Frame Warehouse once again hosted the top 25 student artists Oak Park River Forest award ceremony. This time of year we are busy framing all of the student art for our annual donation to the school. Each year we continue to be astounded by the high quality work of the students and the esprit de corps they display. It doesn’t get better than the Art department at OPRF!!!! Thank you everyone!!!
A Sale of Rare Chicago World's Fair & Transportation Posters
Frame Warehouse will be hosting the sale of rare and original Chicago oriented travel posters.
Opening night reception will be held on Friday September 28th, from 5 to 8 pm at our Oak Park location; 346 Harrison st. Oak Park, Illinois 60304
Included in the sale are a number of rare 1920’s and 1930’s Chicago transportation posters as well as many mid-century modern Chicago air plane travel posters. Widely respected world wide poster expert David Gartler will be in attendance opening night to answer all of your vintage poster questions.
Since 1968 David has traveled the world discovering and researching vintage posters.
The show will be on view from September 28th through October 26th.
Old Frame Week at Frame Warehouse
Some of you know that we love old frames. Some of you know that we repair old frames. And some of you know that we can re-purpose your old frame.
Recently a customer found this spectacular example of a frame from the Victorian era. The beautiful oak leaf fillet work next to the photograph caught our attention as well as the overall size and the portrait. Turns out the photograph is an original tin type.
The antique oval mat had long since deteriorated but the frame itself was in good condition. With a new reverse beveled acid free mat and some cleaning and chip touch up this piece is ready for the next 150 years.
Several months ago a customer brought in several family antique oval frames for us to recut glass and prepare to put something new in. They didn’t know what they were going put in the frames but they wanted to be prepared.
The other day they came in with this beautiful hand cut silhouette of their family dog. We cut new oval mats and installed the portrait. Good as old!!!
Oak Park River Forest Art Show
Wednesday May 23rd was the Happiest Day of the Year! Why you ask? The Annual Oak Park River Forest High School Student Art Show debuted at Frame Warehouse. Each year Frame Warehouse donates the framing for the top 25 Student Artists.
The show travels to the Cheney Mansion for the summer and moves to OPRF for the school year. At the end of the year the students get to take their framed art home!
Floral Still Life Transformation
This wonderful late 19th century floral still life on board came to us dirty, with paint scratches, paint chips and discolored varnish. You can see what appears to be the effects of either a coal heat or a smoking environment evident in the swaths of black across the painting.
However, our patient conservator cleaned the oil painting, touching up chips and scratches along the way, and revarnished the image. Now the purple flowers are vibrant in color, you can see details in the two bees, and the overall painting is now brighter.
At Frame Warehouse we can work with you to restore family heirlooms like this one painted on board or any canvas painting you might have.
P.S.: One customer brought in an an extremely dirty oil portrait on board of her Uncle that she had inherited. After cleaning the signature of the artist appeared in the lower right hand corner: Leroy Neiman
