A painting for a vintage frame ... ~ Nelley Kelley Designs

It is no secret that I love vintage frames. I use them for one of a kind mirrors and I use them to frame some of my artwork. Sometimes the found frame inspires the artwork that I create. The other day I popped in to my favorite antique and curiosity shop in Concord, Nesting, to poke around for some inspiration. Way in the back room was a box of frames that were calling to me. I picked out a couple of frames that had old bleached wood – no ornamentation just a clean and weathered patina. One of them in particular was whispering ideas to me from the moment I left the shop.

Sometimes inspiration comes easily and I know immediately what I want to paint and exactly how I plan to execute the painting. With the frame in view, I just went to work, taped up my paper and began to build up my background with the flowers soon to follow. I just love when I get a moment of clarity and can just plunge ahead into a project.

Here it is mostly done … I like to let it sit out a day or two before I sign it and call it a day. Usually, I’ll add or subtract something here or there but in this case a little tiny bit of shading was all that I wanted and then I made myself walk away so I wouldn’t mess with it anymore.

a perfect pairing – my flowers for a vintage frame : “Picked” by EKM

My favorite part of all is when it all comes together – in this case, the perfect frame with the perfect painting. Most days it is the other way around. I paint first and then imagine how I want to frame my artwork to show it off in the best possible way. But sometimes I run across a perfect accessory that really does make the outfit. Even though the frame is antique, the simplicity of it keeps it fresh and modern and the floral painting contained within is a nice juxtaposition.