What's so special about my walls? How do I use picture frames?

Custom framing tips from the best!

The next few blog posts will contain tips from industry experts on how to handle custom framing. They'll range from hanging art to grouping custom frames and everything in between. Our friends at Larson Juhl have worked with Eddie Ross to create some great tips. 

Eddie Ross

Ross, celebrity blogger, interior designer and lifestyle guru is a great friend of Larson-Juhl and has worked on many projects featuring custom framing and the versatility of frames and the impact they can have on home decor. Recently, Eddie Ross hosted an art and framing workshop at Larson-Juhl's Atlanta Support Center for anyone interested in interior design, wall decor and learning more about the art of custom framing. Ross' presentation was caught on camera and is now available for all to see and learn from. Over the next few weeks, I'll post links to those video files from the art & framing presentation. Click on the video titles to learn Eddie's thoughts on how art and custom framing can be used and beautifully displayed throughout a home as well as helpful tips on how to achieve some of these designer looks in your own spaces:

How to Hang Art 

Custom Framing for the Space

Framing with Colored Mats

These are neat tips to get you started, for more ideas and information, check out this page from our website, and don't ever hesitate to call or come in to discuss these or any others questions you may have. Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Gallery Happenings: Fran Speight Show Opening Reception 8/14/15

Last Friday evening, Hampton House Gallery hosted an opening reception for artist Fran Speight's show, which is hanging here though September 4th. We had quite a crowd come out to see Fran's beautiful paintings! 

Did you miss the reception? Don't worry, there's still time to come and see the show. Stop on by! 

 

Fran Speight Art Show

We are excited to have Fran Speight's art displayed August 10th- September 4th here at Hampton House Gallery! We will be having an opening reception on the evening of Friday, August 14th from 5:30-7:30 pm.

 "Fran Speight's pastels depict familiar scenes of rural landscapes and nature which invoke the special beauty of the everyday views around us. Fran has been involved with visual arts since she began experimenting with oils in the 1960's. Her work has evolved through several mediums through the years, including watercolor and pen and ink. Pastoral line drawings were her focus in the 1980's when she won the Landmark Series from the Stokes County Arts Council. She even delved into the large-scale, creating the sets for the Stokes County Theater. Recently, she has turned her focus to pastels and her work has risen to a new level. Fran says "this is the most difficult and rewarding medium I've used...the pastels give me a richness of color and control of light I've not experienced before."

"Fran's own creations were a part-time endeavor before she retired in 2006. During her professional career she spent 30 years as an art framer working for several high-end galleries in the Piedmont Triad area. Fran has literally framed thousands of works of arts for private residences as well as corporations, hospitals, and small businesses. Retirement from the gallery business has given Fran time to focus on her work and study with masters such as Christine Sagart, Frank Roland, Jack Perdue, and Debra Parris. Fran divides her time between her Stokes County home and Emerald Isle, where she is inspired by the endless array of landscapes which are forever changing with the seasons."



You'll definitely want to stop by and have a look at some of these beautiful paintings. We look forward to seeing you there!

Sincerely,
Hampton House Art & Framing

Summer Events and Happenings

We’re only two days into summer, and it’s already way too hot! Get your mind off of the heat by reading all about the latest events and happenings here at Hampton House.

One of the exciting things we have going on here is that we are currently working on our BRAND NEW WEBSITE. Mark is doing the finishing touches now, and we can’t wait to share it with you! It won’t be long!

Also, for any fans of artist Fran Speight out there, we will be having a show displaying her beautiful paintings in August, the week of the 10^th-17^th right here at the gallery. If you’ve never heard of Fran Speight, you can view her work on our website by clicking here: http://www.hamptonhouse.net/artists.cfm?aid=56. 

Fran Speight is a very talented artist, and you’ll definitely not want to miss out on her show in August!

You can stay updated on all of our news, events, and happenings by “liking” us on Facebook, and following us on Twitter (@hamptonhouseart).We update our blog regularly to keep you in the know on all things art and framing.

Stay cool out there!

Hampton House Art & Framing

"Alexis Lavine Watercolors" Closing Reception

Saturday afternoon was the closing reception for the Alexis Lavine Watercolor Show that has been here at Hampton House Gallery throughout the month of May. So many people have enjoyed seeing these fantastic and beautiful watercolors. 

