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Found, Framed, and (Finally) Out There

A long, long time ago (as in, maybe last summer), Scott found this frame in the trash. Sad, really, because it’s an actual oil painting, and for some reason, I just can’t fathom how people could toss art so freely. (Although, I’ll fully admit that this could be the result of years of studio lock down and no matter how much I loathed the outcome of my oil painted still lives, I just couldn’t “forget” them in my locker cubby or leave them behind in those college day apartments. Instead, I carried them around for years until finally purging them at a yard sale.)

It was definitely in need of love, even aside from the thick coat of dust you can see here. And while you’d think I was “pro” painting after the rant above, we actually had plans to crack that baby out and replace it with something more, um, fitting for us.

But after checking out the back, it was tough to say what was holding the original painting in place. There were no staples or nails that I could see, and after prying at the edges with my fingers (and getting a splinter in the process), I finally reached for the big guns. Or, our hammer.

This meant bad news for Williams-Baer, but you won’t be surprised to learn that we kept the painting, therefore continuing the tradition of holding on to art for years to come. And for no apparent reason, other than that whole pesky guilt thing, of course.

After a few good whacks on the front of the painting, it became loose enough for me to see that there were hidden nails wedged in around the edges. Once I was able to get the top half mostly nail-free, it was no problem to pull the whole thing out – and with nary a nick to the cabin scenery.

Of course, this is the part where our counter tops were covered in dust, dirt, and wood splinters (followed by the stale smell of old… just old, you know?), but a clean, water wipe down and rub of mineral oil salvaged the frame quite nicely. A few cotton swabs made sure all the decorative elements were squeaky clean, and I even whipped out the lint roller to pull up any grime that may have settled in to the fabric matting.

We picked up custom cut glass from our local Ace hardware (for cheap! So cheap! $2.50 cheap!) and even got away with some old, flat cardboard they had on hand. Once the glass, print, and board were in place, we used a staple gun to hold everything in place.

And so – at last! – a rolled up print finally got a home. Purchased from a student sale at the Chicago Art Institute (my former work stomping grounds), this vibrant screen print is finally ours to enjoy. It seems our dumpster find is the perfect complement to those chair frames, and what a happy accident that the size was just right.

You’ll notice we bottom weighted the actual print, leaving a thin, white stripe at the top but a fatter one at the bottom. We did this so the artist’s name, Bo Kim, was visible (and because we love, love, love signed work!). There is a method to our madness, after all. We’re even in to that whole distressed wood look we’ve got going on. A little pocked, a little chipped, but very clean and oh, so right.

Yeah, we’re on a little print kick lately. (And possibly a chair + teal kick, too.) But man are we happy to dig up some long, lost pieces of art and get them out in the open – where they should have been all along. And now that we know cut glass is a steal, we won’t be hesitating to scoop up all those ugly (but wonderful) frames we find at the flea. Yeah right, as if we hesitated before, but still. Now we have all the more reason.

Don’t forget! The generous giveaway from Row Boat Press ends tomorrow. To get your mitts on your own custom framed print, enter right here.

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  • RocketGirl1.31.11 - 11:05 AM

    That looks fantastic! The color is gorgeous.ReplyCancel

  • […] Go here to see the original: Found, Framed, and (Finally) Out There | Yellow Brick Home […]ReplyCancel

  • Cait @ Hernando House1.31.11 - 5:30 PM

    LOVE the print you framed! The painting that was originally in the frame reminds me of one my grandparent’s had over their mantle for years (which I actually kind of miss.)ReplyCancel

  • ann1.31.11 - 6:25 PM

    Guys,
    Cool print. Great job on the frame.
    DaveReplyCancel

  • Marietta Remodeler2.1.11 - 8:43 PM

    Love the frame, been using teak oil to restore wood too, it’s a classic method, and boy does it look better. I hate to say it, but being that I’m kinda “old school”, I like the cabin scene better than the vibrant chairs, but you know what they say…”beauty is in the eye of the beholder” :-)ReplyCancel

  • Amanda2.7.11 - 8:25 PM

    Awesome! Love that graphic print and the distressed look of the frame.ReplyCancel

  • Daniel2.14.11 - 10:41 PM

    The frame looks new! Well, not really, but it looks very clean. The painting makes the frame look new! =) What happened to the original painting that was in the old dusty frame?ReplyCancel

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We’re Kim + Scott, Chicago based content creators behind the Home + Lifestyle brand Yellow Brick Home.

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