jackson’s Open
Painting Prize 2017

Artists mobilise for climate research

EUROPEAN art marketplace
Artmajeur has partnered with
environmental organisation
Plantations Bio to launch
Art saves the IPCC – Art for
the Climate.
The alliance is mobilising
100,000 international artists,
whose work will be sold at
major charity art auctions to
finance climate projects.
The first event will be held at
Unesco headquarters in Paris
on 24 January.
French president Emmanuel
Macron spoke at the COP23
Climate Change Conference
in Bonn in November, when
he called on Europeans to
compensate for the lack of
financing available to the UN’s
Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC), which
is threatened by the withdrawal
of one of its major financers.
Leading artists from around
the world are donating pieces
to a major charity art sale
during a gala dinner at Unesco
on 24 January with the aim of
financing climate projects.
Art saves the IPCC – Art
for the Climate is chaired by
the sustainable economist
Bruno Carrier.
facebook.com/page.
plantations.bio
artmajeur.com/en
Right: Artworks being
auctioned to raise funds
for the IPCC include The Isle
by John Howe

ART + FRAMING TODAY January 2018 17

 artist interview
How did you get started
as an artist?
I have painted for as long as
I can remember. I had great
art teachers throughout
my school years and higher
education. They themselves
were commercial artists and
I learned a lot about the need
for a good work ethic and
the ability to evolve and try
new techniques.
After college I had planned
to continue my art studies
at university but my other
passion is music and I was
lucky enough to join a band
from Manchester. I ended up
touring the UK and Europe for
the next six years. I always kept
up drawing and sketching on
the tour bus.
In late 2004/early 2005, I
decided to return home to
Somerset, which is known
for its relaxed, slower pace
and attitude to life – exactly
what I needed after six
years of gigging and living
that lifestyle.
I started painting again in
between jobs and thanks to
social media I have built up a
loyal collector base. Because
of them I’m able to do what
I love full-time. Being an
independent artist gives me
the ultimate creative freedom
my soul craves.
Tell us about your art
practice – techniques, media,
conceptualisation and so on
I mainly use acrylics, spray
paint and inks and have
recently started cutting
stencils and introducing that
element into my work.
The smaller 3D elements I
design and have laser cut but
I try to cut by hand as much as
possible. It’s important to add
that personal touch where the
viewer can see the work that
has gone in.
I use resin to bring the
whole image together. I love
the quality that resin brings
18 January 2018
Garry Floyd
After winning the Guild’s Up and Coming Published Artist Award
and getting married in 2017, Garry plans to build on the growing
popularity of his art and social media presence this year
and the overall look and feel it
adds to each piece.
I also do product design in
between and have worked with
a New York fashion label and
a brand new UK-based men
and women’s hair care range.
It’s important to constantly
move forward, expanding
your portfolio and pushing
your capabilities.
Many congratulations on
winning the Guild’s 2017 Up
and Coming Published Artist
Award. What benefits have
you seen from gaining the
award this year?
I’ve followed the Guild awards
for years now and always
assumed you needed to be
with a publisher to enter.
I never thought that as an
independent artist I would
get to be a finalist, let alone
win. It was a dream come true.
Since winning the award I have
seen a substantial increase in
followers, and with that comes
more sales.
What advice would you have
for artists entering the award
in future?
Entering the Guild awards
is a fantastic opportunity to
network with fellow artists and
introduce yourself and your
work to gallery owners. I met
some amazing people who I’m
still in touch with now. It’s also
a great opportunity to push
yourself out of the comfort
zone and the confines of your
studio. Don’t take it personally
and just enjoy the ride.
Where do you have your
originals framed and who
produces your fine art prints?
I use my local framers and
gallery – Courtyard Framing
in Minehead – who make my
trademark frames. They also
produce my limited edition
prints. I went to school with
the guy who works on my
prints and we have a tight
relationship. He knows exactly
my paint palette and every
print is 100% accurate to the
original. It’s so important
to have a good relationship
with them and they go above
and beyond to make sure
everything is right for me.
How do you use media –
digital/social and traditional
– to publicise and market
your art?
Social media is vital for
me in selling my work and
redirecting collectors old and
new to my website. It’s also a
great tool to receive instant
Garry uses acrylics, spray paint,
inks and 3D elements, which
are all brought together using
resin. Left: Secret Garden;
above: Bee MIne
feedback on works in progress.
I have built up a loyal
following and it’s important to
build on those relationships
and make people feel a part of
the journey.
I tend to post on a daily
basis and I reply to every
comment made. The
possibilities with social media
platforms are exciting and the
potential reach one post can
have is mind blowing. I’ve sold
to my neighbour, who didn’t
even realise I was an artist, and
also to celebrities, all thanks
to social media.
What are you excited about
doing in the coming year?
It has been a fantastic 2017 –
winning the award and also
topping that with getting
married. It has been my
busiest year to date and I’m
really looking forward to what
2018 holds for me.
I’ve got loads planned and
some exciting things on the
horizon. I’ve recently licensed
some images to The Art Group,
which still allows me the
freedom to be independent,
so I’m excited to see what the
response to them will be like
next year.
Facebook.com/GarryFloyd
fineart
ART + FRAMING TODAY
 To advertise here, call us on 020 7381 6616 or email:
product
news
sales@fineart.co.uk
Entries are £150 for Guild members, £300 for non-members (+ VAT)

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Revised and updated for SABLE

2018, the Guild Certified
Framer Study Guide Recent interior
contains all the information design trends
you need to get you have seen a real
through your exam, move towards
leading to the valued the authentic,
GCF(APF) designation. with natural
With the Five Levels of materials and
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Conservation levels it’s a ticular is key to
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for every day too. look.
Available from the Guild Featuring real wood veneer, the rich depth of colour in the
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ART + FRAMING TODAY January 2018 19

 What is ?

It’s a guarantee of quality for fine art printers, artists and art buyers. The
ArtSure programme certifies that the participating fine art printer adheres
to the Fine Art Trade Guild’s Print Standards.
OK, so what are the Guild’s So if I’m an artist member of the
Print Standards? Guild, can I use the ArtSure logo?
No – first of all, you need to be a registered member of the
In brief 1 ... ArtSure scheme. You can then use the ArtSure logo on a print so
n Lightfastness of finished print – results of 6 or more on the long as it is ArtSure registered, and printed to ArtSure standards. If
Blue Wool Scale in all areas of the print – or its equivalent you or your fine art printer are an ArtSure participant, you can use
under empirical test conditions the logo on registered editions. Remember, it is the print that is
n Guild standard pH for substrate of 7-9 ArtSure registered, not the artist.
n Minimum weight of substrate of 250gsm
n Only inks approved by the printer manufacturer must be used I’m a fine art printer – what are the
n ArtSure prints must be created from approved materials2
that have been tested in a UKAS Laboratory or
benefits to me of ArtSure?
Today, almost anyone can produce a digital print and the quality of
international equivalent. prints on the market can be very poor. ArtSure is an assurance that
you can give to artists and art buyers that your fine art prints meet a

Print edition registration
Having a Guild print registration certificate gives consumers
enhanced confidence in the authenticity of their prints. The
ArtSure scheme includes downloadable edition registration
certificates. The fully searchable information, certificate and
thumbnail image will be displayed on the Guild website for the
benefit of customers and future collectors.
stringent set of quality standards relating to the inks and substrates
used to create the print.
In other words, ArtSure enables you to stand
head-and-shoulders above the competition for
people who are serious about the quality of
the prints they commission and buy

Contact Louise Hay on 020 7381 6616/louise@fineart.co.uk

www.fineart.co.uk/artsure

1-2: Please see www.fineart.co.uk/artsure-for-the-trade.aspx for full details. Image: Venice by Colin Ruffell
If you are looking forframer
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 comment Send comments and questions to lynn@fineart.co.uk

Make sure your Conservation

mountboard is the real thing
Arqadia managing director Jonathan Burrage highlights the
importance of using genuine Conservation mountboard –
especially if it is product that you sell. He also warns about the
threat of malpractice and the hidden costs of cutting corners
with substandard alternatives – which could be done in total
ignorance if the small print has not been checked

Jonathan
Burrage The Guild’s mountboard logos show that Conservation and Cotton Museum boards meet the standards

N EW TO the industry in
July, I quickly discovered
that nothing beats the visual
wow factor of a beautifully
framed piece of art. The
subject might be a painting
by a well-known artist or it
could be a family heirloom
of huge sentimental value.
Either way, once framed, the
item is likely to be treasured
for aesthetic, emotional or
financial reasons – or maybe
even all three!
As market leader, we have
always been and remain,
committed to upholding and Arqadia Conservation mountboards
enhancing the standards in
our industry. With this in closely with the Fine Art A number of products on inadvertently, mislead the
mind, we are alarmed by the Trade Guild to tackle the market are promoted consumer – who could end
questionable tactics being this issue and promote by implication to have the up with damaged artwork.
adopted by some within it. It the importance of qualities and benefits of Not a good result for anyone.
seems that some suppliers transparency. Indeed, White Core. Don’t be fooled On the upside, I can
are deceptively producing, the highly respected Mal that ‘conservation backed’ reassure all Arqadia
marketing and selling Reynolds GCF(APF) Adv has mountboard is the same as customers that we will
inferior quality mountboards taken up the cause covers Conservation mountboard; continue to invest in
with the implication that they it in detail in this issue. it is no different from maintaining standards and
have the same properties He is also incorporating a restaurant offering promoting best – ie honest
and qualities as the more the confusion and pitfalls vegetarian ingredients – practice, which in turn
superior, Conservation grade surrounding falsely while the dish is also full will help us to further, not
options. This is not the case! marketed, inferior quality of chicken! The message threaten, the reputation of
Poor quality mountboard mountboard into his GCF is pointless because other framers and the framing
might save a few quid but, teaching material. This elements of the product industry at large.
in the long term, it could industry is not without its negate its relevance. www.arqadia.co.uk
result in damaged artwork, challenges and we would be It is scandalous, really.
damaged reputations and mad to add pressure to this If in doubt, I suggest you n Turn to page 55 for Mal
very unhappy consumers by not following a strong contact the Guild to check. Reynolds GCF(APF) Adv’s Read,
seeking compensation. code of best practice and We do not want framers to be Reflect and Learn article on
We have been working honest trading. misled and then, potentially, Conservation mountboard

