What is the inspiration behind the founding of John Davies Framing?
John Davies Framing was founded over 50 years ago by John Davies, following on from working as an art teacher and restorer. It is now a second-generation family business being run by John’s son and step-daughter. Framing is so often overlooked as part of an artwork, but the choice of frame can flatter the appearance of a painting, bringing out the colours and the details to show it at its full potential. The frame is also key in the conservation of artworks, ensuring they are protected from long term damage and becoming a
part of art history.
Can you walk us through the eco-friendly materials and processes you use?
Our wood is sourced from sawmills registered with the Forestry Services Commission and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, providing Chain of Custody Certified Products. We carefully cut our boards to make as much use as possible of the materials with minimal waste. Remaining offcuts and sawdust from our machinery feeds into a biomass boiler to provide heating for the workshop.
Our gold leaf scraps are swept up, filtered and melted down to salvage the material.
How do your sustainable frames compare to conventional framing in terms of durability and aesthetics?
What we produce are stunning frames, made using traditional methods, finished to the highest quality. They can be seen in museums, art galleries, auction houses and private collections around the world. Sustainability is something we try to build into our practices wherever we can, but our focus is on preserving artwork and cultural heritage in frames that show it off at its best.
Can you walk us through the process of crafting a frame from start to finish?
The starting point of any frame is to draft precise designs and scale drawings, specifically tailored to the dimensions and needs of each individual painting or mirror.
Next, we pick and cut the wood. For a polished frame we choose planks of exquisite pearwood, known for its rich tones and fine grain, laminated onto thick trenched pine for additional support and durability. For a carved frame we choose limewood which is soft enough for controlled carving whilst retaining crisp details.
We carefully assemble each frame’s structure by layering together each element by hand, gluing, pinning, and clamping to ensure precision and durability.
Once the glue dries, we hand-sand the frames to achieve the smoothest surface possible.
To achieve the perfect French Polished frame we polish them in two stages. First, we apply around seven layers of stain and button polish, sanding between each layer. Then we add an additional seven layers of button polish, culminating in a fine wax polish smoothed with fine wire wool for a flawless finish.
For a carved frame a thin layer of gesso is applied over the wood to provide a surface to gild onto. This is then brushed with a coloured clay called “bole” which helps to give the final colour and lustre to the frame. Leaves of 23.75 carat gold leaf are laid by hand using a gelatine size to adhere them to the surface. According to the preferences of the client we then burnish, tone and distress the frame to achieve just the right effect to create the ideal finish.
Are there any historical framing techniques that inspire your craftsmanship?
Our techniques are very much rooted in traditional methods of frame manufacture, combined with innovations of the modern world. We have machinery that can begin some of the processes of roughing out the carving or preparing the profiles, but all carving is hand finished and some is crafted completely by hand according to the needs of the particular design. All of our frames are hand built and hand finished in much the same way as has been done for hundreds of years. We are not a framer who works from existing lengths of moulding cut and glued together, rather we start from planks cut from the tree trunk, working with the raw wood for a truly bespoke product of exceptional quality.
