That portrait revisited

SHE'S BEEN FRAMED

Anyone who has read this blog before will know that my approach to it is on the eclectic side.  There's no unifying theme, just a collection of random ideas that pop out of my head.  So there have been a few posts which provoked reactions, others that provoked yawns.  But the post which generated the most interest in recent months concerned the portrait of Barbara I'd received and just how happy it had made me . Several people asked to see how it looked once it had been framed.  And if you were one of those people then this is the post for you.

And if you weren't, well, please read on anyway, because I'm going to try to persuade you to support a talented but struggling artist.  And isn't that something we should all do at least once in our lives?

The framing wasn't something I was going to rush into.  For something this special it needed to be perfect.  There's a framer in Southport we've used a few times, and he does a competent job, but not as good as I was looking for.

We took the painting with us to Edinburgh for New Year and showed it to an old friend who's knocked out a few decent watercolours in her time (and she only began in her sixties so she is also a source of inspiration for the future).  She was, as expected, bowled over by the quality of the portrait.  More important was her recommendation of a framer she's used in the past.  And who, conveniently, was sited just ten minutes walk from our flat.

In my head I thought that a simple wooden frame would be perfect, maybe in a shade similar to the teak or the burgundy in this range.  But what do I know?  The guy who served me couldn't have been more helpful.  Or knowledgeable.  Or patient.  I'm not sure exactly how many wood options we went through before I had to admit I'd got it completely wrong.  Which is when he came up with an idea of his own and showed me a style of frame I would never have considered if left to my own limited visual imagination.  And it was perfect (I suspect it occurred to him as soon as he saw the painting, but he was good enough to go through the whole "customer is always right" routine!).  I could see immediately that the framed portrait would now look exactly as it should.  And the moral of this story is - trust a pro.  Especially if you're a bit clueless.

And another moral is that I should recommend, to anyone in the area requiring the services of a picture framer, the guys at Edinburgh Arts.

That took place on 10 January and we had to return south a couple of days later so there would be a lengthy wait to see the final result.  In the meantime Barbara had commissioned Marc to produce a couple of portrait drawings of her son and grandson.  And they were delivered in time for said son's birthday weekend, when he came to visit us.

This time the artist had no opportunity to meet the subjects, working only from photos.  So, in some ways, the results are even more impressive.  Both are excellent likenesses, with the depth of character that only a talented artist can imbue, and they made for very special presents.  I particularly like the choice of a profile view for Matt, an uncommon angle that gives a more casual feel to the picture.  You can see them both, Matt and Oliver, on Marc's website.  And Barbara's still there too.

Which brings me back to that painting.  We picked it up yesterday.  It's a shame the same guy wasn't serving because I'd liked to have told him just how much I appreciated his efforts to help me.  The portrait has been enhanced, Barbara approves of my (!) choice, and all is well with the world.  Now I just have to hope the artist agrees with me....

It even looks good at an angle.

So we're happy and those of you who wanted to see the final result have got what you asked for.

Now - have I convinced any of you to commission a portrait for yourselves?  If so you know where to go . (Prices can be found here.)