22 January 2018 ART + FRAMING TODAY


Needs versus wants
Ian Kenny GCF(APF) Adv gets philosophical on Guild membership
Guild Master
Ian Kenny
O UR PERCEPTION of
human needs can vary
wildly depending on who
we speak to, and can be
influenced by many things,
including our own individual
circumstances. However, if
we strip away the fluff, we find
that the five basic needs for
us to physically survive are
accepted as being:
n Oxygen
n Water
n Food
n Shelter
n Sleep
Each one of these items are
fundamental to human life,
and has been since our time
on earth began. As humans
adapted, though, they
discovered that needs became
much more complex. In days
gone by, when we were all
hunter-gatherers, we had all
day to find food and water,
for example.
But as civilisation
progressed, there were those
who were perhaps better at
building shelter than hunting
animals for food – and thus
was born the barter system: I
want you to build my shelter
and I will give you food.
From this early time,
ART + FRAMING TODAY
‘wants’ came into the
equation. Today, the
difference between the
two can often be blurred.
Nowadays, for example, it
can be argued that we need
to work, because that is how
we pay for our own basic
needs of life.
We need a car to get
to work because public
transport is non-existent and
it’s 40 miles to get to our job.
Walking there is out of the
question.
We need to stay in the
suburbs, because the cost
of shelter in the city is too
high. We need high speed
broadband because we’re
forced to do a lot of stuff
online nowadays, and 1mb
doesn’t cut it anymore.
Years ago, things like
cars, and techy stuff like
broadband and smartphones,
were considered wants, rather
than needs.
And now to my point. So
many times, when talking to
people in the industry, I hear
the comment: “I don’t need
the Guild for my business
to survive.” Bearing in mind
that ‘Guild Membership’
doesn’t appear on the list of
basic needs for any business,
that’s a perfectly valid
comment too. There are lots
of businesses out there which
have managed to survive
without being a member of
the Guild. I’ve often asked
myself that same question:
“Does my business need the
Guild to survive?” And the
answer is most definitely not.
So, why have I paid my
membership fee every year for
close on 30 years?
The answer is simple.
n Because I want to be part
of the Guild.
n I want a Trade Association
which includes all sectors
of our industry.
n I want the logo on my
door.
n I want agreed and
transparent standards to
work with.
n I want qualifications.
n I want marketing tools.
n I want to be kept informed.
n I want to be part of an
international family of
likeminded professionals.
Steve Jobs is credited with
saying about the iPhone:
“People don’t know what
they want until you show it
to them.” Nobody at the time
it was developed needed
an iPhone, but what this
comment
ingenious piece of kit did
was to create wants, and then
fulfil them.
Nowadays, it would be
hard to imagine life without
a smartphone. These pocket
computers have pretty much
crossed the line from want to
need. And in a sense, for me,
the Guild has done that too.
Over many years, while they
remain in fact wants, things
like using the Guild logo,
working to Guild standards,
using the Guild leaflets as
selling tools and much more,
have crossed that invisible
line to become needs. They
are fully intertwined with the
fabric of my business, and I
can’t imagine business life
without them.
Go to www.fineart.co.uk/
Join_the_Fine_Art_Trade_Guild.
aspx and download your own
copy of the Guild Member
Services toolkit.
Have a good, long look,
and choose for yourself the
services you want to use. In
time, they might become
needs for you too.
Ian Kenny GCF(APF) Adv is
Master of the Guild
Feel free to contact him:
Telephone: 01698 420979
Skype: ian..k
January 2018 23
comment
Get your site right
There’s no reason why an artist can’t design, run and market
their own website to sell their work, says Colin Ruffell. Here he
explains how to get started and where to go from there
T
WO RECENT posts on
my blog (artpublish.
com/news) have
been about retail art
galleries and how an artist
can show and sell their work
on the high street. Another
crucially important issue
is that all ambitious artists
should be selling from their
own online gallery.
The main reason for this
is… non stop, because there
are several ‘main’ reasons, not
just one. The main reasons are
as follows:
n A website shop is open 24
hours a day and 365 days a year,
whereas a retail shop is shut
most of the time.
n The potential audience
for a website art gallery is in
the billions, worldwide, and
growing. Far fewer people will
come to a real art gallery.
n It costs hardly anything
to start, compared with
setting up a retail bricks-and-
mortar gallery.
n You get to keep all the
money. The profit margin
is huge because there isn’t
a middleman.
n Artists can communicate
directly with the potential
collectors. Potential collectors
can communicate directly with
the artist.
n The products and services
shown can be updated quickly
and often. And easily as well.
n Other interesting aspects
can be included such as videos,
music, blogs and forums.
Much more difficult to include
in a bricks-and-mortar site.
n The acceptance and
growth in online sales means
increased speed of reaction
from visitor to product,
product to checkout, checkout
to artist, artist to sending
product, happy customer,
recommendation, future sales.
n Google and other established
24 January 2018
experts will efficiently analyse
the art product and promote to
a suitable searching audience.
It costs nothing.
n You can offer other products,
and a much wider range of
future or potential products.
This is especially relevant if
you self publish with print on
demand, or are looking for
commissions.
WHERE TO START
So how to go about having a
website.
1) You need to have a
computer.
2) You need a good internet
connection.
3) You should get access to
Word and image editing
software.
4) And then become reasonably
proficient in using them.
Stage one
1) Explore the Internet and
see what other artists’ websites
look like.
2) See if they have a shop
facility.
3) Watch and see if they change
things very often.
4) Sign up to receive
newsletters and blog posts
from the ones that you admire.
Stage two
1) Register a unique domain
name for yourself.
2) Sign up for hosting services.
3) Explore Wix or WordPress
software options to build your
website.
4) Create a simple four or five
page website. Suggested pages
are: Home, About, Gallery,
News, Contact.
Stage three
Build the basic site, test it,
invite comments from friends
who can see tests, invite friends
to try buying something, keep
updating and adding material,
test and test again.
Go ‘live’ with your site as
soon as you have a basic setup.
Don’t procrastinate and don’t
wait until it is perfect.
For a start, no-one will know
that it is there. Google will
eventually find it and examine
it, probably in the middle of
the night while you are asleep.
But don’t worry, once Google
knows that it exists it will keep
coming back whenever you do
an update of any kind.
Add the site address to your
business card, your email
address, your Facebook page,
all literature that you can, eg
catalogues, brochures, invites,
greetings cards, and tattoo it
on your forehead. OK, don’t do
the tattooing.
Then keep developing the
site and letting people know
about it. Share your journey,
share your artwork, and keep
learning. Eventually someone
will buy something from your
online shop. And that will be a
wonderful new start to the rest
of your life.
Alternatively, you could just
get someone else do it for you.
If you just read that last
sentence and said to yourself
that you would rather get
someone else to do it, then that
is a big shame.
It is a shame because it
is actually quite easy for a
creative, artistic person to learn
how to design and produce
a website. And you should
do that first if at all possible.
Then maybe use other online
galleries and shops to show and
sell as well, not instead. Either
way, there are some super
online galleries that you should
know about.
So have a look around and
see the many online galleries
that exist. Artfinder.com
springs to mind as a very good
example of an online art gallery.
They have thousands of artists
and hundreds of thousands
of artworks for sale. They will
guide you as a potential new
artist and show you how to put
your work onto their gallery.
Then they will do their best
to sell it for you and only take
about a third of the proceeds.
That is good because you can
and must learn about pricing,
describing your art, image
manipulation, and other skills
which can be used for your own
website as well.
Here is a link to my own
website: www.colinruffell.
com. I also have a much more
comprehensive site that sells
my artwork: www.artpublish.
com. This is a shared family
site that we created to sell
work by myself, plus my wife,
Fran Slade, and our daughter,
Shyama Ruffell.
Please have a look at these
two sites. See where I am
getting it right, and also where I
am getting it wrong. I welcome
criticism and feedback. And if
you want to test it out, go right
through the process and even
buy something as well.
See how easy it is? That is what
you can get your visitors to do.
Colin Ruffell is a Past Master of
the Guild and a member of its
Fine Art Committee
ART + FRAMING TODAY
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 printing

Could a large
format printer
become your
secret saviour?
Large Format Printing Man

Tony Hayton

Adding a large
format printer to your
business can boost
existing trade as
well as adding new
income. Tony Hayton
tells us how some
customers claim theirs
saved their business

I T IS A FACT that people are

Above right: Offer canvas prints of
your customers’ photos
Above: Photo on acrylic block
finding markets increasingly
challenging with the reduced
money floating around. However,
I have heard from more and
more of our customers who
believe that printing has been a
saviour for their business.
After introducing printing as a
sideline, they have found that the
income it generate equals what
was once their core business.
This made me wonder if the
large format printer could in fact
be referred to as a secret saviour.
Introducing a large format
printer, or giclée printer as it is
often referred to in the fine art
industry, can offer unrealised
potential for any business. Once
in place, your printer can be used
to boost existing business; for
example if you’re a framer you
can begin offering a canvas print
‘‘
Your
printer
service for your customers. With
Designline Systems’ 270gsm
polyester canvas you can provide
a low cost canvas of people’s
holiday snaps. Introduce
400gsm polycotton mix canvas
and provide a fine art solution
for artists who are visiting; or
can be introduce a quality fine art gloss/
satin canvas and you have a
used to media that photographers and
boost artists will both enjoy.
We provide a wide range of
existing fine art papers, both budget and
high quality. This range allows
business... you to offer sensible prices for an
you can artist who is new to print while
also offering fine art papers
begin for those artists who prefer the
higher end of the market. But
offering do not forget the photographic
canvas papers that are also available.
With the improvements in the
prints photographic world, more and

26 January 2018 ART + FRAMING TODAY


more people are taking pictures
that can be enlarged and printed
ready for a wall in their home.
Gone are the days when a digital
camera could only produce an
image that was worth printing
at 6x4in. With snapshot, DSLR
cameras and even some mobile
phones producing photos
above 10mpx, these images can
be enlarged with the correct
workflow. Our partner company
has even had consumers wanting
images blown up to 30x40in
for their home. Printed onto a
lightweight polyester canvas and
stretched, the final product has a
good quality finish at a price the
customer is happy to pay, with the
added bonus of increased profit
margins to the printer.
With developments such as
Canon PosterArtist software,
promotional posters can be
produced in minutes, rather
than hours. With a drag and drop
interface and inbuilt templates
simply drag your images in, type
your text and you’re ready to start
producing promotional posters
that will capture the attention
of your customers and can help
to boost sales during calendar
events in your area. Did you
have custom Christmas posters/
banners last year? Were they how
you wanted them? Would you
have liked something unique to
you? With a large format printer
and with Canon PosterArtist,
you could have produced these
posters in minutes, totally
custom to you and with images
of products that you wanted
to promote.
Benefits gained from these
printers will vary from company
to company, but with more and
more of our customers thanking
us for introducing them to the
world of large format printers,
it proves that these devices have
the potential to boost profits
and help pull people into your
business, even if it is only to look
at the printer itself. Many people
hide these printers away and that
is fine, but your customers will
always want to see one of them
in action.
When I entered the market over
17 years ago, the biggest printer
I had ever seen was an A4 laser
printer that took up a desk and
sounded like a jet taking off when
it was warming up. When I first
saw a 54in Roland printer, I was
stunned. With the developments
that have been made in this
ART + FRAMING TODAY
market regarding print speeds and
colour gamuts, these printers have
become even more impressive.
Allow your customers to see your
printers and their imagination
will begin to work overtime. With
the wide range of print media
available, the range of jobs you can
produce is vast.
Provide a print service to
artists, photographers and also
the retail customers that come
in. Speak to them; people are
always happy talking about
holidays they are looking forward
to. Make a passing comment on
how good that family or vacation
photo would look printed on
canvas. Your printer can work
to bring you repeat business
time and time again, feeding the
framing side of your business if
you’re a gallery or a framer.
Do you frame for corporate
customers? Offer a print service
to them on poster papers or
canvas. The great thing with
poster work for corporate clients
is that they usually change them
on a regular basis, bringing you
more business and quick-to-
complete jobs.
With the Canon printers,
for example, you will be able to
provide a great colour range for
artists and photographers, with
running costs that will also make
this printer, combined with the
correct media, a great solution
for poster printing. You will be
able to create short term outdoor
banners too – ideal for fêtes,
printing
Let customers see
your wide format
printer – they will be
impressed and may
‘‘
be inspired
schools or general promotions.
Couple these options with
pop-up and roller banner
production and you have a great
tool to promote any special offers
Pop-ups or business ideas you might have.
During the run-up to
and roller Christmas we noticed that there
was a lot more canvas product
banners being sent out, and not only
give you the high end gloss. Our 270gsm
polyester was actually one of
a great our most requested media
between mid-November and
tool to December. This was due to
promote increased numbers of people
having friends and family photos
your produced as gifts, resulting in
a lower priced product with
business a higher perceived value to
the recipient. With this type
of product it is important to
have the right equipment and
supporting supplier. This is
where the comment “speed
is not important to me”
tends to be uttered without
an understanding of how an
increase in print speed makes
the work easier. Canon’s high
print speed and low running cost
has proven to be a very strong
competitor in this market, with
more and more people opting for
Canon printers as the workhorse
of choice. It’s a decision that I,
through personal experience,
and our customers tend
to agree with.
tony@designline-systems.co.uk
www.designline-systems.co.uk
January 2018 27
Contributions welcome!
Send them to
lynn@fineart.co.uk
How to choose paper for prints
Martin Lucas of award-winning fine art printer dStudio provides some tips
T
HE MOST popular question we’re
asked by a new customer is: “What
paper should I use for my prints?”
Our response is usually a series of
questions and a request to see the image
we’ll be printing, so we can recommend
the best suited paper. Getting advice
from an expert is great, but how can
you help yourself to find the right kind
of paper to use before you approach a
print studio?
FINDING THE RIGHT PAPER
We specialise in giclée printing and
even within this printing format, there
are many different types of paper
available. All these papers have different
surfaces, weights and thicknesses,
they’re made from different materials,
and of course the costs vary too. This
creates a lot of reasons to choose one
paper over another.
You should always start with your
image, whether it is an original piece
of artwork you want to reproduce, or a
digital piece that doesn’t yet exist outside
of your computer, you’re the one person
who knows your image better than
anyone else. This understanding of your
image will translate to finding a paper
that’s able to accurately reproduce your
image as well as one that suits the type
of image you have.
Educate yourself and find out about
the papers that are available, read
reviews online, find out what other
artists are using, learn the terminology
used and the characteristics each
paper has; weight, thickness, materials
used, finish and the relative cost. This
education will put you in good stead
throughout the printing process and,
from an early stage, it will help you rule
out papers that aren’t suitable, and
shortlist those that could work for you.
COULD YOU USE MORE THAN ONE?
If you only have a single piece of artwork
you’re looking to reproduce, then usually
one paper will be all you’re looking for,
but what if you have lots of different
images? Can you find a single paper that
works across all your images, or should
you have two or more papers that can
be used on different images throughout
your collection?
The ideal situation is to find a single
paper to use, but sometimes it doesn’t
work out that way. Don’t be fixated on
finding the one paper to rule them all.
28 January 2018
TIP: If you’re reproducing an original
piece of art, you might want to try to
match the paper you use for prints
to the one used for the original –
this is a common practice
Many artists will use different papers for
different images, especially if their work
contains a variety of styles or subjects;
some might even use two different
papers for a single image. Some of
the artists we work with will change
papers when a print reaches a certain
size: a less expensive paper for larger
print sizes to help reduce costs for their
customers, or a heavier paper to add
stability to larger prints over the lighter
paper that’s fine for small prints but
struggles at larger sizes.
ALLOWING YOUR CUSTOMERS
TO CHOOSE
I’m sure you’ve seen poster and print
websites that allow you to buy prints
on demand from a library of images.
They offer varying finishes, from glossy
posters and matt fine art prints to
stretched canvas prints and prints on
metal or wood panels. They’re trying to
capture the needs of many customers,
making sure they don’t exclude a finish
from all those available, but should you
do the same?
Asking your potential customers to
choose between two or more papers
or finishes might be one too many
TIP: You can order sample packs
from paper manufacturers and
print companies. This will give
you a chance to see and feel the
papers that are available to you.
It’s a great first step to finding a
paper you want to use.
decisions for them to make, and you
could end up losing them completely.
You should make your customers feel
confident you’ve chosen the best paper
for the prints they’re going to buy, tell
them the benefits and why you chose
it, instead of listing some options and
placing the burden on them to choose.
IS THERE EVER A WRONG CHOICE?
A good image will look good across a
range of papers and finishes, but it will
work better on some papers, while other
papers will reduce an image’s impact.
Many print companies offer sample
packs of the papers they stock. It’s a good
place to start to see the papers available.
The next level is printed proofs.
A studio will print your image on a
selection of papers, enabling you to
compare the papers and see which one
is most suited to your image. Seeing your
image in print, even on a small-scale
proof, will help you to see if a paper is
right or wrong for your image. If it’s
right, that’s brilliant – all your hard work
has paid off. And if it’s wrong, don’t
worry – try some other options.
If you’ve done your research and
you’re 99% sure about a paper you want
to use, at this stage, a conversation with
an experienced print studio will help
complete the puzzle. We pride ourselves
on being a collaborative studio. We’re
happy to spend time with new customers
allowing them to use the knowledge we
have of the papers we have chosen to
stock, as well as our experience printing
a wide range of images on each of them.
Your own research, samples, printed
proofs and a thorough Q and A with a
trusted print studio will help you make
an informed and confident choice of
paper for your prints. The time and
effort will be worth it.
Martin Lucas
www.dstudiouk.com
ART + FRAMING TODAY
Fine Art Services
Giclée Fine Art Prints
Trade service for Artists,
Photographers and Galleries

