Before and After

Often times customers bring in a piece that is already framed, that they would like to have reframed.
These are two examples. The portrait of a woman was recently framed at another shop (we won't name names) and the customer didn't like what they did. The picture is a small 2"x2" polaroid.
It feels cramped and  lost in the middle of the light matte and the frame is much too large. We cut a white matte to give the photo space and made a silver fillet inside a darker matte to focus your attention onto the image.  Then we cut down the customer's frame, the before frame was 14"x 14"
our after frame is 12"x12".


On this original drawing by Diego Rivera, we lightened the piece up with an 8 ply cotton rag matting,
adding a gold fillet inside. The frame is a hand stained layered black with 24k gold leaf lip. UV plexi as the glazing.  The original framing was too dark and heavy and didn't give it the eminence it deserves.

Area Code 213

Random Custom Framing used to be Random Gallery.  We were located on Figueroa St., near Avenue 60, walking distance from where we are now. The gallery opened in April of 1993
and closed in the Spring of '98. During that time we did framing for artists & galleries mostly.
Earlier this year I got a call from someone wanting to know if we (on Avenue 64) were the same business and if any of the same people were still there.Yep, same business and I'm still here.  He explained that he lives in San Francisco and his wife bought a piece of art at an estate sale in Washington. The piece had a Random stamp on the back, with our phone number (213)550-8000.
He figured out that it was framed between 1993 -1998,  since in '98 the area code changed to 323.  I didn't even remember that!The artwork had broken from it's hinges and slipped in the frame. He was going to be in LA for a few days, could I fix it.  This is the piece.  After all these years, seems to have held up quite well.

Black & White & "smoke"

Warhol, "Flowers",  Black & White Screenprints, 1974 - 27" x 41"edition of 100.
All three pieces needed to be reframed, two were in plexi boxes (and had sustained moderate smoke damage).  The third needed to match the set.  We unframed them and were able to remove about half of the damage using paper cleaning/restoration techniques.
In the design process our customer chose a walnut moulding with an oxidized/black wax finish.
The pieces were floated on oversized cotton rag mat board with matching spacers and UV plexiglas,
finished with a wood strainer for strength.
They are currently hung by cleats at their new home in Manhattan, packed and shipped by Eric and his crew at Box & Ship in Pasadena.

"I could fix that old sign for you"

     We haven't updated this site in a long time.  Our new sign may be one of the reasons we have been too busy to blog .  Painted for us at the end of summer 2013 by Emmanuel Sevilla.  Emmanuel came to us a couple of years ago regarding a framing project.  Getting to know him we discovered he is an incredibly talented graphic artist and sign painter. We had the idea that we wanted to advertise in a way that looked like the signage had been on our building for a very long time. Perhaps it is not what would nave been painted in 1906, but it is an homage to sign paintings from the 1920's and 30's.  Many have said,"we never noticed the sign", or "hasn't that always been there?". That is the way we wanted it to be.

Mindy Alper@Rosamund Felsen Gallery

Mindy Alper and Kate share a friendship that goes back to 1994, Mindy showed in the original Random Gallery (on Figueroa), a show titled "drawing on the wrong side of the brain", as Kate remembers, she sold a lot of work.  This May 4th, 2013 Mindy had her third exhibit at
The Rosamund Felsen Gallery in Bergamot Station.  The show included magnificent sculpture of wire and paper mache', and several drawings, framed by us. She continues to have great success. Mindy is our dear friend and as visitors to our home, as well as the shop, can attest, we are big fans as well.

This is Douglas' brother David and his new
friend Myron Kaufman
just a couple of the many guests at Mindy's reception.

Jeffery Vallance

Alan Weiner of Mainfield Projects works with unique collectors and brings compelling art and challenging presentations into Random.  I often reach out to our friend Herb Rabbin for projects like these.  We wanted to show the information/propaganda on the reverse of "The Dear Leader Smiles #1", a Jeffrey Valance piece, we also wanted the mounting to be maple to match a maple frame.  We chose 3/8 inch maple plywood and enlisted Herb's help in cutting out the rear window.  I used a waterbased poly topcoat on the backing and maple spacers,  Maloof Oil and beeswax on the frame.  Museum glass made for a seamless presentation.

