On Sunday morning, I got in the trusty Berlingo adorned with the Capstone Framing logo and headed for Wolverhampton Racecourse. The occasion was for The Fine Art Trade Guilds annual Art & Framing expo. I’d not managed to make it along on previous years so I thought it was about time I made the trek to see what there was to glean.

There was a full program of talks, demo’s and drop ins throughout the day, as well as a hall for suppliers to the industry to exhibit their products. I’ve a selection of 100% cotton mountboard samples coming my way courtesy of Wessex, as well as a sample of Optimum Museum Acrylic, which is anti-static, anti-reflective and conservation standard UV protection. The ultimate in glazing! I was also given a nice demonstration of a Hoffman router, for joining frames without displacing timber fibres. Definitely a toy I’d like to invest in in the future.

As for the demo’s, it was great to chat with Sarah Morris from Ironbridge Fine Art & Framing about what the Advanced Qualification in Conservation Framing entails. Something which I’d like to get under my belt in the next few years. Amy Rose from Callaghan Framing imparted some good tips on gilding, and Jon Price from Picture Framing Tuition had some good pointers on frame design, spacing and mount adornments to draw the eye to the work.

Probably the most valuable aspect of my day was just chewing the fat with Justin George, mostly about the struggles of making a viable business from scratch in the current climate!

All in all, worth the round trip. Probably not a necessity every year, but nice to meet some of my fellow FATG members in person at long last.

Art & Framing expo

All settled in