Limited Edition Giclée Prints ∙ Edition Management

Image Capture ∙ Image Calibration ∙ Colour Balance
Working to the Fine Art Trade Guild Standard for a
guaranteed quality and service designed for the artists needs.
Canvas Stretching ∙ Print Varnishing ∙ Print Management and
distribution service worldwide ∙ Artist Representation at Exhibitions
and Shows ∙ Art Studio Rentals ∙ 35+ years print experience

Global clients from as far away as Australia, Thailand, United

States, Tanzania and France all use our services.

Contact Neal: 07876 219406

art@nealscrase.com

www.fineartservices.nealscrase.com NASFineArtServices NealScrase

Images by Mark Welland & Joe Devanny
printing
Digitise and monetise
Charles Henniker-Heaton explains image capture for artists and
advises on managing painted embellishments post-production
A FEW YEARS ago, when I first
heard the word ‘monetise’ being
used, I was a little disturbed by
this apparent abuse of the English
language. Now it is in common
parlance, and is something
that artists and photographers
often need to do with their
work if they want to become
commercially successful.
Artists, you will no doubt find
the need to digitise your work at
some point. Either small format
for promotional purposes, for
your website, for archival records
or, maybe high resolution for
printing. The latter is what we are
looking at in this article: good
enough to allow you to sell digital
versions of your work as high-
quality art prints on paper, metal,
canvas – whatever suits your style
and output. This can open up
whole new markets, especially
for limited edition prints. There
are potential art buyers out
there who simply cannot afford
original art, but are very happy to
get a top-quality print at a more
democratic price.
To produce digital prints, you
need a high resolution digitised
file of the original image. This can
be done by scanning or by very
well controlled photography.
30 January 2018
SCANNING
This will probably give the best
results. In the case of paintings
with heavy pallet knife work, it is
amazing how scans can produce
flat, two-dimensional prints that
viewers want to touch because
they look three-dimensional.
At a simple level, scanning can
be done with an A4 or A3 photo
scanner. If the original is larger
than the scanner, several scans
can be stitched together in
Photoshop to give a completely
seamless result. The technology is
quite amazing.
If your original artworks are
large, then there is a system made
by a company called Cruse to
handle this. These scanners can
scan up to 150 x 250cm. Again, if
necessary stitching can be used.
Recently one lab scanned a 5m
long tapestry. Another advantage
of these scanners is the Synchron
lighting system that they use.
With special adjustments,
artworks with a three-dimensional
surface can be scanned and
optimised for shadows/highlights.
Sally Mitchell Fine Arts of
Newark offers a reasonably priced
scanning service. A 300dpi file
from a 100 x 150cm original is
less than £70.
PHOTOGRAPHY
There are specialist companies
that undertake photographing
museum and art gallery works.
They have high resolution
cameras, special lighting and
are experts in this field. But
with a good camera and some
reasonable lighting, it is possible
to get excellent results yourself
that are good enough for printing.
Important factors are getting the
original absolutely parallel with
the camera lens, shooting the
whole image in the frame, with 45o
lighting on both sides.
COLOUR
It is possible to calibrate both
Above: UK cameras and scanners using
based Cruse internationally recognised ICC
scanning Colour profiles. And by ensuring
service: that whoever prints the work
Sally Mitchell is also using a colour managed
Fine Arts Ltd of
workflow, it should be possible
Newark, Notts
to get colours that closely
sallymitchell.com
match the original.
EMBELLISHMENT
‘‘
Metallic and pearlescent paints,
and a few other types, tend
not to scan very well and most
printers cannot replicate these
results. One solution is to hand
embellish prints after they have
been digitised and printed. For
example, pearlescent paint or
With a gold leaf could be added to the
print. This also means that every
good print will be slightly different and
camera therefore unique. Art + Framing
Today’s October 2017 issue front
and some cover was a great example of this,
reasonable where Gered Mankowitz’s original
image of Jimi Hendrix was printed
lighting, it on ChromaLuxe HD Aluminium
and then embellished by artist
is possible Christian Furr.
to get
Charles Henniker-Heaton
excellent is responsible for Business
results Development for ChromaLuxe
HD Metal Print systems
yourself www.chromaluxe.eu
ART + FRAMING TODAY
 business

The times, they

are a-changin’
When Peter Cleevely GCF began his career as a photographer in the 1980s, he had
no idea that he would eventually come full circle, but this time publishing his own
fine art photography. He talks us through fashions, fads and styles, and his memories
of more than 40 years in the art and framing industry

M
Y LOVE of photography Picture Corner during the mid- design. Success for us has always
led me into the framing ’90s, which was followed by come from word of mouth.
business. I took up high quality etchings. We could Demand for DMC products at
family portraits and wedding see changes coming and again that time led us to stock threads,
photography way back in the adapted our framing and mount patterns and accessories. Around
early 1980s. It wasn’t long before design to those types of images, to the same time, we saw a huge
I was being asked “Where can I include wash lines and double or rise in amateur painters, and
get the photos framed?” and after even triple mounts. once again we gave up our time
contacting a few independent The mouldings we used were to art and photography groups to
moulding suppliers, I set up Peter Cleevely slimmer and mainly antique golds demonstrate how to enhance their
framing in the back yard. GCF (above) and brown woods. images by using the right frame,
A few years later, Picture Corner has been We have always framed tapestry mount design and glass. In the
was born and we set up shop successfully and cross-stitch; we went out late ’90s, the style of mouldings
in the middle of the beautiful adapting to of our way to demonstrate our changed for us to plain obeche
historic town of Ampthill in changes in the skills at many groups, educating wood, which we coloured using
Bedfordshire, selling mainly open market and on framing, mount colour and anything from wax, acrylic and >
prints, bespoke framing and consumer tastes
contract framing. for more than
Black and white images by 40 years. Picture
Ansel Adams were popular, Corner currently
as was Rosina Wachtmeister, deals mostly in
and pastel bouquet prints were open prints and
also selling well at the time. I bespoke and
had accounts with King and contract framing
McGaw, Verkerke (who were
bought out by Gallery Editions)
and Kingfisher Prints. We were
building a healthy customer base
and started to see return orders;
our care and consideration to our
customers’ needs worked in our
favour – something we continue to
do today. We have always offered
stage payments and always work
within the customer’s budget.
Mouldings used back then
would have been black, white
gold, and silver, and our suppliers
were Magnolia Group, who set
up both Renaissance and Byron
Mouldings. Rosenstiel’s museum
prints had a short lifespan at

ART + FRAMING TODAY January 2018 31

business
gold or silver leaf. Experimenting
with iridescent paints became very
popular – so much so that Daler-
Rowney asked us to demonstrate
the technique we developed on
frames at their stand at the NEC.
We had added another string to
our bow – our customers were very
creative at that time.
We also provided art materials
from Winsor and Newton and
Daler-Rowney. (In the years to
come, and with the arrival of
Hobbycraft, sales declined and we
stopped offering these products as
we could not compete.)
Listening to customers’ requests
for decent greetings cards in
Ampthill led us to stock cards from
Verkerke and The Art Group. After
just a short while we made room for
eight revolving card display stands,
which are still as popular today
with our customers.
We hit a real turning point
around mid 1990s – Solomon &
Whitehead was publishing David
Shepherd. So popular was his work
that we had to join a waiting list
to get copies and we had difficulty
keeping up with demand from our
customers. At this time, the prices
for these works skyrocketed; we
have never seen prices increase
like that since.
Looking back, money did not
appear to be in short supply, our
customers knew what they wanted
and were quite happy to pay. We
cannot remember them haggling
over prices! Interest rates were
running at around 15% and yet
people were prepared to spend
double the original price of a David
Shepherd print; for example, there
were no quibbles over spending
£450 for a 6in square limited-
edition field mouse by him and
double that again on the black
market. Other popular artists at
that time were landscape artists
Duncan Palmer and Rex Preston.
32 January 2018
Picture Corner Along with the change in
stocks prints artwork came for us different
from a wide styles of mouldings. We began to
variety of offer wider, more ornate styles
popular artists, in browns and golds, which
including worked well with the wildlife and
(above, left to landscape images. It was quite
right) MacKenzie a phenomenal time for Picture
Thorpe and John Corner – everything that came in
Waterhouse to the gallery sold within days.
Educating our customers has
become second nature to us. They
all know the difference between
giclée, lithograph, silkscreen, UV
glass and so on. We have grown
but never lost the friendly, almost
family feel of a local business.
EXPANSION
The business progressed, and
we were fortunate to be able to
expand into the shop adjoining us.
I left my photography work behind
and concentrated on framing,
and to help promote the business
I joined the Fine Art Trade Guild
and was one of the first framers
to pass the Guild Commended
Framer exam.
I entered every competition
I could, and soon had a wall of
certificates, which the customers
liked to see. I found this was
absolutely key to inspiring trust
in our customers. I keep on show
at the gallery examples of object
framing, which has inspired
customers to have personal
objects framed, and simply
showing objects in the windows
has brought in a regular flow of
enquiries and orders.
The addition of our
computerised mount cutting
machine around 10 years ago
has made life so much easier and
turnaround so much quicker.
Giving our customers choice
has always been our aim, and we
can achieve more than ever.
During the mid-2000s, artwork
was changing once again to
brighter, more colourful pieces.
Out went the poor-quality open
prints that would fade after a short
while, to be replaced with digital
giclée prints; the depth of colour
was amazing and our customers
kept buying. New artists were
being taken on by DeMontfort,
Washington Green and
Buckingham Fine Art, and success
came from Govinder Nazram,
MacKenzie Thorpe, Gordon King,
Doug Hyde, Adam Barsby and
Alexander Millar, to name a few.
Limited edition sculptures were
in demand too. Out went the
coloured mountboards, where
the core would turn brown, and
in came clean white, off-white,
and colour-core Conservation
mounts. We introduced UV glass
and had a steady stream of wildlife
and original images from the
’90s coming in to be re-mounted
and re-glazed, this time with
Conservation boards.
Once again, we reaped the
benefits by keeping our customers
in the loop, letting them know
what was new by email or when
they came into the gallery.
Our moulding reps would
advise on the latest mouldings
and we would listen and order
accordingly to suit the new
artwork now being published. The
gallery was at its most varied; we
were inundated with so many good
artists – too many to mention –
and for the first time in our history
we stocked everything. Even with
the increasing prices of artwork,
our customers were buying. The
introduction of giclée prints
certainly helped to push up the
prices. We felt this was a bubble
waiting to burst!
The introduction of giclée
printers being available to
purchase brought a rise in some
of these artists becoming self-
published, ending their careers
ART + FRAMING TODAY
 business

