Just about anything can be turned into a lovely piece worthy of hanging on a wall.
With custom framing – and a little creativity – anything from kilts to trading cards to sports memorabilia can be made into art.
Those types of projects have been abundant for the team at Martin’s Framing, particularly over the past several months.
Brian Chauvin came to Martin’s Framing with a set of Spider-Man trading cards he wanted to have framed to display at home. The large set of cards, 81 in total, were unique in that they also made nine large pictures when put together – kind of like a puzzle of trading cards.
“We made an amazing Spider-Man mosaic with nine pieces in each window, but still together in one large frame,” recalls Tracy Kilgour, who owns Martin’s Framing with Jeff, her husband.
Brian collected the Marvel Comics trading cards in 1998 and stored them in card-specific sheets in a binder with the idea of one day doing more with them. The collection has a nostalgic feel: Brian has fond memories of his dad taking him to convenience stores to pick up packs of these cards.
“I had a vision because each set of nine cards creates their own image and I always wanted a whole frame of them to see what happens,” recalls Brian. “When I spoke to Tracy, we talked about separating them into singles instead of one big frame. So, we came up with the idea of doing a matte where each one is separated into its own image but in one big frame.”
This allows each individual card, plus the larger image they create when put together in order, to be appreciated by the viewer.
“I love it,” says Brian. “We also thought about doing nine individual frames, but I wanted them together in one big frame because it’s a masterpiece with each image having its own spotlight as part of the whole.”
Family heirlooms
The Martin’s Framing team has also worked on several other interesting framing projects recently, including kimonos that were purchased in Japan in the 1970s; war medals from WWI and WWII; historic kilts passed down through the generations; old tennis rackets and rowing oars; and more.
“These pieces are part of a family’s history, so each has its own story behind it,” says Tracy. “Creating art from what you already have in your house is a wonderful way to both commemorate the past and preserve it for future generations.”
TEXT CHRIS OCCHIUZZI | PHOTOS ANDREW FEARMAN