It goes without saying, but Alexis Lavine is quite a talented artist, and we were honored to have her paintings hang at the gallery this month! 

If you haven't had a chance to see her work in person, it will be here at the gallery until tomorrow, so stop by and take a look! 

 (You can look through some pictures from the reception Saturday afternoon below.)

You Are Invited!

"Alexis Lavine Watercolors" is the name of a solo exhibition of paintings by National Watercolor Society artist Alexis lavine that we will have going on here at Hampton House May 5th- May 30th. The opening reception will be held on the evening of May 7th from 5:30- 7:30 p.m., and you are invited!

Alexis Lavine is an artist who has devoted the last two decades of her life to watercolor painting. Her watercolors' are full of luminous color, rich shadows, and beautifully drawn shapes. With meticulous attention to composition, she crafts paintings that are descriptive and yet expressive, realistic, and yet abstract. Her award winning paintings have been included in numerous juried and gallery exhibitions, and they hang in private and corporate collections throughout the country, as well as overseas. She lives and paints right here in North Carolina.

A couple of her paintings are on display right now at major exhibitions across the country, such as:

 "Red Hat Ladies Share a Secret"

This painting is on its way to the Springfield Art Museum in Springfield, Missouri, where it will be part of an important survey of American Watercolors called "Watercolor USA 2015." This exhibition is held at the museum every year, and is made up of paintings from all over the country, juried from hundreds of submitted entries. This is Alexis' fifth year in a row of having her art displayed.



 

"At the Crossing"

This painting is at the American Watercolor Society show, in New York City, this month. This is the most prestigious watercolor exhibition in the country every year.







If all of that doesn't make you excited to come see this artist's work, I don't know what will!

So tell your friends, tell your family, and mark your calendars because you won't want to miss this!

See you soon!
Hampton House Art & Framing

Spring Art Show!

If you like Alexis Lavine's artwork (and who doesn't?!!) then you'll definitely want to be ready for an art show in the spring, showcasing her work. As soon as we have an official date nailed down, we'll share it with you! But in the meantime, you'll just have to be satisfied with looking at pictures of her art...or you could just come in and see the pieces we have here!

See you soon!

Hampton House Art & Framing

    "Southern Comfort"

"Gardner's Overlook"

 "Sunset Cafe"

Featured Artist: Kristina Miller

Our featured artist this month is Katrina Miller, and her piece Daisy Trio (see below) is simply stunning, don't you agree?

Come and see more lovely pieces we have available by Kristina Miller. It may be just the thing to cure your winter blues, and besides, it would make being snowed in a lot more colorful!

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Hampton House Art & Framing

Gallery Events & Happenings

Do you ever wonder what to do on a cold, winter day? We may have some ideas...

How about stopping by Hampton House Art & Framing to see some special and interesting exhibits that we have going on right now!

One of the exhibits we have includes art by painter, Robert Dance. Dance was one of the very first artists that we represented upon opening in April of 1977! He has a beautiful shell collection available to view that will take you straight to the coast, as well as plenty more originals and reproductions. Here's my personal favorite:

It's an original of one of only five acrylic paintings that he's ever done!


John D. Gall is another artist that we represent. John taught printmaking at Guilford College, and has a fascinating and fun botanical series here at the gallery.  They are all original, one of a kind works on paper, and are created using pen and ink, ink washes, watercolor washes, tinted gesso, and prismacolor pencils.

John also has a couple of his pieces available to view at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh right now. ( You can check that out here: http://adamcave.com/2014/09/12/57/ )

Come escape from the cold, and surround yourself with wonderful art. Who knows? You may just end up with some of these beautiful pieces on your own walls...!

See you soon!

Sincerely,
Hampton House Art & Framing



PS. Be sure and check out the websites of these wonderful artists while you're at it...

John Gall's website: http://johngallart.com/

Robert Dance's website: http://www.robertbdance.com/

New Products From Larson Juhl to Kick Off the Year!

Wouldn't it be wonderful to finally frame all of the special and beautiful art that you have, and make that room pop?

We're here to help you see that through! And not just with any frames, but custom ones. We mostly use Larson Juhl frames for all of your framing needs, and to kick off the year, they have come out with some great new products!

