French Framing---an old technique

I do a french framing which actually encloses the painting (item) totally within a "packet" of card and glass, thus protecting the item from mildew, bugs, dust and dirt. It is comprised of layers of card covered with colored paper, 2 backings which hold the rings and string, and the glass on top. This is taped together to form a packet with framing tape. The frame is literally just attached to the packet with little nails and then tape is applied to cover any openings in the back. In this way the actual packet takes the weight of the frame and doesn't allow the frame to distort as can happen with heavier paintings, as well as the item framed is very well protected from the elements of any sort, short of the glass breaking. It is a much more time consuming process and a more expensive way of framing, but allows more versatility and protection.

Original Watercolor Framed - Notre Dame

This is the last one I am putting up for today. I need to get more photos and do more pages of them before I can continue. This one is from a photo that we took of Notre Dame here in Paris France. It is done in what is called a "romantic technique" with just 2 top layers of color. The frame has goldish as well as the colors that pick up the painting.


This one is another of our more popular note cards that we have. The notecards tend to have differences in color due to the compression of the scan to fit the notecard, but I have tried to be as consistent with the original as I could when they were done.

Watercolor Framed - Bloom Book Window

This was another painting that made it on the cover (back cover this time) of the Bloom Where You're Planted book, 2001-2002 31st edition. He had done another one, similar, only with "bars" on the windows as they have on the lower levels of the older buildings here and the editor asked to have a 2nd painting done "without bars and with more flowers below". This was the result. The other painting is sold...but we do still have rights for note cards from it. Ohhh, back to what I was saying. This one has a 3 part framing, first level being a taupe, then an olive fillet and the top layer is an light aqua-bluish color. Again, the little tags on the front of the glass is from the last exhibition we had done and the numbers correspond with the price list. When we do another I will just use those numbers again for remaining and fill in any numbers that have sold. They can be removed when the painting sells.

Watercolor Framed - Lacy Windows

This was in a series of buildings and windows that he did. There is another similar...but different in which I called "Celery" because of the color. That one is not even framed yet. Of course, I am behind in framing as well as getting them on the web. That will be next to get photos of and put up.
This one had more detail in the stones, the lacy curtains in the windows (hence the name) and the greenery is different... just a similar shape in building. As you can go down streets and see similar houses with differences, he did the same with some of his paintings. There is only 2 layers in this framing, the bottom is a gold and the top is a light yellow. A bit difficult to see in the photo through the glass though. "Somewhere" there is a bunch of photos all taken of each one, WITHOUT the glass! If I ever find them I will redo some of these previews, if they are not sold already!

Watercolor Original Framed - Quiet Village

We called it that because there are no people, no animals, no cars, nothing noisy. Logical right? There are quiet little nooks and crannies in small villages which are like this on a quiet morning here in France. This one has a 4 layer framing... bottom is white, then 2 fillets, light blue and light green, top is beige. You can see it in the photo. I also took a close up of the frame, which I should have done on all of them (but did not) and as it was the last one I took a photo of I thought, why not? As they are all re-wrapped and put back to keep them safe until they are sold, it is too late for now.

Watercolor Original Framed - Peach Tree

This is called Peach Tree. I laugh now at some of the names we came up with, but as we also have note cards for all of his cards, we needed to have names so "we would know" which was which. This has 3 layers on the framing, dark gray, black fillet and a light gray on top.

Watercolor (Aquarelle) -- Valloire - I call it "Snow"

For me this reminds me of winter in Michigan...lots of snow, hills...you know it is cold but it seems more peaceful. We have a print of this one framed similar hanging on our wall. I have been tempted to put the larger original up and if it doesn't sell, I may. As I was doing the framing (I did all of them in the French way, totally enclosed,) I chose a frame that was looking very old, worn, in a dark wood...the edges are purposely raw. The fillets are done in a taupe, dark green, deep reddish brown to match the front of the buildings and again a taupe for the top covering. Living in Paris this is not the typical scene I would see...far from it! Maybe that is why I love it so much!