with publishing companies and

going it alone. We felt a decline
in such works and after having
amazing success, our sales started
to go down.
To combat this trend, we
entered a competition in 2008 run
by the Fine Art Trade Guild and
Canon UK for best photographic
and fine art image, in which
Picture Corner was one of the
runners up. Canon offered a
discount on its range of giclée
printers and that propelled
us on to a different road once
again. Soon we were producing
top quality prints for artists and
holiday/family images for our
regular customers.
Where our sales were made up
mostly of framing and published
artwork, it was now framing
and printing orders. We were
fortunate enough to incorporate
a sizeable space adjacent to the
gallery, room for our two giclée
printers. We have learned new
skills and once again are passing
these on to our customers. Having
the printers, the knowledge to
use them, and the software has
enabled me to offer my customers
superb personal images and This page: so we now have our own website such as Solomon & Whitehead,
for me to pursue my love of Peter sells prints and social media pages. I still like Kingfisher Prints (who were
photography, which I now sell of his own to pick up the phone but today’s the original company I bought
in the gallery under the name photography generation are more likely to visit from, who produced black and
Distinctive Photography. in the gallery in Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. white prints), Magnolia Group,
We sometimes think today’s the Distinctive Online companies offer which set up Renaissance, Byron
framing is less exciting, with the Photography mounts, frames and printing Mouldings, CRA (art materials)
modern styles, but that is how range cheaper, and we openly admit and Charisma mouldings.
times change; people’s tastes that our customers sometimes Even though we are offering our
have changed and we as framers balk at our prices – but then customers a great service enhanced
must change too. We are all again, educating them on the Fine by the introduction of quality
followers of the trends set by Art Trade Guild standards and printing, we have continued to
fashion and design. being able to show the difference adapt our range of products over
We were nervous at having means they can understand the years to suit our customers.
an online presence and admit the distinction. We are only too aware of the
we were probably a little late in There are far more publishers uncertainties in the economic
starting. We realise that today and moulding companies offering market going forward in 2018. I am
people are more than likely to great products today, but I do so pleased I took the decision to
tap in to their phone or laptop to give a thought to those that have become more than just a framer.
search for a local framer or gallery, fallen due to the recession in 2008, www.picturecorner.org.uk

ART + FRAMING TODAY January 2018 33

 news
Contributions welcome!
Send them to
lynn@fineart.co.uk

Recruit a picture framer:

from posting a job to hiring a new employee
Looking at bringing a new picture framer on board but don’t know where
to start? Ben Massey sets out the whole process and explains the tools the
Guild offers to help you find your perfect new colleague
YOU’VE BEEN on your own for
TRAINEE EXPERIENCED SPECIALIST
a while. Your new business is
a lean, mean picture-framing PRICE Lower salary Medium salary Higher salary
machine – but now you’re EXPERIENCE • You should be supervising • Experienced • They might have a higher
overstretched, and fed up with a trainee during framing professionals have most price tag, but hopefully,
wearing every hat yourself. and mounting of likely encountered, and they’ll be adding something
Now is the time to spread the customers’ work overcome, many common unique to your business,
workload and get a helping • Once they’ve passed challenges in the picture enabling you to offer ser-
hand to pick up all the extra their GCF they’ll be able framing world, and will vices you weren’t able to
to do unsupervised work, be able to share that provide before.
work you’re currently having
and you’ll be confident experience with you and • Assuming the right
to turn down.
that they’re working to the your customers. qualifications and
standard you expect. • You’ll be able to split up references come back
DECIDING WHAT YOU WANT • People new to the sector and cover more ground. clean – you can be
To keep things simple, we’ll bring with them their fresh They’ll still need checking confident that your
say there are three types of perspective, which might in on from time-to-time to specialist will be able to
employee you’d be looking to be an invaluable asset to make sure they’re working deal with anything that
taking on: your company. to the standards you comes their way.
expect.
n An experienced picture framer TRAINING • You get to train someone • They might be stuck in • You’ll have someone who
(Guild Certified Framer) AND ‘from fresh’ to your their ways, or you may can do more complicated
n A trainee picture framer DEVELOPMENT specification and with the have to ‘unteach’ any bad work across a variety of
n A specialist (Advanced latest Best Practice in mind. habits they’ve picked up different mediums.
Conservation, Mount Design and • You will at some point elsewhere. • However, it’s no good
Function, Textile Framing, etc.) need to help them through • You’ll still need to give hiring a textile specialist
their Guild Certified Framer them some time for their if what you really need
exam which is sometimes CPD, and perhaps some is someone to help you
Each has its pros and cons,
paid for by employers. specialised training to help with framing prints in the
and you should consider • You’ll have to give them them progress and let your Christmas rush.
carefully what would be the plenty of time to study for business grow. • Always check the candi-
most beneficial employee to their exams. date has the qualifications
add to the roster. to support their claims.
Join our co m
motivated frmam
WRITING A JOB ADVERT itted, professio
Having the number one job ing gallery as nal and highly
site for the picture framing team, or let us know it’s a You should be
able to carry ou a picture fram
off jobs daily t routine picture
, in a professio fra
er
ming and deliv
sector means that we’ve family run business. What are condition reports nal manner and er one-
seen a lot of job ads. Some of the chances of progressing? . You’ll be resp be able to write
and residential onsible for the clear, concise
customers in [ service of our co
them are excellent and help What personal qualities do For this role yo ______ ] areas. mmercial
candidates get excited about you and your company value? u will need to:
• Be qualified to
your position. We’ve also seen You can even spend a little GCF Level
• Have at least
two years’ fram
a couple of awful ones, with time telling us the story of your • Have a full cle ing experience
an driving licen
spelling mistakes and bad company – where you’ve come • Be friendly, wi ce
th a flexible, ca
formatting. Always proofread from and where you’re going. • Enjoy being pa n-do attitude
rt of a team, ye
your job ads. n All these things help a • Have good co t able to operate
mmunication sk on your own in
What we can gi ills, both verbal itiative
n There are loads of picture prospective employee start ve you: and written.
• Basic salary in
framing jobs out there. Job imagining themselves working region of £[ __
experience, plus ____ ] – £[ ____
hunters need to choose you with you. You won’t get a nasty commission __ ] depending
• Company vehi on
before you get to choose surprise when someone with cle
• Mobile phone
them. Pictured (right) is a an incompatible mindset • 20 days’ holid
ay, plus eight ba
good example of a job ad. It’s turns up at the job interview. • Ongoing train nk holidays
ing.
a good starting point – but n Don’t be afraid to stand If you’re interes
ted in being ch
before you copy it into your job out from the crowd – you can forward your CV allenged every
and covering let day with a varie
Application clo ter to [ ______ ty of jobs,
listing, think about adding the always relist the job with a ses [ __/___/__ ________ ].
].
personal touch. different description if it’s not
n Tell us a bit about your working.

34 January 2018 ART + FRAMING TODAY

 business

POSTING YOUR JOB

The benefit of posting to a
specialist job board is that you’re
already targeting the sort of
people you’re looking for – people
interested in the picture framing
sector. By posting to an industry
site like fineart.co.uk/classifieds
you’re instantly cutting out some
of the time wasters who haven’t
given the field a second thought
until now. You might be okay with
people applying who don’t know
their underpinner from their
mountcutter, but we think it’s
worth all your applicants being
aware of what picture framing
entails before they hit ‘apply’.
HOW IT WORKS
If you’re a member then it’s good
news – posting a basic job ad is
free for you. Email sales@fineart.
TOP INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND TESTS
n Check they can use basic equipment
n Get them to complete a condition report
n Ask them to give advice on some specific framing problems
n Ask them to organise a day’s work schedule
n Test their legal knowledge on health and safety duties and responsibilities
n Get them to look over your workshop and see what they can tell you about logistics,
storage, transporting framing, safety data sheets
Give them a score from 1 to 5 for each of the above tasks. While you’re talking, you
should also get an impression about their:
n Appearance, manner, self-confidence and speech
n Qualifications and experience
n Intelligence: ability to think things out, problem-solving, ability to absorb new
information and training
n Aptitudes: practical, intellectual, social, physically active (check hobbies and interests);
relevance to job
n Level of initiative, drive, persistence in overcoming problems, ability to plan, organise and achieve
n Personal aspirations
n Ability to get on and work with others: as a team member, customers and clients
n Ability to cope with change, stress and frustration
n Ability to carry responsibility

‘‘
n Maturity: realism of outlook and aims
co.uk and we’ll post your job online n Reliability: conscientiousness, integrity
(usually within 24 hours)

n Format your 30 FREE words carefully remarks or discriminatory

n Put an application deadline and
email address you check regularly
otherwise you won’t receive any
applications!
n Check nothing’s ending up in your
spam folder.
If you’re not a member, then you
need to contact sales@fineart.
co.uk to post a job and you will be
charged for it.
Hopefully, after a few weeks
of your advert being out and
about, you’ll have a nice pile of
applications.
WEEDING OUT APPLICANTS
Now it’s time to sift through the
applications and choose between
three and six people to invite to
interview (any more, and you’ll start
forgetting who’s who like a bad
murder mystery).
I have asked a former picture
framing business owner for some
ideas for questions and tests in an
interview situation.
SHORTLISTING AND INVITING
TO INTERVIEWS
Always make sure you only ask
questions relevant to the job.
For example, you cannot ask “Are
you from the UK?” or: “Is English
your first language?” Nor can you
ask if a person is married, their age,
questions about sick days taken,
or even if they have a criminal
record (nobody needs to disclose
TIP
For just 30p per word, add
information about your
company. We suggest you
Remember, complete this in detail. This is the
job sort of information a job hunter is
looking for when deciding what
interviews to apply for.
can be
horrible.
their spent convictions, and a
Make DBS check should be done before
sure that interviews, if required). These
everyone questions can all be considered
discriminatory. If they volunteer
who information themselves, that’s fine
leaves the – but don’t go fishing for answers to
personal questions.
interview Also, it’s worth mentioning
thinks well that there seems to be a bit of
of you craze where employers ask weird
interview questions – as if the
and your purpose of an interview was to take
company a person by surprise completely.
“Who is your favourite Disney
princess?” is not an appropriate
interview question.
By the end of the interview,
you’ll have scores from 1 to 5 for
each of your criteria. This should
help you decide who are your
best candidates.
Make notes as you’re going and
then flesh them out as soon as the
candidate leaves. An employment
tribunal may insist that an
employer discloses interview
documents, and so it is important
that there are no disparaging
comments on any of your notes.
Remember, job interviews can be
horrible. Make sure that everyone
who leaves the interview thinks well
of you and your company. If they
don’t get the job, they should feel
sorry, not resentful. Try to make
every interview a good experience.
There’s no need to burn a bridge.
Always get back to unsuccessful
candidates as soon as possible –
it’s only fair. Be prepared to give
constructive feedback if you’re
asked.
NEXT STEPS
Once your shortlist is down to
one, you’re ready to offer them the
job. We won’t go into too much
detail here about what you have
to do when employing someone
here. Instead, if you want to know
more about your responsibilities
after you’ve made the offer of
employment we highly recommend
going to ACAS.They’ve got pages
and templates on recruitment,
job descriptions, staff application
forms, the interview process,
references, and the induction
process, and it’s always up to date
with the latest legislation. Guild
members also have access to our
Legal Helpline.
This article was published in its original
form by the British Pest Control Association,
the leading trade association in the UK for
professional pest management services

