Framing watercolors for Art-in-the-Park

(C) 2015 Dale DiMauro

It has been a very busy week, actually two weeks, preparing for this weekend's art show. The Monadnock Area Artists Association is sponsoring the 58th annual Art in the Park on Saturday, September 5 and Sunday, September 6, 2015.  It takes place in Keene, NH from 10:00AM - 4:00PM on both weekend days, across from the Colony Mill Marketplace, on West Street, at the Ashuelot River Park.

Last week, I made tent weights in my back yard because we are not allowed to stake our vendor tents to the ground due to an irrigation system under the park's lawn. I scrambled to figure out what I would need to prevent my paintings from blowing away in a heavy wind. Long story short, I ended up purchasing PVC piping and cement from Home Depot and making my own twenty-five pound weights, which will hang from each corner of the tent. There are numerous YouTube videos on how to do this. 

Next, I purchased mesh display panels, which go up on three sides of the tent. They are pricey but handsome and you can hang pieces on both sides of the walls. When I ordered these, I was told it was best to use a tent with a steel frame, so I had to order a new tent, too. The one we have is aluminum and apparently is susceptible to wind damage. Fortunately, these display panels and the new tent have arrived in time. Last week, needless to say, was quite a week.

This week the learning curve has been steep too, but I have come a long way in a short period of time. Last Saturday, I became aware that Indian King Framery in Keene, NH, on the last Saturday of the month has discounted frames. I purchased six picture frames to go with pre-cut mats I had ordered from Cheap Joe's. Gerard Doucette cut the glass and shared some wire.  I bought brown craft paper from Staples for the backings.  I want to present my work well. The challenge was that I had never framed a watercolor on my own.

The above watercolor was framed yesterday. It was an exciting and rewarding process for the most part. I have discovered how critical it is to keep the glass clean and not get hair or specks of dirt between the glass and the picture. This requires not getting any fingerprints on the glass, so I used two small, clean rags to handle the glass.

This photograph is of the back of the frame from the picture above. I have installed the dust cover which is brown craft paper, stretched and glued into place. It is then trimmed after the glue dries. Then I installed eye screws and wire so the watercolor can be hung. Last, I attached a business card, which is the colored image in the lower right.

I hope I did not bore you with this rather wordy post. However, a lot has been happening so I put it out there for you to understand my process in preparing for this particular art show.