As you may have seen, our most recent advertising campaign focused on showcasing different custom framers and their talent and expertise. As an addition to the campaign, we asked the featured framers to provide a framed project to be displayed at our booth at the West Coast Art and Frame Expo (WCAF) in January. This post focuses on the project Will Velasco of Will Frame It in Glenview, IL created.

 

 

The moment

 

We gave each framer from the campaign the opportunity to frame anything they wanted, and the pieces ranged from treasured family photographs to military heirlooms. Will chose to capture the tradition of the circus, something he considered a part of his childhood and previous generations.

 

 

“Circuses are changing, and some are even coming to an end,” said Will. “I wanted to pay tribute to the performers who enjoyed entertaining audiences so much and the fond memories of those who loved going to the circus.”

 

 

The design

 

Will started with a series of five mini posters to highlight the variety of acts that have been a part of the circus over the years, including trapeze artists, tightrope-walkers, performers on horseback, jugglers and, at the center, the clowns, the most iconic of circus performers. Below a collection of gold and red tickets that sits under the clown poster is a toy clown mounted on a colorful base, drawing the viewer’s eye to the center of the piece.

 

 

The Bella Moulding frame from the Zoot Suit collection (#618698) gives the piece a colorful perimeter. Will created depth using an extender made from Larson Juhl moulding from the Tate collection (#442650). The Bainbridge matting in Gold Coin (#4720) provides a rich backing for the circus memorabilia with contrasting Artique mat board in Brilliant Blue (#4925) lining the sides of the interior. The fillet framing the individual posters is from the Larson Juhl Mantilla collection (#120662). Will fashioned curtains from a deep red velvety fabric, tailored for a vintage circus look.

 

 

Working with Optium Museum Acrylic®

 

The piece is glazed with Optium Museum Acrylic®, the perfect protection to display the vibrancy, texture and three-dimensional details with maximum clarity. Optium Museum Acrylic offers 99% UV protection and is abrasion and shatter-resistant. Also, the anti-static feature of Optium makes it ideal for framing pieces with fabric.

 

 

“We are grateful that Tru Vue® gave us the opportunity to be creative and try something different,” said Will. “It inspired all of us here at Will Frame It. There is a learning curve, but you need to try new things to succeed in business nowadays.”