April 15, 2017
Rodrigo Luff creates ethereal, nature influenced art with women and animals as central features. We recently bought a piece from Rodrigo and customized a frame to match the artwork. Due to the theme of the piece, we wanted every aspect customized to Rodrigo's artwork. It is a closed-corner, hand carved 22 carat gold gilded frame.
The completed frame design.
Closed corner or finished corner framing is one of the founding techniques of framing. It's an old European method that entails finishing a frame after joining the corners as opposed to before. Most modern frames are built from moldings that are pre-finished and chopped into one long length then joined. This is done to save on cost and to speed up efficiency since it is quicker. Often high end frames with carvings are closed cornered so that the patterns are symmetrical and match perfectly. Since Rodrigo's frame is hand carved, closed corners were ideal.
Close up of the hand carved finish on the Rodrigo Luff custom frame.
Hand carving first showed up in framing around the 12th or 13th century. It began to be used mainly in churches before becoming a feature that could be seen in art framed outside of religious use. With the progression of technology, ornate carved frames are more accessible, however hand carved works are still considered a luxury. Gilding is a technique that has a close history with carving. After the joining and carving process, gesso or an oil base is applied to the frame followed by the gold leaf powder. Viewing the completed frame with Rodrigo's artwork was a magical experience.
An original art piece by Rodrigo Luff.
Born in El Salvador, Rodrigo and his mother moved to Australia when he was three years old. He then went on to attended Ashton Art School in Sydney. After graduating he received multiple opportunities for solo shows in the US, so he quit his job in Australia to focus on fine art full time. Since then his career has really taken off. He co-curates the annual "The MoleSkine Project" for Spoke Gallery and is represented by ThinkSpace Art Gallery. The mission of the MoleSkine Project is to share artist notebooks from all genres with the public. He is currently based in Sydney and continues to travel the world exhibiting his art. For more info about Rodrigo, check out his website or Instagram. To view our latest framing projects follow us on Instagram or stop by for a quote.
Original art by Rodrigo Luff.
