Summer in Full Swing

Good afternoon everyone!

I hope you have all been enjoying your summer thus far!

We have been busy working away here at the store and are excited to see all of the new projects that are yet to come.  We will continue with our Featured Artist blog series in September (taking a little break over the summer), but make sure to check our social media sites over the next few months for in store updates and new releases.

Enjoy this lovely summer weather, and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Catherine (the bookkeeper)

Featured Artist: Penelope Shaw

*Featured Artist Alert*

Penelope Shaw is our June 2019 Featured artist!

Penelope Shaw has enjoyed drawing and painting since childhood. It began with the “Learn to Draw” kit from John Gnagy, a popular television program in the 50’s and with the encouragement of her grade 3 teacher to pursue her talent. She has studied with several local artists throughout her life. In the Niagara area, she has married, raised a family of three, and now enjoys sharing her passion with her grandchildren. Since retiring, Penelope has focused on her love of art, preferring oils for their brilliance. She credits years as a home decor paint colourist for her ability to mix many different colours from a limited palette, rather than using manufactured blends. She loves to use the play of light in her subject matter which is taken from the local area and her travels.

Next time you are in the store, make sure to take a look around… Penelope’s works might just be the finishing piece to your living room, kitchen, or office decor!

See you soon!

Catherine (the bookkeeper)

Featured Artist: Doug Klassen

Calling all wine and liquor enthusiasts, and all those who love gorgeous, handcrafted, heirloom furniture… we have the perfect pieces in store for you!

As you will notice each time you visit the store, we have a wide selection of hand-crafted furniture and decor created by the amazing, local craftsman, Doug Klassen.  Doug is energized through learning and motivated by a challenge.  His recent pieces reveal a marked return to his childhood soil. “Growing up in Zaire, and witnessing people with very little, [he is] strongly influenced by the use of refuse, scrap, and what ever simple materials they had available to them to create beautiful, practical things.” Doug’s work is not only useful, high quality pieces that are designed to endure with the lightest environmental footprint, but, with a focus on eco-conscientiousness, saves wood & other materials from the fate of refuse and immortalizes its beauty. As a recovering perfectionist, designing and building with barrel staves & “scrap” is the perfect media to stretch his boundaries.

The Muskoka chairs are extremely comfortable, the bistro and bar sets are perfect for your morning coffee or afternoon drink, and his assortment of candle holders, trays, frames, mirrors, and wine racks make the perfect finishing piece to any room! (P.S. They also make wonderful wedding presents!)  Each piece is beautiful and uniquely its own, so make sure you stop by the store to purchase your favourite piece before it’s gone!

As always, we look forward to seeing you soon!

Catherine (the bookkeeper)

Featured Artist: Melissa Proudlock

Hey everyone!  April kicks of our second month of our “Featured Artist Series” on the blog!

So who is our Featured Artist for the month of April?  Well, if you have been to the store as of lately, you will have noticed that we have a few new pieces in store! These pieces are not like any other however… we have several stunning pieces from the absolutely wonderful Melissa Proudlock.

So what exactly sets these pieces apart?  The secret: Melissa paints every original with wine… yes, you read that correctly… WINE!  From Baco Noir to Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay to Rosé, the pigments from lees and natural sediments within each varietal and blend, as well as the wine itself, offers a wide range of colours, and the fine details Melissa creates develop stunning images.

We have be super excited to have some of Melissa’s prints available in store, and we can officially announce that we now have several originals for sale as well!  A store favourite – the prints of her original painting of Gord Downie! (Note: $5.00 from each Gord Downie print will be donated to the Gord Downie Fund for Brain Cancer Research.)

To learn more about Melissa’s work and see other pieces she has available, make sure to check out her website Painted With Wine and stop by the store to see which pieces we currently have available!

Make sure to get your prints or original pieces before they are gone!

Catherine (the bookkeeper)

What to Expect for 2019

Hey everyone!

I know we have been a little MIA on our blog since the start of the new year, we have been busy framing and planning some exciting social media and blog posts that will be coming your way soon!  We decided to close for the day to avoid the dangerous drive in the freezing rain, so it seemed like the perfect day to sit down and get blogging!

In December we wrapped up our 3-part series on the materials we use in the framing process.  To kick off our blog posts for 2019, we are going to be starting a new series – the first week of each month, we will be posting about a Featured Artist!

If you have stopped by the store recently, you will have noticed that we have been busy rearranging a few things and we have brought in a few new pieces for sale!  We still have lots of work left to do, but make sure to stop by to see the pieces we have available!

I’m off to make another cup of tea, water the plants, and continue our brainstorming session so we can continue bringing you the very best when it comes to picture framing, and ensure we stay on top of our blog posts 😉!

Stay warm today, and if you must venture out, drive carefully… those roads are icy!

Catherine (the bookkeeper)

Spreading Christmas Cheer!

Hey everyone!

We would love your help in spreading Christmas Cheer!

Every year, hundreds of children in our local area are unable to celebrate Christmas without the community’s help, as their parents are unable to afford clothing, presents &/or food for their families for various reasons.

