There are two types of people in this world; those who get things framed, and those who don’t know where to start and therefore never get around to it. We were definitely the second type before we visited Wall Street Gallery in Madison.
Pictures, art, and anything near and dear to your heart…it can be framed!
Post sponsored by Wall Street Gallery
Top tip to be the person who always gets things framed beautifully?
Find a framing gallery with creative ideas bursting out of their seams! Keep reading to see why this is our go-to team.
Wall Street Gallery
Wall Street Gallery is a small but mighty custom frame shop making frames specifically crafted for your artwork. Frames are designed and handmade in-house in the woodshop and they also carry frames from a wide array of distributors. Their motto is “Fear No Art!” and it’s even inscribed on a banner hanging on the front door.
Framing since 1974!
Founder Jim Reinhart and his team love a challenge and creating new and exciting frames. They especially love when customers come in and “take the wheel” and design to the extent of their imagination. Almost anything is possible! We asked about the “strangest/most challenging” thing they’ve framed in the past 46 years. Answer to that later.
It started with some rough sawn cedar…
WSG was founded over 40 years ago when Jim got into the business of custom framing – making frames from some rough sawn cedar and Minwax stain. He made the jump to making more in-house custom frames when some of their distributors discontinued moldings. The brilliant idea was that a customer would never have to worry about the frame not coming in on time or the frame no longer existing. Smart!
So much more than basic black…
Wall Street Gallery believes that framing should be fun! By the end of our visit, we were imagining framing most things we own. What we love about WSG is that they can expose you to solutions you might not even know are possible. Think you’re not creative? They’ll pull it out of you!
…but if that’s what you want…
If a black frame is what you want, it probably won’t be black, but an ebonized walnut so the black in the artwork is the strongest. It might also have texture to compliment any existing texture in the framed piece. In other words, not basic.
We didn’t know this, but there are huge framing conventions and contests…
Like the West Coast Art & Frame Expo and FRAMECON. Wall Street Gallery has won multiple national awards for its framing originality and skills!
Objects used to distress frames
Lora decided to drop a frame challenge…
Lora’s husband Michael has a treasured apron that his dad always wore when he was grilling. When she brought it out during our visit and mentioned wanting to come up with a creative way to preserve the memory as a piece of art, we saw the creative process kick into action. Yes, fun!
How about the most “unusual” thing you’ve framed so far?
A coiled up snakeskin. Twenty different hair tresses from a family for their family tree. The edge of a mattress…
But still no bowling balls…they’re waiting for that challenge!
3 pearls of frame-wisdom. Go!
- Pictures should be hung at eye level and groupings don’t have to match.
- You should have Conservation Clear or Museum glass on your valuable pictures.
- Avoid canvas giclées as they are inferior to prints on fine art paper.
Thanks for the inspiration and education, WSG!!
91 Wall Street (corner of Bradley & Wall), Madison, CT 06443
Words: Bev/ Pics: Lora