ART + FRAMING TODAY January 2018 35

 art
A shaggy dog
success story
Loveable characters such as Toby the dog – along with his ability to tell an engaging
story in a single image – have won a fast-growing fan base for the fine art prints of
Stephen Hanson, which he publishes with his wife Lisa as In The Red Press
S
TEPHEN Hanson has been
a professional artist since
leaving Batley Art College in
1989. Over the past 30 years,
he has worked on many animation
programmes and feature films,
including Dangermouse, Count
Duckula, The BFG, Balto and Arthur
Christmas, as well as illustrating
numerous books such as Froobie
Pink and the Night Noises, Enid
Blyton’s Secret Seven and Nelly the
Monster Sitter.
He has now found a new
audience in galleries across the
country with his series of warm
and humorous dog paintings, Toby
and His Red Ball.
Five years ago, Stephen and his
wife Lisa set up their own limited
edition art publisher, In The Red
Press, and they now supply to over
30 independent galleries all over
the country. A big part of their
success, apart from the popularity
of Stephen’s paintings, is their
belief in quality and good service.
36 January 2018
“The main reason I wanted
to self-publish was to maintain
as much control over my work
as possible. A lot of time goes
into my paintings and I want the
reproduction as well as the quality
of the prints to be as good as they
can be,” says Stephen.
The philosophy of In The Red
Press is simple: to create, publish
and distribute high quality art to
equally passionate galleries and
their customers.
Lisa adds: “We like to be in
personal touch with our galleries
and Stephen is very particular about
inspecting and signing every single
print that goes out.”
Visitors to their website (www.
intheredpress.com) are greeted by
the friendly face of Toby, one of
Stephen’s dog characters. Is this
going to be a continuing theme for
their future releases? “Yes and no,”
says Stephen. “Dogs have been a big
part of my life since childhood and I
love them, but as an artist I have so
‘‘
many subjects I have been wanting
to explore, both with my digital
paintings and ink and watercolour
drawings, the plan for me is to
diversify in lots of directions.”
I think of What does the future hold for
Toby? “He is very close to our
my ink… hearts,” says Lisa, explaining:
work as “Toby was my dog when Stephen
and I met 19 years ago, and
being that is where the original idea
more like started. Because so many people
have responded warmly to
jazz, and him, he has now become our
flagship character.”
the digital Stephen adds: “Toby is one of
paintings those special characters that I keep
getting ideas for and so long as I
as more feel he has something more to say
akin to to his growing fans, I will continue
to draw and paint him.”
studio Toby’s popularity continues to
grow: a deal with The Great British
albums Card Company has taken him
into the greetings card industry
and he can now be found in
shops all over the world. The Toby
Sketchbook series was recognised
in 2017 industry awards, becoming
a finalist just six months
after publication.
Stephen explains why they chose
to call the business In the Red
Press: “As any freelance artist will
tell you, it’s either feast or famine.
When we decided to set up as
publishers, I didn’t want it to be
called Stephen Hanson Artist or
something along those lines. We
played around with a few ideas
and then stuck with In The Red
Left: Stephen Press; the ‘Press’ being the printing
and Lisa press and ‘In The Red’ because
Hanson, co- that’s exactly the financial position
founders of In
we were in at the time!”
The Red Press
ART + FRAMING TODAY
 art

He adds: “You can look at things

two ways. On the one hand, you
can see yourself as being in a bad
situation where you have nothing,
or you can think ‘hey, this is an
opportunity to build something
from nothing’. I can’t think of a
more worthwhile and exciting
venture than that.”

DIGITAL PAINTING
While Stephen started out working
in traditional media, he has moved
increasingly into what he calls
digital painting. He explains: “I
began exploring digital painting
over 20 years ago, when I was
working as a computer games
designer in Manchester. Things
were changing in the commercial
art world and it was a matter of
learning how to work digitally or
falling behind.
“My initial thoughts were to
reject this new medium. I had
been working with traditional
materials up to that point and was
holding to the theory that ‘if it isn’t
broken, why fix it?’. I think we are
all a little scared of change but, if
we don’t embrace new ideas, how
do we progress? I also think we
desire to see something we haven’t
seen before and this new medium
was offering just that.
“At the end of the day, I love
being creative and I constantly
switch between mediums. To use
a musical analogy, I think of my
ink and watercolour work as being
more like jazz, where everything is
intuitive and in the moment, and
the digital paintings as being more
akin to studio albums, where you
can tweak and refine things to the
last detail.”
“With a Wacom graphics tablet
and a software package called
Corel Painter (for which there are
loads of tutorials on YouTube), I
can draw and paint in a traditional Top: Hanson’s images of the hapless but loveable Toby manage to tell a story in each image. Above:
way but with the benefit of having > greetings cards from The Great British Card Company. Top left: the original Toby

ART + FRAMING TODAY January 2018 37

 art
an endless supply and variety of
art materials.
“Throughout my animation
career I have worked with many
companies all over the globe but
more often than not the work was
done in Yorkshire and I guess
that is the biggest benefit we all
recognise with computers – it’s
like having a virtual studio that is
connected to the rest of the world
via the internet.”
Stephen’s background in
38 January 2018
animation and illustration is Above left: Room designing characters to painting
evident in his paintings for Service, digital backgrounds, and especially
galleries. Does he see a connection airbrush with through working with story.
between the two? watercolour “In each of my Toby paintings
blenders, limited
“Oh for sure,” he says: “I would I want to tell a story and leave the
edition. Top right:
say I find it difficult to escape the Back on the Road
viewer with an emotion. I also want
influence. I have met and worked (detail). Above them to connect with the character
with some of the most talented right: Stephen and the world he lives in. Hopefully
people in the world and it is in working with his I achieve most of these things.
their company that I have striven Wacom digital If I do, it is thanks to what I have
to be the best I can be. Those years graphics tablet. learned from other artists who have
of experience had a big influence Below: character inspired me.”
on my visual development, from sketches www.intheredpress.com
ART + FRAMING TODAY
GUILD ARTISTS EXHIBITION Art and Framing Convention 2018

‘We Grow Together’ by Danielle D. winner of ‘Best in Show’ Award 2017

CALL FOR ENTRIES

Open to qualified members of the Guild Society of Artists & Fine Art Trade Guild Members

• Submit 3 original pieces of art Exhibition open to the public and all
artwork for sale
• Entry is £24 per artist
• FREE entry to ‘Best in Show’ Award PREVIEW: Sat 12th May
Crowne Plaza, Stratford-upon-Avon
• DEADLINE: 28th February 2018
EXHIBITION: May - June 2018
• Rules & Regulations apply The Guild Gallery, London SW18

www.fineart.co.uk/guild-artists-exhibition-2018.aspx
 art
Visions of Iran
London’s first exclusively Iranian art gallery is presenting modern
and contemporary Iranian art on its own terms, beyond the political
clamour, writes Silvia Dembner
I
N TODAY’S politically divisive
global climate, art galleries
seem increasingly important
agents for the bridging
of social, geographical and
cultural differences. Yet recent
conversations in the west about
modern and contemporary Iranian
art have been veiled in a pervading
Eurocentric rhetoric.
Largely symptomatic of political
hostility, orientalist ‘othering’
and Trump-triggered xenophobia,
discourses surrounding Persian/
Iranian art seem to have
been marginal – if not even
marginalising.
With the imminent arrival of
CAMA Gallery, London’s first
exclusively Iranian art gallery,
though, we witness the opening
of a new door.
Iran has long been heralded for
its pioneering role in the history
and development of civilization as
we know it. While an indisputable
site of artistic production and
innovation, Iran’s status as a cradle
of culture has, in past decades,
been eclipsed by overarching
political tensions regarding the
tumultuous atmosphere of the
Middle East. Especially pronounced
in the aftermath of the Islamic
Revolution of 1979, Iran and its
relationship with the West have
PHOTO: DAVID JENSEN
40 January 2018
been characterised by isolation.
Policies of economic seclusion
and strict sanctions have meant
that until recently, Iranian art was
largely insulated and inaccessible
to a western audience.
However, a recent proliferation of
global interest in and demand for
Iranian art, coupled with increased
accessibility, is heralding a new age
of cultural and artistic exchange.
The modern art movement in
Iran is commonly traced to the late
1940s and early 1950s, a period
politically marked by the abdication
of Reza Shah and increased contact
with the west. At the time, high art
favoured academic realism and
miniature painting, while popular
forms featured large-scale pieces of
religious or epic nature.
By the second half of the 20th
century, Iranian art had been
confronted with abstraction and
cubism and turned away from
traditional painting towards a
more progressive interrogation
of form, indigenous culture and
cosmopolitanism.
Hovering on the threshold of
the western art market, Iranian
art seemed to lie conceptually,
and physically, just beyond reach.
Often Iranian art was assumed
synonymous with Islamic art.
While creative output is
historically and currently
intertwined with religion, the
burgeoning Iranian art scene now
erupting on British soil conveys
the extensive breadth and variety
of contemporary Iranian artistic
production. Contemporary Iranian
art is far from conformist or
homogenised: a movement away
from traditionally inward-looking
Persian art, it is rather a pursuit
of global contemporaneity and
‘‘
cosmopolitanism. It is about a
desire to look outwards.
The explosion of global interest
in contemporary Iranian art is
generally traced to Christie’s
first auction of modern and
contemporary Middle Eastern
art in 2006. Since then, biannual
Iranian art sale weeks in Dubai have drawn in
is far from some of the most notable collectors
and institutions in and beyond
conformist the region. Worldwide interest in
Iranian art has since produced a
…it is about wealth of exhibitions. Christie’s
Middle Eastern art auctions in
a desire October 2017 totalled £10,023,000,
to look with the Middle Eastern modern
and contemporary art auction by
outwards itself responsible for an impressive
sum of £5,235,125.
Below: CAMA’s CAMA (Contemporary and
November 2017 Modern Art) present themselves as
launch at the international cultural ambassadors
Café Royal at the forefront of the contemporary
and modern Iranian art market.
CAMA is a culturally-driven and
rhetoric-focused endeavour. It
aims to shift the discourse away
from politics and establish an
updated vocabulary with which to
discuss the thriving and progressive
contemporary Iranian art scene.
By opening their London gallery,
they respond to international
demand by carving out a physical
and conceptual space for Iranian
art outside of Iran.
Following on the success of
their gallery in Tehran, CAMA
ART + FRAMING TODAY
 art

want to expand globally, looking Jafar Jafar

ahead to places such as Dubai Rouhbakhsh,
and Qatar. In the near future, they Untitled,
anticipate the establishment of the oil on canvas,
CAMA Foundation, a charitable 77x62cm
project looking to support Iran’s
burgeoning artistic community,
which they hope to have running in
2018. In the meantime, the online
CAMA magazine supports their
established and emerging artists by
providing insights on global market
trends and general expertise.

ACCESSIBILITY
Notable Iranian players in the art
world attended the CAMA Gallery
launch event at the Café Royal
in November 2017. The evening
marked the arrival of CAMA Gallery
to the capital, in anticipation of
the opening of the first Iranian art
gallery in London towards the end
of January 2018. The exhibition
featured acclaimed masters of
Iranian art, including forerunner
of the modern Iranian movement
Bahman Mohasses, prominent
exponent of contemporary Iranian
art and abstract expressionism
Manouchehr Yektai, and renowned
modern poet and painter Sohrab
Sepehri. While the event was
exclusive, the key issue at hand was
the new and increasing accessibility
of Iranian art in the international
art market.
With over 270 works by 80
Iranian artists, CAMA professes a Bita Vakili,
global and inclusive appreciation Mahi-o-
of art. While primarily focusing on Marjan (Fish
a majority of masters of Iranian art, and Coral),
they look to increasingly expose mixed media
more emerging artists. on canvas,
In the words of senior art adviser 100x100x-
Riley Frost: “Of course, we value 4.5cm
quality over quantity. But what we
aspire to is quantity of quality.”
An anthropologist by education,
Frost has been dealing art
since he was 16. He works in
close collaboration with Mona
Khoshegbal, curator of the CAMA
Gallery in Tehran. A painter,
children’s book illustrator, art
instructor, curator, gallery manager,
editor in chief at Rozane Honor
Visual Magazine and founder of
the Naghayesh Artistic Group,
Mona has had two solo and several
group exhibitions and has held
more than 100 exhibitions for
other artists. Through an extensive
network of connections in the
Iranian art world, spanning top
artists, galleries, museums and >

ART + FRAMING TODAY January 2018 41

 art
Nasrollah Afjehei, Untitled, acrylic on canvas, 110x110x2.5cm
universities, she helps the London
team to pursue the foremost artistic
production in Iran.
Among the artists in the CAMA
collection is Tehran-born painter
and graphic designer Behzad
Shishegaran. He has been featured
in a variety of Iranian and foreign
publications, has held 11 solo
exhibitions and has participated
in more than 90 group exhibitions,
both in his native country and
abroad. He is also the author of
the book One Hundred Portraits of
Takhti, The Champion (1975). His
art interrogates the role and legacy
of ancient myths in contemporary
Iranian culture.
Another artist in the exhibition,
Ali Nedaei, revisits classical themes
in modern and dynamic ways. In
his last exhibition, in 2016, all 23 of
his works were sold.
Transparency and authenticity
are key to CAMA’s endeavour.
All artworks on the site are listed
and priced.
The gallery’s partnership
with the Guild testifies to their
commitment, says Riley: “The Guild
is synonymous with respectability
and age-old association with
authenticity in the art world. If we
are to do these artists justice, we
must turn to the Guild”.
CAMA’s Guild membership
42 January 2018
means original artworks can be
recognised internationally. Each
piece is attributed an Original Art
Register (OAR) number, providing
proof of origination that protects
from copyright theft. The Guild,
in other words, provides a secure
registration service and protection
for the intellectual property rights
of the artworks.
What makes CAMA particularly
interesting is that is essentially
a network of people, art and
cultures. By nature, in aim and
in practice, CAMA is all about
creating personal, sustainable
and far-reaching connections
between cultures through art.
Whether through old friendships,
newer business relations and even
emotional ties (Riley traces his
infatuation with Iranian art to his
Persian high school sweetheart),
CAMA has, over the past few
decades, pursued and consolidated
an extensive and solid community
bridging these two far, yet
interconnected worlds.
In a thriving contemporary
Iranian art market capable of
transcending spatial and national
boundaries, CAMA is determined
to lead the way.
CAMA Gallery, 110 Bishopsgate,
Heron Tower, London EC2N 4AY
en.camagallery.com
James Stock
W
ITH THE launch of the
Guild Society of Artists
in September I had the
opportunity to meet
a number of our artist members.
Interestingly, they were mainly focused
on talking about business issues, rather
than painting techniques. With this in
mind, I recall below some of the topics
that arose in my discussions concerning
artists’ materials:
HOL(E)Y CANVAS
Not a Christmas item, but artist canvas
with pin holes, due to insufficient
primer. Most canvases today are acrylic
primed to suit both acrylic and oil
Reassurance with triple primed canvas
paint. Often, they are double primed to
ensure there are no pin holes, but even
so these holes can appear. The issue
can be overcome by applying further
primer, but that is a chore and why
should a defective product be rectified
by the purchaser?
Pin holes can wreck a ‘completed’
canvas over time and this is especially
the case should oil paint seep through
a hole and reach the raw cotton or linen
structure from the back
The answer to this is simple. Hold
your canvas up to the light when
the purchase is made and check
for pin holes.
ART + FRAMING TODAY

