Specialising in unique period-style frames for original Modern British Art. Jonathan Gooders, the owner of Framers, (www.framers.co.uk) creates original high-end designs in his Wimbledon based workshops for collectors, dealers and galleries.

1. 50 June 2014 ART BUSINESS TODAY
P
rofessional framers need to
become a ‘jack-of-all-trades’,
particularly those who handle
a range of different artworks,
both 2D and 3D, all of
which present their own set of
challenges. It is easy to get caught up
in the day to day, especially if you are
working alone or with just a small
team, but framers shouldn’t be afraid
to cut out a niche by specialising.
I have been supplying unique
bespoke frames for galleries and
museums for several years. It is
rewarding to work with original
artwork and to enhance, and, in some
instances, completely transform a
piece. It is great when a client exclaims
that they can finally ‘see’ the work for
the first time, even if they have lived
with it for many years. Nothing can
kill what is otherwise an interesting
and strong piece quite so much as bad
framing.
I specialise in creating period
frames for Modern British art, which
means artwork created between 1900
and 1970 (post-1970 is generally
termed as contemporary art). As a
trained artist myself, I am able to
bring an understanding of painting to
my framing.
When creating period frames, there
is a fine line between enhancing the
artwork with a frame that is
representative of a past era and
ensuring the frame doesn’t look old
fashioned. Developing a good
understanding of the period, including
various art movements and changing
styles, is important.
I always work closely with the client
to make sure I understand what they
want to achieve. Some clients want to
increase the presence of a piece, others
might want to enhance a particular
aspect, or reduce something they feel
is weak in the original, such as one
Becoming an expert in a
particular area of framing can
help set you apart from your
competitors and make you the
‘go to’ framer in that field.
JONATHAN GOODERS GCF,
who specialises in designing
unique hand-finished frames
for high-end Modern British
art, shares the inspiration and
techniques behind recent
commissions
FRAMING
Haute couture framing

2. June 2014 51ART BUSINESS TODAY
over-riding colour. All this can be
achieved by the use of shape, finish
and subtle colouration.
It is important to make sure you
create the right ‘weight’ of frame. Too
big and it will swamp the picture, too
small and it will not achieve the
necessary effect. Some small paintings,
for example, can actually carry quite a
heavy frame – it depends on the
composition.
Do not be afraid to put different
mouldings together; turn them on
their sides, flip them over, cut into
them, or re-engineer the shapes. Let
your creativity run wild. Experiment
and have fun.
First World War battle
I was recently commissioned to frame
two original works by CRW Nevinson,
one of the key artists of the First
World War. The first piece was an
aerial battle that contained a lot of
very strong blue, which, if not handled
carefully, could have made the whole
painting feel very cold.
It was originally framed in a thin
frame, which did not give the painting
the gravitas it deserved. I created a
FRAMING
Opposite page:
Jonathan Gooders GCF with a framed wartime etching by Paul
Nash, and examples of his frame finishing techniques
This page:
The distressed frame Jonathan made for a painting by CRW
Nevinson
»
Frame Design
Annabelle Ruston
Frame Design by Annabelle Ruston is £12 from the
Guild Bookshop (£10 to members), plus p+p
Order at fineart.co.uk or contact Moira Sanders on
020 7381 6616 or moira@fineart.co.uk

