I may have mentioned this in a few other posts, here I go again: the majority of the frames I use for my artwork for sale and exhibitions are uniquely handcrafted. I build most of the wooden frames myself, and a close friend of mine builds all the metal frames for me in his metalworks and arts workshop in Dusseldorf, Germany.

However, whenever I do spend some quality time in his workshop myself, usually a few times a year, and  enjoying many good conversations and a great few glasses of liquid vitamins, I usually get my own hands dirty by diving deep into all things steel. Cutting, grinding, and welding rough steel are all part of the process that eventually turns untreated and raw iron into one of my beautiful Natural Steel Frames. Following this very laborious building phase is the second phase in which the rough and oily and untreated natural steel needs to be cleaned, planed (this is a sanding phase to remove any blemishes that may be present) and finally thoroughly treated with a chemical solution that will give the steel a greyish-brown tint, the so called browning process.

But let’s go back to my wooden frames, which are the more common ones my customers tend to buy, and which are also my personal preference. They may not be as special as, and lacking all of the extravaganza of, my natural steel frames, but wood is a material that offers a very natural and warm look and feel, an attribute no other material can offer to this degree.

Every frame is hand crafted, from cutting the mouldings over assembling all four sides of the frame to cutting and adding any necessary splines to larger frames, adding stability and sturdiness to treating the wood surface with oil and dye. Occasionally I have my mouldings pre-cut to length, which saves me time and space, as I don’t have a large space for my work at my disposal.

I keep the range of mouldings I offer to a bare minimum, and I choose those mainly by how they visually interact with the artwork they enclose, and on my personal preference, of course, though I am very happy to offer different mouldings for those who wish for a different style than what I have on offer. As I offer most of my artwork as print-only, too, my clients can buy the piece they love and have it framed by any framer they trust.

When you buy one of my framed artworks please be aware that I am not a professional framer, even though I love manufacturing my frames. I don’t have a full-fledged framing workshop with all the machinery it takes for quick and efficient frame manufacturing. Good things take time, and especially during busy times it can be challenging for me to keep up with everything. I will always strive to make you as happy as I possibly can, and a quick delivery is certainly something I’d consider contributing to this, but if things occasionally take a little longer please be patient and rest assured that i only need some extra time because I’m giving my best to deliver the best service I can!