Reflections of an Artists’ Colourman
FREEZING PAINT
Many artists have a studio which is
outdoors. Indeed, some resellers have
stock rooms which are not frost free. If
paints, inks, mediums etc are subjected
to freezing conditions, it is likely that
the material will be ruined.
Water based, low viscosity paints
are particularly prone to this hazard.
You can often tell if a paint has been
damaged because it separates. The
condition is termed syneresis (it is not
a disease!) and no amount of shaking
the bottle will recover the paint to a
usable condition.
The answer is to bring your paints
etc. indoors or set up a frost stat heater
in your outdoor studio to protect your
precious paints in the winter months.
PAINT SEPARATION
When squeezing a viscous paint on
to a palette it is very annoying to see
medium (acrylic resin or linseed oil)
flowing out first followed by a lump
of thick paint pigment, fillers or
stabilisers. Maybe you can correct it by
mixing the two with a palette knife, but
This is what squeezed paint should look like
can you be sure you have done the job
properly? If not, you will as likely as not
end up with cracking when the paint
has dried on the substrate, because the
drying rate will not necessarily be the
same as adjacent or underlying paint
and adhesion will be compromised.
This separation is usually caused by
air trapped in the tube during filling
and manifests itself by leakage of the
medium, eg linseed oil, out of the crimp
or cap. Modern production techniques
have reduced these risks significantly.
An artist experiencing these faults
should take a note of the batch code on
the crimp, in the case of tube packaging,
ART + FRAMING TODAY
art talk
and report it up the supply chain for remove the caps to inspect the brush at
remedy. This is where buying a brand of POS and do not replace them properly,
repute pays. with the result, that one or more hairs/
filaments are broken or bent without
WHAT WEDGES? any possibility of correcting the fault.
Some years ago, I was at an art materials If in doubt ask your reseller to allow
convention in Chicago, USA and I you to test your purchase in a glass of
signed myself up for some of their water or under a magnifying glass. I
excellent seminars. One was on how make 1/64th scale model ships and
to stretch canvas on a frame. Well I always check when buying relatively
thought I knew this subject pretty inexpensive 00000 size spotting
well, but what I overlooked was the brushes. Now we know why a top
importance of adjusting those little Kolinsky sable size 14 is individually
wedges in each corner of the stretcher. boxed and retails at £250.
This should be an annual event and
perhaps done at the same time as the NO SUCH THING AS PERMANENT
smoke alarm check. When comparing paint brands, you
The reason is obvious: humidity and will notice that the better ones get a
temperature in domestic homes vary ‘star’ rating by the manufacturer. Its
throughout the year and movement purpose is to show that within a range
takes place. Allowing a canvas to sag will of colours which ones are more fugitive,
cause fracture of the paint coating and or permanent, compared to others. It is
an expensive restoration job is in the a guide and each firm creates their own
offing. So, artists and gallery owners, – it is not an international standard like
make sure your clients know about this. the Blue Wool Scale. Therefore, a three-
They can get the ostrich feather star rating by one artist oil brand does
duster out at the same time and give the not mean it is inferior to another which
whole assembly a treat and, you never is four-star.
IMAGES COURTESY OF DALER-ROWNEY
Brush protection tubes removed at POS Three-star permanence on this Pyrrole Red
know, prevent that hibernating spider In fact, there may be characteristics
making an appearance and setting the in the former product, such as opacity,
burglar alarm off! tinting strength and viscosity etc, that
are more important to you – and you
BRUSH CAPS – WHAT A FIDDLE should buy it.
When in the art store one invariably When the words ‘very permanent’ or
sees paint brushes with plastic tubes ‘maximum lightfastness’ are used, it
attached to the ‘business end’, although does not mean the colour is absolutely
less so nowadays as some are carded lightfast – so still hang the picture
and others simply placed in the away from a strong light source,
merchandising unit without caps. These irrespective of the media or substrate
protectors, carefully applied by the that has been used.
manufacturers, are intended to keep
the brushes in good condition during James Stock, Director, Guild Treasurer,
transit to the retailer. Formerly director of Daler-Rowney and
The danger arises when consumers managing director of GreatArt
January 2018 43
 news
Contributions welcome!
Send them to
lynn@fineart.co.uk

Your Guild Society of Artists benefits

Artist Karen Hollis, chair of the Guild's Fine Art Committee, highlights
new benefits and services created for the Guild Society of Artists

W E ARE now three months into the

life of the Guild Society of Artists
and it has been a real pleasure to
be involved in the process of creating this
new society.
With so many benefits available we
have discovered that a lot of artists are
not aware of how the services can help
their business, so I’ve taken some time to
highlight what the benefits are and how
they can be accessed.
Through the post, members will receive
a welcome pack in which they will find
a VAP 15% discount card from GreatArt
along with other documentation about the
Society, including a list of all the benefits,
along with how to apply for a qualification.
Here we detail new benefits created
for the GSA; don’t forget that the website,
www.fineart.co.uk/gsa.aspx, is also
a great source of information. Please
note different benefits are applicable to
different membership levels, and all Level
4 members can still access all the same
benefits available as Guild Artist members.
To access a lot of these benefits you
need to log in to the Guild website.
For level 1 and 2 members you need to
register. When registering please select
‘GSA Member - Level 1 or Level 2’ in the
‘How did you hear about us’ box.
Level 3 and 4 members should already
have created logins.
Fine Art Framing
The Fine Art Trade Guild is the leading
body in framing standards and
qualifications and has framing members
around the country that can service all of
your framing needs. They can provide you
with advice on all areas of composition
and framing for your finished artwork, up
to full conservation standard, to provide
the best finished product for your clients.
We have created a contact list of all
Fine Art Trade Guild Framer Members to
make it easy to find a qualified framer near
you. They are listed by county to make
your search easier and the links should
take you straight to the relevant website or
email address.
Fine Art Printing
We also have a list of our printer members
who can provide you with high quality Fine
Art prints and are also on hand to give you
advice on ArtSure and how it can benefit
your business.
You can download both lists from the GSA
site at www.fineart.co.uk/gsa.aspx
Artists Business Helpline and Forum
The Guild Society of Artists was created
to help artists specifically in areas of
business. As a part of the Fine Art Trade
Guild we have a lot of knowledge at our
fingertips and as a benefit to our members
we hope to share that knowledge with
you. If you have a business question
please email gsa@fineart.co.uk or login
and visit the forum on the GSA site.
Publications – GSA Newsletter
The GSA will also be publishing a quarterly
newsletter in December, March, June and
September. In it we will highlight the ways
in which you can benefit from being a
member from how to gain a Qualification
to news about our Annual Exhibition. We
will be continually looking for better offers
for our artists and using the newsletter to
update you so you don’t miss out.
‘‘
The GreatArt Very Artistic
Person card offers 15%
discount to GSA members
Qualifications
If you have GSA membership at Level
2 and above but do not already hold a
qualification we would like to invite you
to submit six digital images to apply for
your first level of GSA Qualification (refer
to the ‘GSA Member Qualifications’ sheet
in your welcome pack). Acceptance by
the Fine Art Committee would enable
you to qualify as an Associate and use the
GSA logo and the letters AGSA after your
name. Currently we are accepting emailed
submissions.
Please send six images at 72dpi, 1000
pixels at widest dimension, along with
an Artist's statement containing contact
details, social media and websites links,
where we may see more of your work, to
GSA@fineart.co.uk.
n As a final note, we would like to
recommend the book The Artist’s Guide
to Selling Work by Annabelle Ruston. It is
available from the Guild’s online shop and
at a discounted £11.00 for Level 3 and 4
members, it’s a must-read for all aspiring
professional artists.
If you would like more information or to
comment on anything you have read here
please email gsa@fineart.co.uk

44 January 2018 ART + FRAMING TODAY


My technique Gordon King
Holder of a place in the Guild Hall of Fame and with over 50 years’ experience as a
professional artist, Gordon King lets us in on his shimmering watercolour style
Ascot People
AS A YOUNG freelance
illustrator in the early 1960s
I was painting figurative
subjects for magazines,
romantic fiction and
advertising in watercolours,
acrylics and oils. Then in the
mid 1970s I concentrated
more on the fine art world
painting mostly in oils on
canvas which was proving
successful. I was showing at
the RA Summer Exhibition
and selling all over Europe
through the dealer Michael
Stewart. One of my popular
subjects was girls with
flowers. I had ready models
with my daughter and her
friends, who would dress up
with an Edwardian look in
hats and shawls.
However, by the start of
the eighties I began painting
more in watercolours. I loved
the directness and fluidity of
the medium.
One Sunday morning my
son’s girlfriend Nicki and
her friend came to model
for me and they looked so
lovely in their Laura Ashley
dresses that I made an instant
decision not to dress them
up any more. I would paint
them just as they were. The
paintings worked so well
especially in watercolour
and there seemed to be a
real trend at the time for
work under glass, with swept
frames and line wash mounts.
The publishers, Solomon
ART + FRAMING TODAY
& Whitehead, purchased a
batch of these watercolours
and published an open print
called My Fair Lady, which
soon became a top 10 print
and sold well for the next two
decades. I was their guest at
the Guild Awards in Coventry
with other artists including
the late David Shepherd.
I exhibited at the Royal
Watercolour Society and the
Sunday Times Watercolour
Competition and had many
one-man shows in the UK. I
also exhibited regularly with
the Halcyon Gallery, and
Washington Green took over
the publication of most of my
limited edition prints.
I enjoyed the discipline of
watercolour technique: no
pencil line or white paint.
The paper is very important
and I use a heavy 300 lb
rough paper which requires
no stretching and is robust
enough for sponging and
washing out.
I work from imagination,
drawings, photos and direct
from the subject, such as
when I have painted portraits
of well-known personalities
on cruise ships, on television,
for demonstrations and
charity projects.
My basic colours are
Naples Yellow, Cadmium
Red, Cobalt Blue and Burnt
Sienna, with a back-up of
a full range of colours on
my palette. I may start the
Champagne and Silk. Below: Vintage Chords
painting by lightly sketching
out the composition with a
2H pencil, in which case I
mix a pale colour (using my
basic colours) for painting
over it, so that, when dry,
I can erase the pencil,
leaving a wash drawing on
the paper. Alternatively, if I
am working directly on the
paper with watercolour, I use
the same pale colour for the
preliminary work, which I
refer to as under-painting.
Then I can start putting
in my first washes. If I am
going to use masking fluid
to preserve my whites, this
is the time to do it – I use
it sparingly and only when
it is essential. I work fast
and slow, wet on wet, with
lots of water. This is the
stage that gives the painting
its distinctive look and its
art talk
freedom: dark to light, light to
dark, giving a feeling of depth
in the composition.
The painting is now taking
shape and when it dries I can
remove the masking fluid, at
which point the whites are
likely to be really prominent
so I will probably want to
soften the edges around it.
I will then concentrate on
putting more modelling into
the detail of the faces and
flesh tones, keeping the brush
strokes fluid all the time
and blending the colours
sufficiently to give form to the
folds in clothes and drapes.
At the final stage the
emphasis is on the features
in the face, creating a sparkle
in the eyes, a mouth that
moves, hair that flows, whilst
keeping the brush strokes
moving throughout. At this
point I will use darker tones
for the final touches and then
look over the finished piece
in the mount, checking that it
has a good sense of balance.
I always like to think that if I
flick my fingers, the painting
will come to life.
When I am happy with the
work, all I have to do is add
my signature, usually in the
bottom right hand corner,
which I tend to do with a bit
of a flourish and, as my artist
friend once said: “Not sure
about your painting, Gordon,
but I do like your signature!”
www.gordonking.co.uk
January 2018 45
framing

