special feature/open grooves
Brian Wolf
For Brian Wolf, picture framing began as a part time
job while attending Iowa State University. During
that time he won the Janice Petersen Andersen award
for outstanding design student in 1973. He started
hand-carving mats early and began demonstrating
his skills at conventions in 1978. In 1979 he
began teaching decorative matting classes for the
Professional Picture Framers Association.
He started his own frame shop in Cedar Rapids,
Iowa in 1983. Since 1989, Brian has focused on
giving seminars and leading workshops on his
mat cutting techniques in Europe, Australia, and
across North America. He is the author of books on
artistic mat cutting and decoration, he appears in
several videos, and his articles are featured in trade
magazines around the world.
In 2002 Brian moved to Seattle to work with
Wizard International as their Director of Standards
and Training where he continues to develop his
designs for the computerized mat cutter.
Three in a Row By Brian Wolf
Whenever framers think of multiple opening mats, we think of complex groupings of ten or twelve
openings. Even though it seems pretty ordinary by comparison, a much more common framing
request is a simple group of three.
The one we dream about is where all three of the pictures are the same This is the project we
size, the same colours, with similar subjects, where the sequence of the hope for whenever
pictures tells the story. Fortunately, this is pretty common. We can line there are multiple
them up vertically or horizontally, depending on the spot where they will openings. The
hang. They are instantly unified because they are all the same size and three openings are
subject. All you need to do is cut three openings fairly closely spaced. identical. They are
about 15mm apart.
The instant some element changes, there is a challenge. The openings Their closeness helps
may be different sizes. The colours may not coordinate. The scale of the them to read as one
subjects may vary. The challenge is to convince the viewer that these picture.
pictures belong together. Our first and best instincts are to line up the
openings or to gather them in a tidy rectangular arrangement. This is the
obvious start, but sometimes the design is more effective if we introduce
additional elements that physically tie the pictures together.
A Surrounding Groove
One obvious device is a V-Groove that corrals all the openings. Grooves
work very nicely when there is only a little contrast with the matboard. The two smaller
They operate almost subliminally to unify the pictures. The natural openings are
tendency is to have the groove evenly spaced around the grouping. This different, but near
is the most neutral, accessible presentation and it works well with all enough so that
styles of design. this arrangement
appears
Sometimes the sizes differ greatly. Sometimes the layout needs informal symmetrical. When
balance to effect a more tidy arrangement or to tell the story. A device there is concern that
like a groove becomes almost crucial to unify the differing items. With the openings may
the casual attitude that informal balance brings, the groove can be a appear disjointed, a
more effective unifying device if it intersects the openings rather than groove around them
surrounding them. The placement and the spacing of the groove needs helps to tie them
to be more subjective. It allows you some artistic choices: a little more together.
space at the bottom, a little less at the top, centered on this opening, but
off centre on the other.
30 picturebusiness
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