Framed!

I got word over the holiday weekend that at least one of my frog paintings was accepted into the local show. So exciting! I’m still waiting to hear which one, or if it was more than one. While I was waiting, I decided that I really wanted to try my hand at making my own frames. In spite of the fact that I live in an apartment and have no access to a wood shop or power tools, I had some confidence that I could at least get close.

My tools of choice were a miter box and tenon saw, a length of 3/4” outside pine moulding, some sand paper, and some glue. The biggest problem was getting the pieces cut to an appropriate length. (Insert foreshadowing.) It’s taking some trial and error to figure out how to use the cheap miter box effectively, and for my next go around I need to get some clamps to keep the moulding from slipping about. I may also mark the 45 degree slots on the box to make them more visible, although I only managed to cut the wrong angle once.

The final product after being glued is clearly a floater frame, although the joins aren’t as neat as I’d like, and the interior dimensions are about an eighth inch too small in both directions. Whoops. Still, given how little quality control I exercised, that’s pretty darned good and a successful proof of concept. (And I’ll be able to use this frame for something else.) While I’m waiting to find out more details about the show, I’ll go get some more moulding and a few clamps to see if I can make some properly sized frame for the frogs.

Late breaking news: All three frogs were accepted, so it’s time to make some frames!

Samantha Herdman

I make art, I fence, and I’m always in search of another great book to read. Life is good.

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