Didja know that the first ready-made paint was sold by colormen in pig’s bladders which you punched a hole in to get the paint out and then sealed with a tack? Yeah, us neither. Fortunately for all the vegetarians out there, and those of us who are easily grossed out, the American portrait painter John Goffe Rand invented the collapsible metal tube in 1841. If you think that doesn’t matter much to ya, think about it the next time you’re brushing your teeth ’cause the first toothpaste tubes were inspired by paint tubes.
“My invention related to a mode of preserving paints and other fluids by confining them in a close metallic vessel so constructed as to collapse with slight pressure and thus force out the paint or fluid contained therein… a screw-cap as is show, by which means the fluid contained can be from time to time removed and the end closed air-tight by the cap.” – John G Rand’s patent for the invention of the paint tube
‘Gonna step out from behind the blogging desk today and ask you a question. Y’see, we are in the customer service business, first & foremost. In order to be good at our job and give you what you want from a quality frame store, we need to know what you think of us and our product. Maybe you’ve never done framing before and you have questions about it. Maybe you’ve been in one of our stores and you have a compliment, complaint, or suggestion you’d like to make. Or perhaps you only know us online and you have some input about this blog – either a comment about the nature of the site so far, or something that you’d like to see featured. Whatever your two cents may be, we’d really like to hear it. In fact, we dedicated an entire page of our brand new website to customer testimonials.
Now, don’t be sheepish. There are lots of ways to contact us. Feel free to comment directly on the blog site or you can use one of the email addresses or phone numbers here on our newly updated website. We really do think of our customers, our staff, and the neighborhoods where our 14 stores are as one community. And we thrive on hearing from you all.
When we first saw these animals painted by Guido Daniele, we weren’t quite sure what we were looking at. And even after you know how it’s done, his work still creates an incredible illusion. Check out the video at the end to see how he makes the magic happen.
These amazing paintings by Brooklyn artist Holton Rower might leave you wondering exactly how they were made, except that they’re part of a series called “Pour.” And if that doesn’t give it away, here’s a video of one being made. We love the paintings, altho’ we can’t help thinking that seeing how it’s done makes it that much sweeter.
Uh, oh – don’t look now, but it looks like we may be wrapping up the week with a theme: artificial life… as art. Not long ago, we heard a story on the NPR show Radiolab that’s so uncanny it almost doesn’t seem true. It goes like this – in 1562, the 17-year-old crown prince of Spain, Don Carlos, fell down a flight of stairs and injured his head so badly it was doubtful he’d survive. His father, King Philip II, the most powerful man in the world at the time, promised that if God saved his son he’d repay him with a miracle of his own. (you can see this coming, right?) Shortly thereafter, for reasons that aren’t entirely clear, Don Carlos did indeed recover. In order to fulfill his oath King Philip commissioned a renowned clockmaker, Juanelo Turriano, to construct a miniature penitent homunculus – a monkbot. After 450 years, this thing is still in perfect working order at the Smithsonian Institution. Driven by a key-wound spring, the monk walks in a square, striking his chest with his right arm, raising and lowering a small wooden cross and rosary in his left hand, turning and nodding his head, rolling his eyes, and mouthing silent obsequies. From time to time, he brings the cross to his lips and kisses it. A gift from man to God, perhaps – but also an amazing work of skill and craftsmanship. And perhaps the world’s first robot?
And now for something completely different. A friend sent us a link to this movie trailer and we almost didn’t watch it. The name “Rock-afire Explosion” didn’t mean anything to us and there was no indication what type of movie it was. When we watched it out of curiosity, it hit us on so many different levels.
Before Chuck E Cheese usurped the pizza-restaurant-with-animatronic-band niche, there was the Rock-afire Explosion. This 2008 movie is about its legacy and the people it impacted. Sound cheesy? Yes, and only kinda. While we haven’t had the pleasure of getting our greasy little hands on a copy of this yet (free screener copy anyone?), the trailer makes it appear to encapsulate everything dear about the human experience. Love, art, loss, a reason to live, the importance of one’s childhood – all told with a quirky bent that almost no one watching could have imagined. And yet, we’re drawn to the subjects and their attempt to achieve the impossible dream – to freeze time and live in their happy-place forever.
Too grandiose? We’ll see. Who wants to watch with us?
“I Know You Art, But What Am I?” is the cute title of Gallery 1988′s Pee-Wee Herman show going on now thru August 19. There aren’t too many other pop culture personalities that have made an impression on the 80s the way that Paul Reuben’s Pee-Wee Herman did. Now, the generation that grew up on the tv show, Pee-Wee’s Playhouse and the film, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure have come of age and Pee-Wee has been making a come back of sorts these past few years. The wide variety of styles and interpretations of the show are evidence that Pee-Wee’s got some lasting appeal, regardless of the age of his fans.
Alright, cue the “Tequila” theme.
This is an amazing sale – Big Picture Framing is offering half-off custom Roma frames thru August. Roma frames are hand-finished Italian frames – each one is truly unique. They feature applications of gold and silver leafing, genuine woods, exotic veneers, patinas, superior lacquers and finishes, all done by hand. Our framers get excited whenever we can use one of these in a design ’cause the job always ends up looking beautiful. Here’re some pics to give you an idea. But the real proof is seeing them in person, so come on in this month!
Didja know that the first ready-made paint was sold by colormen in pig’s bladders which you punched a hole in to get the paint out and then sealed with a tack? Yeah, us neither. Fortunately for all the vegetarians out there, and those of us who are easily grossed out, the American portrait painter John Goffe Rand invented the collapsible metal tube in 1841. If you think that doesn’t matter much to ya, think about it the next time you’re brushing your teeth ’cause the first toothpaste tubes were inspired by paint tubes.