Angus

Made in Italy, this faux leather collection showcases the look of time-worn vintage beauty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zeppelin

Drawing inspiration from the world of aviation,
this collection reflects the clean, modern look of
industrial machinery.

Jepara II

Jepara II expands this elegant collection with a new deep shadowbox profile and a new Champagne finish.

Bauhaus

Drawing inspiration from the 

famous art school in Germany, 

this collection pairs simplicity 

with functionality.

Can't you just see your art in these beautiful frames? We look forward to seeing you soon, and helping you with your framing needs! 

Happy framing,

Hampton House Art & Framing

Introducing a New Employee!

Allow me to introduce myself!

My name is Alexandra Plitt, and I have recently started working here at Hampton House Art & Framing. I was born and raised in Winston Salem and I love the area. Besides working here, I am an artist with a love for filmmaking and photography, and I run my own videography/ photography business called "Alexandra Plitt Productions & Photography".

Being an artist myself, I appreciate so much what Hampton House Art & Framing is doing. Not only are they into wonderful art, they're into the people behind the art. They care about the local community and they care about quality, and because of that, they will take the best care of your art, do the best job framing your art, and make it a pleasure to work with them in the process.

I feel very grateful to be able to work with such wonderful people and be surrounded by such beautiful art!

I hope to see you soon!

Sincerely,
Alexandra Plitt

How about this for a new direction in custom framing...and custom art as well!!

http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2014/10/art-is-best-displayed-in-a-frame-that-follows-you-around/

How great would it be to have one of these goodies? Practical? Not at all. Fun? You bet.

Really custom framing and an answer to one of life's most sought after questions.

Many years ago, the North Carolina Museum of Art assembled a show of frames through the ages. These frames were mostly European and dated back to the 1500's. They were truly custom frames as they were all made specifically for the paintings they held. The beautifully strange thing is that the art was left out of the frames so only the frames were on display. It was magnificent! The only problem I had was that I couldn't (and didn't) touch the frames. That's one of the neatest things about handmade frames, the feel(hey, there could be, and are, weirder fetishes).

The National Gallery (I'm assuming of Ireland) is hosting a similar show in case you couldn't get to Raleigh. Just pop on over for a bit.

And now the moment you've been waiting for: The answer to that ever important life question, "Just how many frames can my Senator buy yearly on the tax payer's dime?".

Here's the answer(it's number 5). In unrelated news, we'll be opening a new shop in the basement of the Dirksen building...wherever that is.

Peace out my friends, until next time!

But I can't frame that!!

What about art you can't custom frame? What? Art you can't frame? That's hooey, you say. Not when it's as cool as this stuff is. While this can totally be called custom framing (maybe in the truest sense of the phrase), it has nothing to do with an actual physical frame. The beauty lies in the maddening preparation these guys must have gone through to create this beautifully stunning art. Check it out and love it because it's cool. But for art you can frame, don't forget the talent at www.hamptonhouse.net.

PS. How's that for a random post after too long of a time? Boom!

Why would you want to custom frame anything?

Really. Why would anyone want to go to the expense and hassle of bringing their stuff to a snooty frame shop when they can just order a frame off line and do it themselves? Good question...sort of. This is the first in a series of what you may find to be boring posts about answering the above questions. So strap in and let's get going.

 Firstly, it's expensive. Let's face it, custom framing isn't cheap, it can be quite expensive. Especially when done right. That family photo you just snapped could easily cost $200.00 to frame (and more depending on the products you choose). You've got to pay for the frame(usually the most expensive component), mats(I think they should always be acid free), glass(UV filtering is the best) and labor. That's alot of money when you think about it. Although, when you look at how long you'll enjoy that family photo, especially if properly framed, it really doesn't cost that much. That piece professionally framed piece on your wall will last longer than any clothes or car you'll buy and longer than most furniture as well.

Typical Pottery Barn style frame

Super awesome custom framing

Even more super awesome custom framing

The future of wall decor is here

At the end of January, Lara and I had an opportunity to go to Las Vegas for a trade show. Now you would think the most exciting thing we saw was the abundance of folks advertising prostitutes, or the hordes of human zombies mesmerized by slot machines like moths to a flame. Sure, all that was pretty eye opening but the coolest thing by far we saw (and here's where you get a picture of just how cool we are) was a new software platform that allows us to shop online for art images, purchase those images, then download and print them all in a matter of minutes, and all from our shop (or your office, boardroom, etc.).

