TOM WILLS PRODUCTIONS: Fit For A Queen

Newlyweds, 1925

Well, this is different.

Newly Fred, 2012

I find frames for my art in the oddest places: Garages, basements, attics, junk stores, flea markets.
Sure, I'll buy a nice frame if it's a special order or a special gift. But for the works I choose to keep, what's on hand has to do. I'm always on the lookout because frames are very expensive.

Yuck.

This 87-year-old frame, which is beautiful, cost $6 at a thrift store. It cleaned up nicely but is just marginally "not nice enough" now to use for a gift or anything that would (hopefully) become a keepsake.

A hand-tinted photograph

The sad thing is, it was once a treasure. It was someone's wedding picture.
At least it looks to be a photograph -- a black and white image that had been hand-tinted long ago by another artist.

January 1925

The back of the wedding photo reveals these tidbits: It's No. 631 in some series, and the date is January 1925, and it was going to 541 Water St., possibly Kent, Ohio.
Scribed in pencil: :
Man, light brown (hair). blue (eyes), handkerchief (necktie) off white. Pocket chain. Gold ring.
Woman: light brown (hair), light brown (eyes), chain and locket gold.

Pink carnations

The print itself is in astoundingly good shape, on sturdy paper. It's sun-faded but the faces are detailed and clear. He is blushing and looks a little dazed. His suit is simple, adorned only by a pink carnation.
She looks a little unsure. Her dress is beautiful, also with a pink carnation.
Their rings shine.

Mess

I'm going to keep the picture. It would be a tragedy to let it go again.
The newlyweds will be safely tucked among my pictures, books and records. It would be thrilling should someone recognize them and rightfully claim them.
I'd even return the frame.

Fix-a-frame

The frame itself is heavy wood that has been coated in a ceramic and then painted. There were a few chips that I hid with a wood pencil and a Sharpie marker.
The tacks that had held the print were rusty or missing; previous owners had used packaging tape in a half-successful bid to keep the couple inside.

Under (glass) Pressure

I was looking for a basic frame for my 148th sketch. It's Freddie Mercury, the flamboyant vocalist and pianist for the 1970s-80s rock group Queen.
At first I thought it absurd to put such a sketch inside of such a classic frame, but when you look at it, it works. I like the sketch and am happy to have an art deco showpiece.

Heaviness

I slipped a few strips of poster board behind the image and lightly glued in the corners. I then cut a new chunk of cardboard and used silicon caulk to seal the frame (because the tacks had fallen out). Weights held the picture and backing tight to the glass as the caulk seal dried. It should last another 87 years.

One Vision

The couple in the photograph would surely disapprove.
It's such a dramatic look, in contrast to their simple pose.

The bride to be is on the right.

And, speaking of drama and weddings, I learned just a day ago that my own daughter is getting married in a year.
When I draw her, and her man, they'll get a new frame.
Promise, baby.