All lit up
Following on from the article ‘Frames that truly shine’ in our August 2017 edition,
Christopher Orme GCF(APF) describes framing a Queen’s Award for Enterprise
and a related collection of memorabilia using LED back-lit frames

I
WAS ASKED by a customer to
frame their newly received
Queen’s Award for Enterprise.
The Queen’s Award certificate
was to be framed separately,
and I was also given a collection
of invites and envelopes, table
names, list of royalty attending
and photos from the customer’s
visit to Buckingham Palace to
collage together in another frame.
The customer already had a
back-lit LED frame that I made
for them to display a large pop
art canvas painting, so they had
a good idea of what they wanted.
This was installed by me with
help from my electrician, who
wired it into their wall lighting
ring circuit. The difference this
Below left: time however was the back lit
Queen’s Award LEDs would have a plug for the
for Enterprise wall socket. They had a builder
certificate in its ‘chase’ the wire in the wall that
back-lit frame was then filled and made good
Below right: and the plug was hidden behind
Chris and Vlasta a sideboard. Both frames have
Orme’s own pride of place in their boardroom.
Art & Framing They asked for all the items
Industry Award to be float mounted and due
on proud to their request for coloured
display in their mountboard I was unable to
store window frame to Conservation level.
Otherwise, Museum level would
have been applied.
The arrangement of the items
for the collage frame had been
decided and in this case I was
presented with a printed colour
design of where to place them and
what colour mountboard to use.
The design was very accurate and
saved me some time. Using 2.7
micron cotton museum board to
float mount and cotton museum
gummed tape to hinge with,
each piece had Evacon-R applied
to the back of the cotton board
and this was then glued to the
back mount that had a hidden
aperture cut and tapped back in
place. This means the frame can
be disassembled and that each
float mount can be removed from
the mount package to gain access
to the hinges, making it fully
reversible (a technique I learnt
from an article in Art + Framing
Today). The double mount was cut
on a manual mountcutter and the

46 January 2018 ART + FRAMING TODAY


MATERIALS
The materials used for the Queens
Award for Enterprise frames are:
n LE Flexible LED Light Strips
Kit, 300 Units SMD 3528 LEDs
Warm Light, 5 metre 12volt DC
Non-waterproof (available from
Amazon).
n Colourmount 343 Oxford Blue,
375 Soft White, 328 Granite and
202 Bright White mountboard.
n Lion L1532 Mono Matt
Black Frame.
n Tru Vue UV70 Glass from
Wessex Pictures.
pencil lines rubbed off the back of
the mount before final assembly.
A spacer of the same thickness
as the float mounts was used behind
the second mount, so the items
didn’t touch the glass. The LEDs
are stuck to a small square wooden
baton glued and pinned to the back
of the frame. The trick is to line
up the beginning and end so that
the lights are evenly spaced. That
way when they shine on the wall
behind the frame they illuminate
the wall in a continuous order. A
good reason to have the LEDs on
the back of the frame is that they
don’t affect the micro environment
within the frame and although
they only produce a little heat, this
ART + FRAMING TODAY
again is not within the frame.
E. Anthony Orme Gallery won
the Best Art Business Website
category at the Art and Framing
awards ceremony in Stratford
upon Avon in 2017. I have framed
our hand made glass award using
LED lights and it is hung in our
gallery window. Shining on to
the street, it catches people’s
attention, especially during
winter’s darker evenings.
If you are wondering where to
start with frames that use LED
light strips, then creating your
own window display is a great
place to begin.
Chris Orme GCF(APF)
www.eanthonyorme.com
framing
PROFESSIONAL
ADVICE ON
WORKING WITH
LED LIGHTS
Electrician Peter
Heywood shares
advice and
recommendations
n Use 12 volt LED light strips
rather than 24 volt.
n There are two types of
drivers available, wire in
and plug in.
n LED light strips can be cut
to length at marked points
along the strip.
n There are two types of
light – RGBs that change
colour, and white LEDs that
are based on the Kelvin
temperature scale.
n The number of LEDs per
metre and size of each
LED will determine the
brightness.
n Never connect a 12v or
24v LED light strip directly
to the mains supply – it
won’t end well and it may
well hurt.
Read the August 2017 issue
of AFT for the full review and
specifications.
Guild members can
download the article here:
www.fineart.co.uk/aft_best_
articles.aspx
Pictured top left: the framed
collection of memorabilia from
the client’s special day makes a
striking display in the company’s
boardroom
Above left: LED lighting strips
illuminate a Pop Art canvas to
great effect
Photography by Vlasta Orme
Photographic Studios
January 2018 47
 55 itiioon
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framing

GCF exam update:

what has changed and
what remains the same
Steven McKee GCF(APF) Adv talks us through how the exam
works and what to expect when you arrive at the Guild’s
London test centre, hosted by D&J Simons

W
HEN YOU have
decided to take your
GCF examination
and you walk into the
workshop/machinery showroom
in D&J Simons, London, you are
met by Joe Adepoju, the machinery
sales manager, and with an
array of machinery, including
foot operated to computerised
underpinners from Cassese
and Alfamacchine, Morso and
Morso 100+ guillotines, Keencut
Ultimat Futura, Fletcher 2200

and Valiani Astra hand operated
mountcutters, a Valiani pneumatic
mountcutter and at least two
Valiani computerised mount
cutters. There is also a vast array of
hand tools, tapes and adhesives,
rules, pliers, staple guns, knives
and other kit to choose from.
The candidate should also
bring with them their ruling
pen and inks, rule, cotton thread
and needles, and any other
favourite tool they may wish to use.
Candidates have even been known
bring their own mountcutter.
The main thing that the
examiner will do is make the
candidate feel at ease, offer a cup
of tea/coffee, have a chat about
anything else rather than go
straight into ‘exam mode’. You
will be asked which machinery you
wish to use, told that it has been
calibrated and you are allowed to
have a practice on all machinery
before the exam starts, and
recalibrate any machine you wish.
A note on that: the examiner will
have calibrated the mountcutters,
and should give the candidate a
choice; either use the examiner’s
‘‘
calibration and be afforded a little
leeway with under and overcuts,
or recalibrate the cutter and be
afforded no leeway at all. Most,
if not all, candidates choose to
You’ll be use the examiner’s calibration.
Please note that calibration of any
made to equipment is not a requirement
feel at for the exam, but obviously anyone
taking the GCF examination
ease and should by now know how to
calibrate their own machinery.
may even The examination has changed
be offered over the past couple of years
so that it is keeping up with
a cup of trends, machinery development,
coffee and materials that constantly
evolve. The main change is
that the qualification is now
Guild Certified Framer, and a
successful candidate will earn
the designation GCF(APF).
This identifies the GCF as an
Accredited Professional Framer.
There is also the introduction
of Continuing Professional
Pictured above Development (CPD). The
(right): certification will last for a period
Steven McKee of two years, after which the
GCF(APF) Adv framer will be re-certified if they
have completed the required CPD
and have remained a member
of the Guild. To satisfactorily
complete CPD, framers will be
required to gain 20 credits in the
two year period (with a maximum
of 10 credits at any one event).
These credits will be achievable by
various means, such as attending
qualifying events, seminars and
workshops, Read, Reflect and
Learn articles, as well as allocated
credits in AFT (Art + Framing
Today) magazine articles, among
other methods of gaining CPD
points. More information can
be found on the ‘CPD Forum’ –
through ‘Quick Links’ on the Guild
website homepage, and more
details about the exam can be
found at www.fineart.co.uk/stqs/
GCF_About_the_Exam.aspx.
THE EXAM
The examination starts by
examining the three pieces that
are presented for inspection (see
panel, above). After the three
pieces have been inspected,
the candidate may have a

50 January 2018 ART + FRAMING TODAY

 framing

PRESENTATION PIECES
1 One framed and glazed item of decorative fabric
stretched over a support board and securely
attached, framed to Commended Level and mounted
as required, featuring one V-groove around the
windowmount aperture 15mm (+/- 0.5mm) away from
the top of the bevel cut edge. During the inspection
of this piece, the candidate will be asked some verbal
questions on fabric framing and the answers noted by
the examiner.
the top of the bevel edge cut. Lines must be executed
using a traditional ruling pen (bow pen). Use of metallic
and felt-tip pens is not acceptable for the exam. The
frame must be wooden and be between 40mm and
70mm in width (measured from sight edge to back of
moulding) and must have a scoop profile. During the
inspection of this piece, the candidate will be asked
some verbal questions on Conservation framing and
the answers noted by the examiner. The specifications
of this piece have been set by the Framing Standards

2 One canvas with a painted or printed image

stretched over timber stretcher bars by the candidate
and framed.
and Qualifications Committee to ensure that all
examiners are examining the exact same dimensions
and to the same standard, the only difference should
be the mount colour and moulding chosen by

3 One print on paper of a set image to be

downloaded from the Guild website, framed to
Conservation Level with a double mount, an aperture
individual candidates.

Pieces No1 and No3 will be taken apart by the examiner

of 200x287mm, a border of 90x90x90x105mm featuring so that they can check inside the framing package to
a set of two ruled lines, spaced 10mm (+/- 0.5mm) ensure that all materials and techniques conform to the
apart, the first line starting 15mm (+/- 0.5mm) away from standard required.

All candidates must

frame the same
print with double
windowmount and
wooden scooped
style moulding

‘‘
five-minute break before the
practical elements are taken.
This has always been a difficult
section for the examiner as
most of the practicals available
have already been performed
by the candidate in their
three presented pieces, so the
examiner has to choose which
elements they feel have to be
performed ‘live’. The practical
elements range from a double
mount, a mount with ruled
lines or a V-groove, a mount
with a deeper bottom border,
undermount and T-hinging,
cutting and pinning a frame,
glass and backing board,
stretching a canvas, stretching
and attaching a piece of fabric
art onto a support board and a
multi-aperture mount for three
photographs.
The examiner, at their
discretion, can bypass the
practical side of the exam
and complete a viva voce
(verbal examination) with
the candidate. There are 3
discussion pieces where the
ART + FRAMING TODAY
candidate must fully answer
about different types of artwork,
its condition, and report on how
to deal with any defects, such as
mount, hinge or frame.
The
candidate MULTIPLE CHOICE
The last piece of the examination
must fully is the multiple choice section;
the 120 practice questions
answer for this section of the exam
about are available for members to
download at www.fineart.co.uk/
different stqs/GCF_About_the_Exam.aspx.
types of The candidate will be given
an envelope with the paper
artwork, inside; they have 30 minutes to
answer the 35 questions and
its hand it back to the examiner. In
condition the past, the finished paper was
handed back to the examiner in
and a sealed envelope and was then
sent back to the Guild office
report for marking and the candidate
on how would be informed of the result,
usually within 14 to 21 days. The
to deal biggest change to the exam is
with any that the examiner can now mark
the multi-choice paper and then,
defects taking into consideration the
marks accumulated from the
inspection of the three pieces
and the practical, can now
inform the candidate whether
they have passed or failed.
Obviously the formal letter of
pass/fail will come from Moira
Sanders (GCF Programme
Manager) in the Guild office.
The main reason for this
new aspect of the exam is
that the examiner can show
an unsuccessful candidate
where they have gone wrong
and explain how to rectify the
problem. If the candidate were
to have to wait 14 days or more
and then be told they have
failed, they may not know where
or how. Since this change, all
candidates have liked the new
procedure as it saves stress
awaiting the result.
When you are ready to book
your exam, contact the Guild
office on +44 (0)20 7381 6616 or
email moira@fineart.co.uk. There
is a full list of GCF Test centres
and their equipment at fineart.
co.uk/gcf-test-centres.aspx. >
January 2018 51
 framing
Candidate Peter Harris GCF(APF)
looking chilled at D&J Simons
during his exam – congratulations!
What are the options for legacy
Guild Commended Framers?
If you are a Guild Commended
Framer, now is the time to
consider switching from
Guild Commended Framer to
GCF(APF) and begin collecting
CPD points. This will keep you
up to date with the continuous
changes within our industry and
also keep your qualification fresh
and up to date.
Keeping up to date will not
only enhance your customers’
confidence in your abilities
– it will boost your own
confidence too.
Switching over is easy – just
contact Moira at the Guild office
and she will help you.
Arqadia Scholarships
Don’t forget about the
possibility of having your
exam paid for... Arqadia have
very kindly agreed to partner
the Fine Art Trade Guild with
the Arqadia Scholarship,
which supports candidates
for the GCF qualification and
their subsequent CPD. Every
year there are two rounds of
applications for the scholarship,
normally March/April and
September/October. More details
can be found at www.fineart.
co.uk/arqadia-scholarship.aspx.
Steven McKee GCF(APF) Adv
Down School of Picture Framing
52 January 2018
Roll up! Roll up! Collect your CPD points here!
Here’s how to get involved
C
ONTINUING PROFESSIONAL Development (CPD) is at the heart of the Guild’s
education and development for framers. Passing the GCF(APF) examination
is an undoubted achievement, but rather than being the end of the learning
curve, it’s a bold first step down the road of involvement with the Guild and
personal development.
Despite what some might say, ours is a dynamic industry. Changes are happening
all the time: as science and technology influence more of what we do, it’s only right
that we keep abreast of these changes. Our customers are becoming more informed,
therefore we should too. The two yearly re-certification process with the issue of a
new certificate on completion is testament to your commitment to develop both
your skills and your knowledge. There’s always something new to learn, and there’s
always a need to revise and remind ourselves of things we may have forgotten.
CPD and the points attached for either verified or self-led learning is a simple
way to keep track of what we are doing to maintain our development. There are a
number of ways that these points can be gained – and it’s not just by reading CPD
supported articles in AFT. Other ways of gaining CPD points include:
n Attending supported trade events
n Attending Guild Branch Meetings and educational workshops held there
n Attending supported independent educational workshops
n Providing education and training
n Giving lectures or demonstrations to local clubs/associations
n NEW IN 2018 is the Guild’s Framing Videos webpage. FSQC Chair Mal Reynolds has
generously allowed his videos to be available at www.fineart.co.uk/framing-videos-
cpd.aspx. Self-led CPD points are allocated for viewing and we’re working on WRL
(Watch, Reflect and Learn) questionnaires to convert those points to Verified.
The list goes on, and if you are in doubt about how many CPD points are available
for either attending or holding any of the above, just pick up the phone to the Chair
or the Vice Chair of the Framing Standards and Qualifications committee, or send an
email and ask.
The same would apply if you think CPD credits should be applied to something
else you are doing that might not fall into one of the above categories. Pick up the
phone, or email and ask!
Branch Masters and Regional Organisers: Don’t forget to help your attendees
collect their points. All regional events will attract CPD in one form or another. Speak
to the FSQC Chair or Vice Chair well in advance, and detail what’s going on at your
event. He’ll quite happily get back to you with an allocation of CPD points. Notified
well in advance, CPD points will make it more attractive and worthwhile for your
framer members to attend.
Mal Reynolds GCF(APF) Adv is chair of the FSQC. He can be contacted on:
07801 847571 or by email: mal@harlequin-frames.co.uk
Steven McKee GCF(APF) Adv. is Vice Chair of FSQC. He can be contacted on:
028 9269 3807 or by email: stevemckeegcfadv@aol.com
ART + FRAMING TODAY
 n 450 exhibitors
n 16,600m2 exhibition space
n 8,500 estimated visitors
n 89% of which are decision-makers