3. 52 June 2014 ART BUSINESS TODAY
profile by stacking several
different mouldings to
produce the right shape. The
frame was built up at the
back to provide the
necessary depth to
accommodate the canvas. I
added further elements on
the outer side, to add visual
interest and bridge the joins
between the mouldings.
Once I was happy with
the shape, the frame was
sanded, filled and treated
with rabbit skin size to seal
the wood. Layers of different
concentrations of gesso were
applied to build up the
surface (on this frame, about
12 coats were applied). The
gesso was sanded to provide
a ‘blank canvas’ on which to
start distressing.
The amount and style
of distressing you apply
completely depends
on the painting and
the eventual finish
you want to achieve.
On this particular
piece I wanted to
convey a feel of the
wood, canvas and
metal of the bi-planes
in the picture. I wanted
the frame to feel that it
had been through the
wars.
When distressing you can
employ many interesting techniques
(and it’s a good way of releasing
stress!) For this frame, I used a
combination of denting using different
sized hammers, dragging with nails,
chipping away with a chisel and
‘roughing up’ with wire brushes. I also
used a specially created implement - a
piece of wood with various sized
screws in it - to create ‘worm holes’.
The effect needs to be random; if it is
too considered it will look
manufactured and artificial.
The finish was built up with a series
of coloured washes, each knocked back
and sponged to create depth. Around
25 layers were applied. More
distressing was then carried out, which
was rubbed back to reveal glimpses of
the build up.
In order to express a sense of age, I
applied an artificial rust and verdigris
effect, which helped bring the planes
‘forward’ in the composition. The
whole thing was then built up further
with a series of waxes, to convey the
idea that the frame had been handled
over many years. Finally it was
brushed with rottenstone, to create
‘dust’ in the corners and crevasses. A
hand-finished slip completed the
piece.
The frame helps convey the idea
that the viewer is part of the convoy,
almost sat in a plane following the
others, being drawn into the
composition.
Wartime landscape
The second painting, by the same
artist, is a wartime landscape, which
employs strong Vorticist shapes. I
wanted to emulate these
shapes in the frame, which
would provide a sense of
period.
I constructed a frame with
strong angles positioned at
different levels, which lead the
eye into the painting and
work with the perspective.
This was achieved by adapting
existing mouldings, then
marrying them with specially
created elements.
The treatment of the frame
in terms of build up was the
same as the previous frame,
however. This smaller painting
has a strong stylised look, so
the distressing had to be
toned down and subtle,
otherwise the frame would
have been distracting and
taken attention away from the
painting. Never forget that the
artwork is always the most
important element of the
whole. Good framing is like
a good soundtrack to a
film; it should enhance
without being distracting,
if you notice it, it is not
doing its job.
For the finish, I took
colours from the
composition and used them
to enhance the perspective,
which led the viewer away from
the top of the painting. The
artwork needed to be contained, but
at the same time the frame had to
work with the artist’s intent of
conveying endless destruction.
I introduced gold leaf on the inner
edge, which was heavily burnished, to
pick out some of the highlights in the
picture and provide movement. The
outer edge was waxed, but to give
contrast, I left the inner ‘gully’ matt.
Further light distressing was applied
and brushed with rottenstone to
convey age and create ‘dust’.
Woodcut
This small Edward Wadsworth
woodcut needed a different approach,
despite being from the same period. It
is a small intimate piece, only 4x3”,
with clean lines and minimal colour
(just black, brown and olive green).
The artist was interested in structure
and composition.
This is a work on paper, so had to
»
FRAMING
The frame for the wartime
landscape by Nevinson

4. June 2014 53ART BUSINESS TODAY
be treated accordingly. The piece was
hinged with reversible Hayaku
museum hinging paper onto cotton
museum board, so it could be easily
removed without damaging the
artwork. Because the print is made
from very thin paper it was important
to find an undermount of the right
colour, which would elevate the work
without changing the colours. Too
dark and the paper would feel dirty;
too light and it would have been too
bright, throwing the balance.
Working with the strong angles in
the image, I decided to combine a
deep bevel with cotton museum board
in the same colour, so there was no
obvious jump to distract the eye. An
embossed line was added to introduce
interest and ease the eye into the
composition.
The frame is clean and simple,
made from a single deep angled
moulding. This was built up using
gesso, but instead of distressing, it was
sanded very smooth to provide an
almost glass-like surface. The inner
angle of the frame was painted with a
light tone of the olive green in the
composition, while the top and outer
edges were finished in dark charcoal.
The whole frame was waxed and
buffed to provide a slight gloss.
Finally, I gave the inner top edge the
lightest of sandings, to reveal a tiny
amount of paint, which conveys a
sense of age and wear. Museum glass
was used to give protection and
clarity. I
Jonathan Gooders GCF owns Framers in
south west London. framers.co.uk
FRAMING
The glazed frame
for the
Wadsworth
woodcut