This is a technology that is long overdue. Imagine, no more out of stock or discontinued images, no more shipping fees and two week turn arounds until the art comes in. This allows publishers to divorce themselves from stacks of preprinted images, and allows us the ease and speed to get what we want, when we want it. See, I told you it was cooler than prostitutes and slack jawed gamblers.

Both of the above images are from this new resource, and were framed virtually using the virtual framing tool available from the homepage of our website. And as always, if there are any questions about this or any other service we offer don't hesitate to reach out to us.

We're back, or Real Custom Framing

So, I figured since more than a year has passed since the last Hampton House blog post, it's time to dust the ole gal off and get things going again. The new format will be very similar to the old in that the content will vary between art, framing, design and senseless ruminations. The plan is for me to update about once a week with the happenings from the world of Hampton House and beyond. And with that being said, here goes:

Probably the most exciting thing to happen around Hampton House this week was the completion of a true custom framing project. Most of the picture framing we do always while custom is pretty standard stuff (albeit oh so lovely), but once in a blue moon we get a true challenge, and this was a doozey.

Note the arrow indicating where the splice is.

The challenge was to frame a 100 year old South Pacific tapa cloth that was longer than the industry standard 10 foot moulding length and way longer than the 60 inch standard for matting and mounting products. We had to splice three sheets of acid free matting and foamcore together to mount the piece down to, and the moulding had to be spliced toghter by master craftsman Steven Cole. If you need to kow why I call Stevie a master craftsman, just check out the photo of the (all but invisible) splice. Needless to say, all materials had to be special ordered and this project took a couple of months to bring to fruition. The result is a true museum worthy piece.

Finished Tapa Cloth

 Thanks for reading and, most of all, sincerest thanks for your business!

So, I know I've posted about his tool before, but I just can't help myself because it's so cool. Larson-Juhl has created a web based virtual framing tool that lets you design your very own custom frame job AND, place it on a background that closely mimics your wall color.

Here are some of the neato functions:

With the Interactive Frame Design tool, you're able to create designs with up to three layers of mats and fillets! Be sure to check out the tool's zoom feature so you can get an up close look at all of the details you incorporate into your design.

Also:

In addition to utilizing multiple mats and fillets in your digital design, you can also create stacked frame combinations with up to three mouldings! When your design is complete, you can choose a paint color, from our vast selection, for the background. This fun option allows you and your clients to see what the finished piece will look like against a specific wall color.

This is pretty cool, but remember if you like talking with real people, there's no place like Hampton House as a resource for your frame design needs.

Wendy Luann Barber – Doll Maker

Sara L. Wilson
A doll is more than a plaything for doll maker, Wendy Luann Barber.
“All of my dolls right now are collectors items,” she says. “When I first started making them I made play dolls, but not anymore. I guess I got tired of it because I couldn’t get the detail that I wanted.”
Wendy has been making cloth dolls for more than twenty years, but recently she’s been exploring a new medium: needle felting.
“It’s been around awhile, but it’s just now finding its groove,” she says of the process, which involves repeatedly poking an old steel-mill needle up and down into a pile of wool to compact and create shape.
Wendy, who started making dolls around the age of eight, can turn out a doll in about two days flat. From the bodice to the clothing to the painted-on face, her creations are influenced partly by her costuming and design degree, and partly by her imagination.
“I’ve always had a very good imagination; I love fantasy and SciFi,” she says. But what she loves most about making dolls?: “The artistic part of it; being creative; taking a flat piece of fabric and making something [people] recognize,” Wendy says. “When people ask me what I do, they automatically think ‘play dolls,’ but when I whip out a picture they say ‘that’s not a doll, that’s art.’”
Wendy’s dolls are decked out for Halloween at Hampton House Art and Framing this month. Stop by for the artist’s reception on October 6, 5:30–7:30 pm.

Just a quick post of an article from the Wall Street Journal concerning the Taubman Museum in Roanoke, VA. This article confirms my belief that the common Joe might be intimidated by so-called "High Art", or in this instance contemporary architecture. My self being a common Joe however is very interested in the low-brow work of Mark Cline. What do you think, King-Kong standing on top of the frame shop?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903703604576584583050203682.html?mod=googlenews_wsj