Although artists and hippies often go together, bonding over a shared love of wheatgrass and a shared loathing of capitalist swine, it’s not always easy to find eco-friendly art, let alone an eco-friendly way of displaying it.
My friend recently gave me this cute little poster designed by a local artist, and I wanted to frame it. The problem was: I felt guilty standing in Black’s, staring at all these brand new picture frames, surely made from virgin wood covered in toxic paint, with glass shipped in from China and, of course, everything was wrapped up in plastic and Styrofoam.
I just couldn’t do it. But then, as I was walking home, I noticed in the window of Victor Gallery — an art store that unfortunately doesn’t have a URL — a pile of old-looking frames. Sure enough, they turned out to be made from reclaimed barn board, nice and bare. They could be purchased solo, or with glass already in them, and there was no packaging.
Woohoo! Of course the problem with already made frames is that you’re at the mercy of whatever size they come in. But my poster looks to be pretty standard, so my fingers are crossed.
Photoshop madness courtesy of Yours Truly
Nice! I’ve also bought frames at thrift shops and, when necessary, painted them with paint I already had on hand.
When I was doing art stuff, I used as many recycled frames as I could. Like Jenn, sometimes I found them at thrift stores, and often they needed touch-up paint. Your barn boards sound great!
I’ve tried to find this sort of thing in London for months now but failed, so am very jealous!
I have found all of my frames in thrift stores. If I see one I like, I gather it because someday I’ll have something that perfectly fits inside that frame. You can also buy good frames that have bad artwork in them, and replace the bad artwork with your own photos or art. I have even occasionally found a great painting or other type of wall art. Garage and Estate Sales are a great source as well.
awesome photochopping!
If a frame is bigger than a photo then I am sure you can use an eco-friendly photo mat or make one using recycled paper.