Each painting is framed with careful consideration using archival materials which includes acid free matting and conservation glass.
I choose a graceful gilded wood frame for the majority of my paintings. However, there are exceptions. Sometimes a painting needs a white or black frame. Also, for some of the smaller works I've chosen to use metal frames in frosted silver, blue or pale coral.
Appropriate framing is crucial for the life of a painting. I make sure the framing is clean and elegant, enhancing the painting instead of competing with it. To this end, I pay careful attention to the width of the matting to ensure the painting has room to breathe. Except for a few of the smaller pieces which are single matted with a groove, everything else is double or triple matted. Usually, the top mats are white with a gold sub-mat. If the frame is white I usually go with a double white mat.
My framer, Jacques Perron, is a perfectionist and rightfully takes pride in his work. Theresa Perron and I are a dynamic duo as we pour over the frames and mats to ensure that the choices we make will be a natural extention of the painting.
What Medium Do You Use?
I paint with watercolour and often combine it with a variation of ink, graphite, silverpoint, or 23 kt gold leaf. Often people assume I’m using acrylics because of the vibrancy of the colour. They are always surprised to learn that these bright and electric hues are accomplished with watercolours. The trick is to apply enough paint to show off the pigments, though one must avoid applying it too thickly or the colour will just die.
You can strictly control watercolour or gently coax it to ride water into fantastical displays of colour and form. You can float and layer the paint for ethereal blends of colour. You can accentuate the transparency of the paint or mix it with white and use it opaquely. And, this is just the beginning of what you can do with it!
What Paper Do You Use?
The paper on which I work is 300lbs Fabriano hot press. It is 100% cotton and particularly smooth. The heavy weight of it allows me to use as much water as I please without the annoying result of a permanently rippled surface. Of course, there are methods to stretch thinner paper to prevent this from happening. But, with heavy paper I can skip any such preamble and just get to painting. Also, the top layer of this paper resists deteriorating when I want to remove paint to create specific effects.
Do You Allow Returns?
I take great care in packing my work for shipping because it is important to me that you receive your painting in perfect condition. If however, there should be any damage to your shipment, claims must be placed immediately and directly with the carrier. All my paintings have arrived safely to this point, even large ones sent to Australia and England.
