Belmar Frame & Art

September 10, 2014

New Window Display

'Masks of Venice'

August 6, 2014

Gropper and Benton Lithographs

We recently had the honor of having two Original Hand Signed Lithographs by Gropper and Benton, come into our shop for re-framing.

What a pleasure it was to take these fabulous artworks out of their original framing which utilized potentially damaging acidic mating, backing and an improper mounting with masking tape. (At least they had not been glued down). In spite of the way they were framed, the art had been well cared for and not exposed to much direct lighting. Therefore, they were still in very good condition with only a slight acid burn caused by the use of non-acid free materials. The masking tape, of course, had to be carefully removed before we could proceed with the conservation framing of these collectible Lithographs.

Both artworks were re-framed using archival materials, including UV protective glass to preserve the value of these two old gems.

Hope you enjoy looking at them as much as we did.

"Diogenes"
William Gropper

William "Bill" Gropper (1897-1977) was born in New York City, the eldest of 6 children. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Romania and Ukraine. Harry Gropper, Bill's father, was university-educated and fluent in 8 languages, but upon coming to America was unable to secure employment in a field for which he was well suited and could only find work in the garment industry. As a result, most of William's childhood was lived in poverty on New York's Lower East Side. Failure of the American economic system to make proper use of his father's education and abilities most likely contributed to William Gropper's lifelong antipathy to capitalism.

At age 13, Bill took his first art instruction class at Ferrer School, where he studied under two well known artists, George Bellows and Robert Henri. In 1913, Gropper graduated from public school, earning a medal in art and a scholarship to the National Academy of Design, however, the strong-willed young artist refused to conform to the academy's structure and was subsequently expelled. In 1915, Bill showed a portfolio of his work to the head of the New York School of Fine and Applied Arts. The work so impressed Frank Parsons that Gropper was offered a scholarship to the school.

William Gropper later became a notable cartoonist, painter, lithographer and muralist. A committed radical, Gropper is best known for his political artwork which he contributed to many left-wing publications.

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"Island Hay"
Thomas Hart Benton

Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975) was born in Neosho, Missouri. During 1907 Benton enrolled at the Art Institute of Chicago. He thereafter moved to Paris in 1909 to continue his art education and became well acquainted with many avant-garde artists. After studying in Europe, Thomas returned to America in 1913 and settled in New York City to resume his art career. During World War I, he served in the U.S. Navy at Norfolk, Virginia and received an assignment to design and instruct others on how to "properly" paint camouflage. After the war, Benton returned to New York and soon after declared himself an "enemy of modernism". It was at this time when he began the naturalistic and representational work he is most noted for. During the 1930's he returned to the mid-west and found his acceptable place in Kansas City, MO.

Thomas Hart Benton became one of the foremost painters and muralists associated with the American Regionalists of the 1930's along with Grant Wood and John Steuart Curry. Benton taught at the Art Students League in New York City, where a young Jackson Pollock was one of his pupils. Later, from 1935 to 1941 Benton was an art instructor at the Kansas City Art Institute and School of Design, Kansas City, Mo.

July 23, 2014

Visit Our Gallery

Experience the 'VIBRANT COLORS' Of Jean Murr & Lee Shapiro
On Display thru October 8th

July 9, 2014

This may not look like much but with no multi angle saw in the shop it was a challenge. Just how do you create an eight sided frame with only a 45degree miter saw? Since I have a habit of the NEVER SAY NO POLICY we had to figure it out. Gary built a jig and this is what we now have, the ability to cut eight sided frames and perfectly I might add. Wow I love the challenges of this Job!!!

June 20, 2014

Why Custom Framing? - Part Two

Why Custom Framing? - Part Two

The custom framer is trained in the fundamentals of what makes a good design and the proper way to handle the items that are presented before them. The object of framing is twofold: presentation and preservation. By enclosing the item in a frame you are not only creating something attractive for your home or office, you are preserving it for future generations. Depending on the worth, either personal or financial, the framer can help you decide the proper way to display and maintain its value.

Your framer has a huge vocabulary of knowledge in the variety of products available, such as matting, glazing, mounting materials, moldings, fillets, liners and more. He or she knows exactly how to handle and care for your fine art, photos, memorabilia, textiles or just about anything you want to preserve. Using a variety of methods and materials to properly mount every form of media, or special project you bring in, he or she can help you find exactly what you are looking for, while leaving you feeling confident not only in your design choices, but in your decision to have it framed by a custom frame shop.

There is a vast amount of "knowledge" and "craftsmanship" that can go into a custom framing job--from the basic or simple job, to the extremely complex and difficult job; from a tiny 3" x 3" piece to an oversize 10' x 4' piece. There is very little a good custom frame shop can't do.

Many custom framers offer the service of fixing and repairing old frames, as well as art restoration services (or they should have a network of people to refer you to).

Bottom line--your custom framer is happy to serve and help you, with whatever you need done, and with just the right amount of TLC. After all That's what we do.

June 8, 2014

Why Custom Framing? - Part One

The custom framer is there to help you design your art so that it enhances the piece of art, not the room it is going into. Your framer can certainly take that into consideration, reviewing with you the style of your furniture, wall paint color and your general decor. But, for example, if you bring in a piece of art that you picked up in Florence, Italy, and your home is very contemporary, do you want the art to reflect the beauty and ruggedness of Italy or the very modern style of your home? The framing of the art should reflect what the art is, not what your home is. If framed right, it will then be able to hang anywhere. After all, you bought the art because you liked the content of the art. You want to preserve the memory of old Italy.

The framer should be able to find a balance between the style of your home and the art without compromising the integrity of the art itself.

Feel free to discuss your home environment with your framer (for him or her to consider while designing) but step back and let the framer design it for what it is. You may be surprised how nicely a well framed piece, that is framed to capture that old world feeling of Italy, will hang in your modern home.