Alta Eats (Open!)

Our friend Paul Ragan brought us a poster  that he wanted to place in his new restaurant, Alta Eats.   Because of its size, it it did not have the impact he was hoping for.  With help from our building partners Artworks, we created a larger giclee' on canvas, stretching it on 1 inch stretcher bars. Using a Z bar hanging system, it is mounted it on the wall opposite the open kitchen.   Paul is a great friend and we are anxious for the opening of Alta Eats.

Our trip to the Fair

We are lucky to work with many on the faculty at Art Center College of Design, one is Jason Holley.

His art reminds me of Audubon book plates, old and new together.  The Red Truck Gallery included his work while participating in the LA Art Fair 2013.  Our frames were an oxidized walnut and mahogany wax.

Read all about it

The challenge was to frame this 100 year old piece of newspaper so it could be viewed from both sides. It is suspended between UV glass and UV plexiglas, floated due to the uneven edges. The moulding is walnut. We achieved the dark frame finish using a technique that is as old as the newspaper itself. The hanging hardware is repurposed vintage clothes hooks and drawer pulls.

When Anne came in to pick up the piece she said it was exactly what she had envisioned. Then she asked if we wanted to know how she knew about our shop? Of course we did. She was at Michael's art supply inquiring about having the piece framed there and the framing salesmen said, "this is not something we are able to do". Just then an anonymous customer at Michael's said, "you should go to Random Framing, they can do all kinds of things". I thought it was one of the funniest referral stories I'd ever heard and I'd really like to know who that person was!

Kate

Box O' Blades

The art of Leigh Salgado lends itself to a unique presentation. Kate covers gator board w/fabric suspending the artwork with metal posts and enclosing it in a plexiglass box. "The Birds and The Bees" is part of a show at La Luz de Jesus Gallery.

Douglas

Random Ladies

We worked with The Judson Studios putting a frame and a rather large piece of glass around Our Lady of Guadalupe. Measurements were made of the Italian mosaic secured in the offices of the Archdiocese. Glass was cut and delivered to our shop. The frame was sized to the glass. Mosaic, frame and glass were assembled on the premises. The Virgin Guadalupe was installed in the courtyard of The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles, CA. The frame is 43"x67", walnut, w/a walnut fillet. Consideration for the outdoor elements prompted us to use double paned glass, the finish is an oil based stain with an exterior water-base top coat. Thank you to our friend and consultant Alan Weiner.

• Douglas

The Variety of White

Kate and I (w/the help of Glenn Nord) moved Random to its present location in 2006 and in 2006 some of our first frames were painted white, using an Enduro product we referred to as white white. White is still a popular closed corner color, but we have since formulated a paint we call "plexi white". When used in combination: UV plexiglass, a white mat and a "plexi white" frame amount to a seamless presentation.

At the 2011 LA Art Fair we helped Artworks Fine Art Publishing and the David Lawrence Gallery display a work by Robert Williams entitled "The Persuasion of Right Angles".

• Douglas

19 frames off to New York

"Premonition" 53"x48" mission brown dye, ash acrylic, raw umber wax

We started working with Alex Gross on this project back in May of this year. His show "Discrepancies" shipped the last week of August and opened September 11, 2010 at the Jonathan Levine Gallery in New York City. Alex's work is oil on canvas, stretched over wood panels. Many were quite large and deep, framed using double bass wood profiles. The finishes were of dyes and stains, layered with black or white paint, rubbed out with steel wool and wax. Some of our most labor intensive work and some of our most satisfying results.

Douglas

Honing Random Angles

Kate and I worked on a project for Chris and her husband Carlos. Carlos was awarded the Yale Medal and wanted to display the honor in such a way that both sides of the coin could be viewed. With the help of Herb Rabbin, of SnowDome Service, we fashioned a frame that rotates on a plexi glass arm. The frame is walnut, the mat, wrapped in fabric, holds the medal in place. Mounted on the wall, it works.

• Douglas