Framing Daze

I have not been a good blogger lately. For quite some time, I haven't had much of a reason not to blog. This week, I have a valid excuse, but am going to blog anyway. Nick has left the gallery in my hands again, so I've been working 9-5 and dealing with every circumstance that arises.

Truth be told, I kind of like running the gallery on my own. Sure, it is more stressful to be the one to have to take every phone call and greet every person who walks in with a smile and an air of calm expertise regarding every component or relative of framing. But I got my job at the museum at NAU and began developing my understanding of putting art behind glass over three years ago, and since I've been working for Nick, my knowledge of the craft has increased dramatically. I can draw a French mat, with or without panels of either pigment or paper. I can wrap a custom bevel or cut a 12 ply window. I know how to handle a wide range of glasses and plexis, and of course, execute everything to "museum standard."

When Nick is there I know how to do everything just as well, but I also know should something get tricky, I can back out of it and make him finish. I almost never do this, but the knowledge itself is a cushion and confidence booster. When Nick is not there, it is different. When for instance, a moulding company calls to tell me a frame we ordered is discontinued, I have to provide alternatives to the customer who already chose something they were happy with under Nick's guidance. Being the only one in the shop, I also have to juggle overlapping clients without making anybody feel neglected. In short, it is a much more active job than just hanging out in the work-room alone all day while Nick maintains our public front.

So, when a customer called me yesterday asking about five large canvases she wanted stretched, and I tried to tell her they wouldn't be done until next week and she got very upset, I had no one to fall back on. She needed them by Saturday. She wouldn't have brought them to us if we hadn't given her a definite time-line of two weeks. She would not be put off, even when I told her some of the stretcher bars didn't seem to be in yet. I finally told her I'd call her back, and got off the phone feeling a little abused.

In our little work family of two, Nick is the one who deals with stretching canvas. It is about the only thing in the shop I haven't gotten into the habit of doing since I started to work there. Fortunately, back when I was getting my BFA I learned how it is done, but as I was not much interested in painting, I never got good at it. It had been several years since my last attempt, and I'd never done it with canvases that already had the art on them. I'd also never stretched anything even half the size of these 48" by 60" monsters.

I called Nick and he told me where he'd stashed the stretcher bars I hadn't been able to find. Then he said, "Well, you can either try to do it yourself or tell her it can't be done." To me that meant, "You can do it yourself."

So, I cleaned off the table, assembled the stretcher bars and jumped in. The first two went smoothly. The third almost ruined my day. The stretcher bars wouldn't stay square. The people who printed the canvas didn't leave enough margin on the edges. I was tired, frustrated, and quite convinced there was no way to get that canvas on that stretcher without leaving some white showing on the edges.

I took a break and sent the glorious Brian an email, and while complaining to him of my plight, I figured out how to solve my problem. Using the staple gun and the corners of the work table, I reliably squared and reinforced the corners of the stretcher. After that, I was careful and patient and managed to pull the third canvas through. The fourth and fifth canvases, though the largest, went easily.

Of course, when one successfully does something one does not know if one can do, one feels far more accomplished than if one merely does something one knew one could do all along. I left the gallery yesterday feeling a little bit proud of myself. Now let's just hope I can make it to next Wednesday without dropping the ball on anything major.