Spotlight

n Frame Art Lecture (Training)

Retiring from n AFA Gold Frame Awards
n Art and Licensed Reprography Pavilion

the industry but n Frame Art business communication

not ready to
leave the Guild?

Why not become a Friend of the Guild?

Becoming a Friend of the Guild keeps you in touch
with what’s going on in the industry; it also helps Web: www.afaexpo.com
supports the development of new programmes Facebook: afaexpocn
that benefit everyone in art and framing.
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 news
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READ, REFLECT AND LEARN
Cut through the confusion on
Conservation mountboard
When choosing mountboards, be aware that misleading descriptions can easily lead
to buying the wrong product for the job. Mal Reynolds GCF(APF) Adv spells it out
AS PART of Guild Certified
Framing training, and
preparation for the GCF
examination, candidates
should have a basic knowledge
of the Guild’s Mountboard
Standards, the three
categories, and to some extent
board specifications. However,
with suppliers continuing
to rely on the internet to
advertise their products,
some descriptions leave a lot
to be desired.
It is easy for a supplier to
make a mistake, especially
when they have little or, in
some cases, no knowledge
of the Guild’s Mountboard
Standards and attempt to put
a gloss on what may be an
otherwise inferior product.
Recently I was advised of a
couple of examples taken from
suppliers, websites/catalogues.
These were misleading and the
specifications did not reflect
those of the Mountboard
Standards. Both descriptions
left much to be desired,
they were confusing and it
could be considered that the
supplier’s intent was to pass
Standard quality board off as
something it wasn’t.
I would like to remind
readers that Guild Standards
specify three categories
of board:
n Museum
n Conservation
n Standard.
Each of these has very
different properties.
‘Whitecore’ does not feature
and as far as the Framing
Standards and Qualifications
Committee (FSQC) are
concerned, it is a Standard
quality board. The implication
that any category of board is
classed with a whitecore is
not correct.
Conservation boards have
ART + FRAMING TODAY
a core which is 84% alpha
cellulose, they must not
contain post consumer waste
and no Optical Brightening
Agents (OBAs), which in
some cases are added by
manufacturers. Additives
such as fillers, sizing and
colour are strictly controlled
and the board’s lignin
content is less than 0.65% .
Hence, in simplistic terms
the alpha cellulose core will
remain white.
Turning to a statement
such as ‘Conservation backed
white core’, what advantage
does this offer? The answer,
in my opinion, is absolutely
nothing. Standard board has
a core which is essentially
wood pulp; it may contain
both pre/post consumer waste
and there are no restrictions
on additives with respect
to fillers, sizing and colour.
There is no limit to the core’s
lignin content, hence one
might expect the core to turn
brown over time. Essentially,
such a ‘Conservation backed
whitecore’ board provides no
protection from the normal
degradation factors associated
with Standard board.
A note of caution: if asked to
frame artwork to Conservation
standards these boards do
not meet that standard and
leave the artwork vulnerable
to a number of deterioration
factors that will, undoubtably,
damage the artwork. This
may leave the framer open
to criticism and possible
litigation, the fault of which
may not totally lie at the door
of the framer, but I might
argue that the supplier would
not accept any responsibility
for misleading descriptions
on their website or catalogue.
Furthermore, any GCF
examination candidate
submitting work using such Guild office or use the Guild’s
boards would fail and it is FrameTalk forum.
our intention to instruct
examiners to ask candidates Mal Reynolds GCF(APF) Adv is
the make and supplier of any the owner of Harlequin Frames
mountboards used. and chair of the Guild’s Framing
It is the responsibility of the Standards and Qualifications
FSQC to highlight such cases Committee
and while there is very little mal@harlequin-frames.co.uk
the Guild can do other than
ask the suppliers to remove Note: There are no questions
inaccurate descriptions/ to accompany this RRL.
information, should members
have questions relating to
such products or find such
discrepancies then please
contact the FSQC through the
The Guild’s GCF Programme Manager Moira Sanders explains how
a lack of awareness about ‘whitecore’ wasted one artist’s money
Recently I received a surprise the suppliers’ own-brand
package in the Guild’s post bag. value ‘whitecore’, expecting
Inside was a plea for help from the same performance. But
an artist complaining about what he got was Standard
mountboard he had bought mountboard, stuffed with
from a leading art supplier lignins, bleach and OBAs... and
(neither are members). known as whitecore in some
In the five years since he markets. So buyer beware:
bought the board both the not all ‘whitecore’ boards are
surface and bevels went horribly created equal.
yellow and he hoped we could
do something.
On closer investigation it
turned out he had been buying
‘whitecore’ mountboard made
by a Guild member (which
we happen to know had a
Conservation core and back but
not facing paper). For reasons
of economy he switched to
January 2018 55
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erms
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Lion presents museum
with art hanging solution
Lion Picture Framing Supplies recently donated and installed a new Art Hanging
System at Birmingham’s Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, enabling the museum to
stage professional exhibitions with minimal cost and effort, writes Sarah Coussens
LION Picture Framing Supplies
Ltd has recently donated one
of its Art Hanging Systems to
Birmingham’s Museum of the
Jewellery Quarter.
Lion helped the museum
to create a flexible exhibition
space for its recent IGers
Birmingham: Best of
Birmingham exhibition.
The donation will also save
MJQ time and money on future
exhibition projects.
PHOTO CONTEST
In October 2017, Birmingham
Museums Trust teamed
up with IGers Birmingham
and BrumPic to launch a
photography competition to
find the best photographs of
Birmingham, taken by the
people of the city. The winners
of the competition were
chosen from more than 1,200
entries and put on show in an
exhibition at the Museum of
the Jewellery Quarter (MJQ).
Lion has a historic
association with the Jewellery
Quarter. Founder Martin
Harrold was working for Lucas
on Great Hampton St when
he had the idea to start his
own framing business. So the
company was pleased to play
an integral part in the venture
by donating and installing the
Art Hanging System.
Jack Siwinski, Lion’s
technical manager, spent
an afternoon with the MJQ
team to talk them through
the benefits of using the art
installation system, as well
as showing them how easy it
is to use.
The Art Hanging System
allows users to hang and
change art without damaging
ART + FRAMING TODAY
framing talk
walls, and without any screws,
wall plugs or drills post-install.
They can turn any environment
into commercially rentable
gallery space and are especially
ideal for small heritage settings
looking to add income streams.
Time and money can be
saved, and a real professional
look achieved, when installing
temporary or satellite
exhibitions as no technician
is required, and even more
importantly, no redecoration is
needed to repair holes.
SIMPLE SYSTEM
Art Hanging Systems consist of
three components:
l Hanging rail: an extruded
aluminium rail is fixed to the
wall with special clips
l Suspenders: discreetly hung
from the rail – available in steel
cable or nylon (Perlon).
l Hooks: easily height-
adjustable hooks that stay
firmly in place and are
compatible with all hangers
already fitted to pictures. A
range of security and anti-theft Top: the finished IGers Birmingham: Best of Birmingham exhibition;
hooks are also available. To above left: the system components; above right: MJQ
see more visit lionpic.co.uk/
art-hanging. manager for the Birmingham change the displays using the
For the MJQ exhibition Museums Trust says: “This Lion adaptable fixings means
space, Lion used 15m of system will make such a that we can add new pictures
Newly® R20 Hanging Rail – difference to the way we can into the gallery when certain
a great all-round, robust rail install exhibitions in this works are sold. It has already
that was fitted flush to the gallery. The system is secure, been put to good use in the
ceiling. Over 20 framed art flexible and very easy to use new exhibition at the museum,
pieces were hung on 2mm so it will decrease the amount IGers Birmingham: Best of
Perlon Twister Suspenders – a of technical time we will need Birmingham. We have had a
strong transparent material to employ when installing lot of comments from visitors
that is discreet against any each exhibition. about the presentation of the
wall surface. Newly’s H100 “We have around six retail exhibition, saying that it looks
self-locking hooks were then exhibitions per year in this very professional.”
used, along with self-locking gallery and we have a very
STAS Smartsprings for limited time period when For information on Art Hanging
lighter pieces. installing these exhibitions. Systems call Lion on 0121 773
Laura Cox, museum team The fact that we can now easily 1230 or email info@lionpic.co.uk
January 2018 57
 last word
John Hunter
Abbey Glass & Framing Supplies
Abbey Glass & Framing Supplies has recently moved into brand new premises,
including a purpose-built training facility for the Guild’s GCF programme. Owner
John Hunter talks us through it
You’ve seen some exciting
business developments at
Abbey Glass recently, which
are also exciting for the
Guild. Tell us what you’ve
been doing.
Back in March 2017, with
support from Past Master
Steven McKee GCF(APF)
Adv of Dromore School of
Picture Framing, current
Northen Ireland Branch
Master Darrin Walker GCF
of DW Framing, and the
Fine Art Trade Guild, we
put a proposal to Northern
Ireland Branch members at
a meeting in March 2017 to
create a brand new training
facility to be housed at
Abbey Glass’s new premises.
The proposal was passed
unanimously.
When did you move into
the new building?
We relocated to the larger
premises with dedicated
space for training in August
58 January 2018
2017. The purpose-built
training and meeting room
(known as The Guild Room)
was constructed specifically
to suit the Fine Art Trade
Guild’s training needs.
The new training
facility will also help
in the progression of
the accreditation and
Continuing Professional
Development of newly
qualified GCF(APF) framers,
as well as the old style GCF
qualified framers who want
to move to the GCF(APF)
accreditation.
Give us some background
on the company.
Abbey Glass & Framing
Supplies was founded in
2009 and has become the
largest supplier of glass and
framing supplies in Northern
Ireland.
Our small team has been
able to provide excellent
Top row: Taking shape – the
construction process. Above:
the finished room (left) and
Northern Ireland Branch
master Darrin Walker GCF(APF)
trying out the new facilities.
Left: exterior of Abbey’s new
premises
customer service, which in
turn has increased business,
prompting the move to new
and more spacious premises.
Northern Ireland’s framing
community is going from
strength to strength, then?
I would like to thank all the
picture framers in Northern
Ireland for their support
over the past nine years and
also all those who have been
involved in this new and
exciting project, which will
provide excellent facilities
for the Fine Art Trade Guild
in Northern Ireland.
agframingsupplies.com
abbeysupplies@btconnect.
com 028 9442 9117
ART + FRAMING TODAY
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