Green picture framing for James Brown @ La Jolla Athanaeum

When San Diego architect James Brown approached us about framing for his show “The Third Country/El Tercer Pais” (opening this Thursday April at the Athenaeum in La Jolla), he asked for a simple gallery treatment in a spare natural wood frame. When I asked if he had a lumber preference (from one woodworker to another), Jim threw out that poplar would be his ideal choice.

Now most woodworkers and picture framers doing simple clear finishes (usually wax or a light coat of laquer) or even light to medium stain work will run away screaming from poplar as a material. The wild variations in grain and coloration and can be very challenging to even out and definitely distracting in a picture frame. That said, its a stable, medium density hardwood that when properly dried is stable and load bearing for all kinds of projects– at The Frame Maker we use it for extra sturdy oversize back frames and stretcher bars, i.e. structural frames, not decorative ones.

But Jim has been using poplar for years, especially in his furniture, and sent me this email when I asked him about the poplar (I hadn’t yet seen the drawings yet, nor did I have a clear idea what the show was about).

“I have used poplar in furniture for many years. I like the figuring,
although I have always wished for a secret formula to make it stay green
and not go to brown. Oh well, I like the brown too. There will be some
tables that use poplar in the show, so there is the obvious connection
there. It is easily workable, is stable, holds paint well (although I
would rarely paint it), as you say is ‘managed’, and is pretty cheap.”

Spoken like a true craftsman, concerned with qualities he values, aesthetic appeal, and a good price to boot, all approaches we value here at The Frame Maker.

So what’s the “green design” connection?

Poplar itself is a sustainable wood product, meaning that it is fast growing and reaches the marketplace through managed forestry practices that leave little to no negative impact on the environment or the landscape.

There is a great deal to be learned on this subject in detail through “green” certification agencies like the Forest Stewardship Council, but the ramifications are reasonably clear: in addition to little to no damage being inflicted on the environment, sustainable forestry practices generate stable job situations and communities that don’t dry up when the last tree is gone; rather these communities thrive and grow roots because they are able to bring a perennially needed material (wood) to market reliably season after season.

Okay, if poplar’s so great what about the rest of the frame?

Here is where The Frame Maker’s “act locally” thinking comes into play, because when we buy for some of our larger wholesale and hospitality custom framing projects, the volume at which we buy gives the ability to get “green” products at competitive prices. We also over order so as to save on both unit (lineal foot cost) and shipping costs/energy expended– lots of times, big jobs get an add-on at the end, so if you have a custom run of moulding and no extra, you can have a real hassle on your hands from a large and expectant client!

Overbuying is a great service strategy for big clients, but unusable leftovers can pose a problem. At The Frame Maker, we have a constantly updating sample set of what’s in stock so we can deliver the right stock to the right clients, and this is just what happened with Jim poplar frame request.

We had a leftover stock of custom poplar back frame stock at a full 1″ x 2″, milled for us by our friends at Garret Moulding last year for a huge giclee canvas stretching job, more than two hundred custom oversize pieces for the public areas of a large hospital complex. By milling existing stock into the right profile for Jim’s frames, we saved not only money but time, energy, fuel and new material while providing a truly custom picture frame design exactly to the client’s specifications.

custom milled poplar picture frame moulding

finishing poplar frames

In a similar manner, we identified our enormous stock of white rag mat scrap from the same large job and a small over buy of conservation glass from another hospitality job as sources for Jim’s materials, and through conscientious materials management in the shop, we were able to complete all ten of Jim’s frames without purchasing, shipping or using any new materials except the hardware on the back and the plastic to wrap them safely up.

poplar figure in custom moulding for James Brown

custom picture frames for James Brown

Jim’s show opens at the Athenaeum in La Jolla this Thursday April 2 and runs through May 9, 2009.