FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: John Bloedorn or Kathryn DeMarco, 286-4837 (info@cravenallengallery.com)

300 dpi press-quality photographs can be downloaded from http://cravenallengallery.com/press

THE ART OF FRAMEMAKING: HANDCRAFTED MIRROR FRAMES BY EDWARD WRIGHT AND BRENDAN LOVE OPENS JULY 19TH AT CRAVEN ALLEN GALLERY

Durham —The Art of Framemaking: Handcrafted Mirror Frames by Edward Wright and Brendan Love opens at Craven Allen Gallery on Saturday, July 19th, with a reception for the artists from 5 to 7 pm, and continues through September 6th.

Typically frames are subservient to the artwork they surround, protecting and presenting art. But with a mirror, the frame becomes a work of art, at least in the hands of master artisans like Edward Wright and Brendon Love.

Edward Wright has been making frames for thirty-four years, crafting them by hand using centuries-old techniques. His work is hanging in major museums and private collections around the country; many are reproductions of historic styles. But for this show Wright used the classic techniques of carving, gilding and finishing to make contemporary frames of his own imagination, inspired primarily by natural elements he sees on his walks near his home in Hillsborough.

The bark, mushrooms, leaves and other elements which sparked his creativity for this show may not be obvious to the viewer of the finished work. For example, the tight diagonal pattern and prickliness of a pine cone inspired Wright to use a triangular punch through the precious leaf of one frame to create a subtle geometric design, and he experimented with combing through a shellac overcoat to capture additional texture and color. Wright comes back to each frame again and again, engaging in what he calls a dialog with the piece—“often my first attempts need to be modified, removed or replaced. The result is a very layered look, built to create a striking depth of finish.” He is particularly known for the subtlety and beauty of his precious leaf surfaces.

Wright’s colleague at his Hillsborough workshop, Brendan Love, brings the colors and textures of his world travels to his framemaking. For example, an ancient green-tiled pagoda in Japan’s feudal capital of Kamakura inspired Love’s hand-carved frame of patinated copper; its simple rounded corners are typical of Asian work. Love’s collage work has been featured most recently in the Cornell Museum of Art and American Culture in Florida; he lives in Durham.

The exhibition will feature a display of the various techniques used to create hand crafted picture frames, along with some of the sources of inspiration for the frames on display.

Craven Allen Gallery is located at 1106 ½ Broad Street in Durham. Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, please call the gallery at 286-4837 or visit www.CravenAllenGallery.com.


EDWARD WRIGHT
ARTIST’S STATEMENT

This collection of small tarnished silver mirror frames is a collaboration between me and my daughter Allison. Each frame has been securely joined with wooden splines and screws. After an initial application of rabbit skin glue, the basswood is coated with several coats of traditional gesso. The surface is then brought to a fine polish through sanding with several grits of paper. Red clay is then mixed with rabbit skin and applied to the highlights on the molding. The clay is then flooded with water to accept small sheets of silver leaf. The precious leaf is applied with a three inch wide squirrel hair brush. After drying, the leaf is burnished to a bright luster with an agate.

Examining the particular shape of the molding, the texture of the gesso, and Allison’s application of the precious metal, I have chosen natural objects like bark, twigs, or rocks to guide my work. The frame finish is created by working with the texture, color, and shape of both the frame and the object. Applying traditional framemaking techniques, I discover new ways to work with the molding shape and the finishing materials.. The desired result is achieved through distressing, rubbing through the leaf, spattering, stippling, glazing, tarnishing the leaf, and patination. I am constantly going back and forth between the object and the frame noticing new aspects of each. My first attempts often need to be modified, removed, or replaced. The result is a layered look, built to create depth. Closely examining the frame one will notice many colors and contrasting treatments of the molding contours. It is this reworking of the frame that brings depth and beauty to the final patination.

BRENDAN LOVE
ARTIST’S STATEMENT

I was born in July, 1971 in Savannah, Georgia and have lived in Chicago, Detroit, Norfolk, Virginia, Washington D.C., rural Michigan and Maryland, and now Durham, North Carolina. I received my degree in Sociology from Virginia Tech in 1993. I have been employed as a driver, bartender, musician, graphic designer, pet-sitter, actor, tutor, chef, landscaper, mason, bouncer, manager, temp, wedding officiant, barista, ditch-digger, photographer, doorman, mural painter, bellman, and framer, among other things. My collage work has most recently been exhibited at the Cornell Museum of Art and American Culture in Del Ray Beach, Florida. My personal interests include international travel, fine cuisine, classic literature, vintage Fender Precision bass guitars, flea markets, tattoos, volunteer work, and the history of rock and roll.