We have decided to help a local school gather unused, unwrapped toys, games, books, clothing, gift cards, & food cards. We would love it if you could help us, help them!

From now until December 14^th, we will have a donation bin here at the store where you can drop off any items you would like to donate to help out. Please note: items must be new & unwrapped.

With each item you donate, you will be entered into a draw for a ^$100.⁰⁰ Kennedy Picture Framing gift certificate. The winner will be announced December 16^th.

Thank You & Merry Christmas!!

Sincerely.

Catherine (the bookkeeper)

What’s behind the picture?

Hey everyone!  We’re back with more information on the materials we utilize for your picture framing needs!  More specifically, today we are going to talk about what’s behind the picture… in other words… the different backings we utilize in the framing process.  This posting marks the last in the three part series, but make sure to continue checking the blog and our social media sites often, as we will be sharing some of the projects we have leading up to Christmas, new products and pieces in store, and introducing our new blog series for the New Year! 

Here at Kennedy Picture Framing, we utilize two different types of backings – foamcore, and conservation foamcore.  By utilizing foamcore as a backing for your cherished pieces, strength is added to the framed work, and your artwork is properly protected.  In many older frames, you may come across cardboard… in terms of framing, cardboard is the evil enemy for photos, artwork, diplomas, etc. and is in fact acidic.  Over time, the acids released from a piece of cardboard will ‘eat away’ or ‘burn’ your piece, resulting in discolouration and foxing.

So how will you know if your piece needs regular or conservation foamcore?  We often recommend ‘upgrading’ to conservation foamcore if your piece is a collectible, valuable, or has a legal association (diplomas, certificates, or degrees).  However, although there are different levels of conservation quality available in all materials used, even the most basic framing job at Kennedy Picture Framing is performed without using acidic or destructive materials.

Unsure if your framed pieces (especially older pieces passed down from generation to generation) are properly protected?  Feel free to stop by the store and check with one of our knowledgeable and experienced staff members… we are always here to help!

See you soon!

Catherine (the bookkeeper)

What’s behind the glass?

Hey everyone!

We have been busy this season with many new framing projects on the go, and we are so excited to see what new pieces everyone has as the Christmas season fast approaches!  As promised, we are going to continue along with the materials we utilize in framing to preserve valuable pieces.  For the month of October, we are focusing on the matboards we use. Your first question might be… what is a matboard?   A matboard is the coloured border that surrounds the outside of the picture. 

So how exactly can a matboard help protect your artwork?  The first manner in which a matboard helps protect your piece, is by keeping it away from the glass, preventing the material from sticking to the surface.  However, at Kennedy Picture Framing, we want to ensure our practices and materials protect and preserve artworks. As such, we only use archival matboards that work to actively protect from cleaning products, air pollution, and natural aging.  Over time, photos and other materials release by-products that lead to deterioration, fading, and yellowing.  Thus, the we utilize Artcare Alphamats to protect images and keepsakes from these gases.

How does it work you may ask?  Great question! The answer is zeolites embedded within the matboards.  Zeolites are natural minerals that draw-out, trap and hold these gases from the image and contained environment within the frame.  As Nielsen Bainbridge has stated “the superior protection provided by Artcare products has been tested and validated at the Getty Institute of Conservation and the United States Library of Congress. For over 2 decades, conservators and preservation specialists around the world have made Artcare products their standard for preserving our cultural heritage.  Now you can do the same!” For more information and examples of valuable works preserved using Artcare Alphamats, make sure to visit their site.

With hundreds of colours to choose one, we can find the perfect matboard(s) to complement your artwork, special keepsake, or certificates.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Catherine (the bookkeeper)

What’s behind the frame?

Hey everyone!

Gord Downie Giclee Print by Melissa Proudlock framed using non-glare glass.

‘Tis the season where our kids head back to school and we enter the busy season as we near Christmas… I know it’s early, but let us help you prepare!  Every year we frame thousands of pictures, posters, and jerseys (just to name a few) and we are always up to framing something new!  Make sure to check out our social media sites in the coming weeks to see some of the special projects we have completed as of recently!

When it comes to planning on having a special keepsake framed, or wondering what materials were utilized to frame your artwork, there is a lot of information to take in.  To help answer some question you may have, we would like to share with you the types of materials we use, and the reasons for our material selection.

Now to provide such detail regarding all that goes into framing in one blog post would… well… be a lot to read.  Thus, I will be addressing this topic over the course of three blog posts, so make sure to check back next month for the latest news on what materials surround your important pieces.

For the month of September, we are going to focus on the glass we use at Kennedy Picture Framing.  With over 35 years of experience, we are committed to excellence and delivering only the very best work.  We also believe that the companies we source from, must also share this same commitment to excellence. Now it is important to note that not every framed piece will necessarily require the same type of glass, and here at Kennedy Picture Framing, we understand the importance of using the proper glass to protect your valuable piece.  To learn more about the different glass options we offer, please visit our website, and if you aren’t sure which glass would be best for your framing needs, we are always here to help!

See you soon!

Catherine (the bookkeeper)