This multiple aperture project is a collection of souvenirs from a cricket game where the customer me the former England cricketer Alex Stewart. The photograph has been made into a jigsaw puzzle but the puzzle consists of specially shaped pieces from thr game of cricket. There is also the ticket the hand sign waved by the crowd when a batsman scores a six. This was signed by Alex Stewart.

The jigsaw neede to be dry mounted onto thicker card so that the pieces would not move in the frame. Also there was a size restriction for the finished outside size of the picture as the space on the wall where it would eventually hang was very restricted. Therefore particular attention had to be paid to the arithmetic at the measuring stage. The term "measure it twice and cut it once" comes in very useful! Something very important to note here is that the hand sign needed to be cut down in order to fit into the limited frame size required. This is always done with the customer's agreement prior to cutting anything down and is an extremley important feature to point out to the customer.  

Once the measurements were checked the frame and mount can be cut to size. Perhaps the most difficult part of this type of framing project is to make the finished frame look correct. THis is acheived with a lot of input from the customer at the beginning of the project to make sure they are going to like the finished effect. Also knowing what will look effective and visually satisfying through experience is similarly important.

 The finished frame provides a compact showcase of a very precious day out to remember.

This was a favourite toy of a customer and needed to be preserved in a display case style frame with the added protection of the figure being kept behind glass. Choice of materials for any picture framing project is always a very important consideration and this job was no different. It was felt that the figure should be on a green background and this colour should also line the sides of the frame.

The frame used is a very deep profile extruded from ash. The moulding is not an off the shelf product so the profile has to be specially ordered and routed by a local wood merchants.

The wood is actually so deep that several adjustments have to be made to our normal cutting and assembly machines so that the wood could be mitred and joined successfully.

Once the frame is made the figure could be attached to the dark green backing mount board ready to fit the frame.

The customer wanted the figure to stay in the frame for the foreseeable future. However, future generations may wish to take the Action Man from the frame and so however the figure is fitted into the frame this is something that has to be reversible. This is known as a "conservation technique" in that at any time the figure could in theory be fairly easily removed from the frame and placed back in the original box, or simply played with if so desired. This could not be achieved if the Action Man had been permanently fixed into the frame say with glue for example. So the figure was simply stitched to the backing of the frame but care was taken to ensure that the stitch work was carefully hidden under his camouflage. The end result was very well received by the customer and the toy is thus preserved for future generations. 

As an example of some of our work, here is a recent picture that was framed by the Petersfield Framing Studios. The picture is an oil painting of the South Downs painted on two 4 foot by 4 foot panels.

The customer requested that the oils should be framed together as one picture in one frame. However the problem was the join; should this be showing or should it be somehow disguised? The picture was to hang in an office reception area and so after quite a heated debate among the staff it was agreed that the join should be covered. This was achieved using the narrowest batten available which was around a half an inch in width. This ensured that the barest minimum was covered of the picture edges. Also the batten was made out of the same wood as the frame (ramin) to ensure that it was as unobtrusive as possible. The frame was reinforced in the corners to help support the weight of the two boards the scene was painted on.

I am sure you will agree the effect is a stunning view of one of the most beautiful areas of Southern England and a real pleasure to frame.