Picture Frames

[Tetedelacourse]

I bought a replica oil painting off some Israeli boy a few weeks ago who came round the doors. In doing so I probably inadvertently added to the coffers of some sort of militia but, hey we liked the painting. Anyway, his pal appeared a few days later to quote framing for it.

£70!

Is this realistic for (even a replica of) the oil painting? How much would it cost going to a normal shop or a tradesman? I was expecting to pay £25 or thereabouts, so I told him to sling his hook.

 

[ChrisKH]

It depends on the frame. My wife was adamant she wanted a Greek like painting to hang in the lounge for Xmas last year. The print cost £35. The frame to match all the other frames in the lounge costs £75.

Admittedly it looks great even though I drilled two holes 10cm too wide at the weekend. Frames can be expensive. And yes I know it's taken me nine months to hang the thing.....................

 

[bonj2]

I'm sure you're aware by now, but it's obviously a con. He's probably got access to a good photo-quality printer, found the picture on the internet and printed it off, in order that you'll buy a frame the next day.
If you like the picture though, you can probably knock yourself up a frame using some wood, a mitre block and some varnish from B&Q.

 

[Tetedelacourse]

Ha ha! Scarily enough I had the same idea Bonj! Time to reassess my mental state. Of course there's no way Mrs T would allow this.

It's definitely an oil painting on canvas so needs framed properly. It isn't a print. The boy was talking about stretching it and giving it proper air behind etc.

 

[bonj2]

Ha ha! Scarily enough I had the same idea Bonj! Time to reassess my mental state. Of course there's no way Mrs T would allow this.

It's definitely an oil painting on canvas so needs framed properly. It isn't a print. The boy was talking about stretching it and giving it proper air behind etc.

Whilst it may be genuine, do be aware that you get printers that can print on canvas and even processes that can just 'fluff up' and 3D-ise a painting so it looks more authentic, and the stuff about stretching and air sounds like typical of the type of chat that he would feed you purely to convince you it was genuine. Even if it's not a con, at the very least the painting seller and the frame seller are obviously working together!

 

[Globalti]

Does it smell of paint? Can you see the edges of the painted area? Does the frame have little wedges in the corners for stretching? If yes to all three then it's likely a genuine oil painting done by an artist.

 

[Tetedelacourse]

Yep it smells of paint and I can see the edges of the painted area. I don't have a frame for it yet and need one, hence this thread. It's definitely a replica of a more famous work, the first boy made no bones about it. And they both definitely work for the same company as the first boy booked an appointment for me with his "framer".

I just don't think £70 for a frame is value for money, but confess I don't know any better. So the up shot is I've got this painting rolled up, needing a frame but don't know how much I should realistically expect to pay for the frame.

 

[Tim Bennet.]

Try a local general sale auction. There are usually some dreadful amateurish victorian paintings for sale after a houise clearance, which have no intrinsic value apart from the frames. With a bit of luck you can find one the right size that will compliment the painting quite well.

 

[Globalti]

Of course it all depends on the size but here in the UK I would expect to pay easily £70 for a decent frame for a picture about 2 ft square. We do spend quite a lot on framing as a quality frame enhances and preserves a picture. You have to consider: cost of glass, frame, backing material, any mount, plus labour. Framing a print or photo you have to use acid free board all round otherwise there will be browning over the years. You can't use anything sticky like sellotape as the glue goes soft. If you do go ahead and you are having amount, make sure the framer understands the basic rule that the bottom of the mount must be 5-10% wider than the sides and top otherwise the picture will look odd.

On the other hand if it's just a cheap oil or acrylic and you don't want to spend too much, a simple wood or ali frame around the picture will be fine. In shops like Ikea these cost around a tenner, even with glass. Don't forget to get them to include a couple of hanging eyes and some wire.

 

[domtyler]

I know that they have sweatshops where oil paintings are produced on a large scale by using a production line technique, i.e. one person paints the background, the next paints the trees, etc.

 

[Fnaar]

I know that they have sweatshops where oil paintings are produced on a large scale by using a production line technique, i.e. one person paints the background, the next paints the trees, etc.

Damien Hirst does that too! (ie his minions produce 'art' for him, though not ern masse, Iadmit!)

 

[Tetedelacourse]

I know that they have sweatshops where oil paintings are produced on a large scale by using a production line technique, i.e. one person paints the background, the next paints the trees, etc.

I'd be about 80% sure that this painting was done in this way - but I still like it

 

[kyuss]

£70 doesn't sound too bad. Keep in mind framing canvas is not like framing a cheap print. The canvas has to be physically attached to the frame using stretching bars and will likely have no glass on the front or board on the back. You can't just use the kind of frames you get from Ikea. Proper picture framing is a fairly skilled job.

 

[Tetedelacourse]

ah, now I'm getting somewhere. Cheers Kyuss.

The pic is about 20" wide by 24" tall. Should I expect to pay that at a proper shop?

 

[rich p]

ah, now I'm getting somewhere. Cheers Kyuss.

The pic is about 20" wide by 24" tall. Should I expect to pay that at a proper shop?

I had a quote for a print we'd bought our daughter recently at Art Republic - it was 24" x 30" and the price was £70. I bought her some blutack instead! It was a brushed ali frame but I thought it seemed a lot but maybe I'm out of touch.