Casco Bay Frames & Gallery

Recognition

2011-12-10T06:03:00.000-08:00

Mark moments of accomplishment and pride. Here are some examples of articles we have done in recent years.

Bring in your article and news items and let our experienced staff of artists help you design and layout a piece you will be proud to hang for years.

Fly Fishing Frame

2011-11-03T05:54:00.000-07:00

A great example of a one of a kind project we just completed. Custom Home Builder, Steve Hooper wanted something to remember his recent fly fishing trip to Montana. He provided the map he used to get to the Big Horn River, the fly that he caught the rainbow trout witht and the picture of him. We mounted the map to an solid core cotton mat and cut two custom openings. The frame is recycled barnboard from a barn in Topsham, Maine finished with a water based satin polyurethane.

Hinged Display Case

2011-09-29T03:54:00.000-07:00

A customer presented us with this very special axe and asked us to come up with a way to display it. We designed a hinged shadow box lined with suede matboard to allow the removal of the axe by the owner.

The latch is designed to hold a small padlock to keep the item safe from curious children.

The suede is wrapped around the custom milled barnboard frame. The frame was stained to match the handle of the ax and protected with a water based polyurethane.

The piece is protected by True Vue Museum Glass which filters 99% of harmful UV rays. Due to a special optical coating, the glass has almost no distracting glare. Custom wooden hooks were milled from poplar and stained to match the frame and axe.

Employee/Artist Michael Fraser holding the finished custom box.

MaineHealth Dedication Shadowbox

2011-04-24T05:46:00.000-07:00

A client came to us with a pair of scissors and ribbon used in the dedication of their new building in Portland. Laurel designed two plates for them with their logo and verbiage and worked with Michael to come up with a way to attach the scissors to the shadowbox without being visually distracting and causing no damage to the scissors. The decision was made to use 30 pound test mono filament fishing line.

12th Annual Employee Art Show

2011-04-23T04:07:00.000-07:00

"Winter Morning" Oil on Panel by Mike Marks

The Casco Bay Frames and Gallery Employee Art Show began as a way to introduce customers to a different side of the design team & framers, twelve years later, the Employee Art Show has evolved into so much more. With seasoned and emerging artists on staff who share a long history with one another & their customers, today the Employee Art Show is about showcasing a talented group of Maine artists and giving the community an opportunity to view their recent work

Meet the artists at the Opening Reception on Friday, May 6th from 5-8pm or drop in during Gallery hours: Mon-Fri 10am-6pm & Sat 10am-5pm. Seven artists & co-workers celebrate a vibrant & diverse exhibit that reveals many different aspects of the local art scene. ...Everything... from watercolors, photography to oil paintings & collage work. Staff members include Anne Buckwalter, Tony Cox (store owner), Michael Fraser, Holly Karolkowski, Michael Marks, and Laurel Lopez.

Old Wood New Frame

2011-03-01T04:56:00.000-08:00

A customer had an idea for using old floorboards they removed during a renovation for a frame. They brought us the wood and we worked with them to decide on the appropriate width for their artwork. Two weeks later they had a great framed piece that will be enjoyed for years.

Portland Sea Dogs

2011-02-01T02:10:00.000-08:00

A young man from Bowdoinham was picked to throw out the first pitch at the Sea Dog game this summer. His father came to us to frame the ball, a ticket and a picture of him throwing the pitch and gave it to him for Christmas.

The Mill at Saco Falls, Biddeford, Maine

2011-01-19T03:45:00.000-08:00

Gretchen Roy of the Szanton Company in Portland came to us in the spring of 2010 to discuss their project of using histoical photographs to decorate their latest renovation in Biddeford. The renovation had already begun on the 166 year-old mill into 66 mixed income apartments overlooking the dramatic river and falls separating Saco and Biddeford, Maine. Gretchen's plan to use historical photos and artifacts helps to show people what life was like when the building was operated as a textile mill. After an initial site visit, we suggested photograph sizes, frame color and mat choices that would fit their budget. Incorporated in the fitness center are large flush mounted Artiplaqs, a system of mounting photographs which is in keeping with the modern feel of the equipment. Our installation crew spent two days in October and November hanging, with security fasteners, over 70 pieces throughout the mill's common areas.

Mat Border Widths

2010-10-29T05:34:00.000-07:00

Did you know that mat borders do more than add color around your
art? The original intent of mats was two fold. First was to create a space so the glass wouldn’t come in contact with the art and second was to provide a field of visual relief that prevented the frame from crowding the art and to set the art apart from the rest of the room decor to easily focus on it without distraction. Those concepts are still important today, so keep them in mind. Generously proportioned mat borders will help present your art, making it look its best.

The New Simulation Center at Maine Medical Center

2010-10-24T05:45:00.000-07:00

Our latest corporate framing and installation project was at the new Simulation Center at Maine Medical Center. We were contacted by Paul Lewandowski and Erin Anderson from the architect firm SMRT to frame and install 22 pieces in time for the grand opening at the beginning of October, 2010. With only two weeks from start to finish we met with them in the gallery to finalized frame choices, mat design and hanging hardware.

The job included building five extra-deep shadowboxes for pictures of medical instruments. The "stent" shadowbox is fabricated in-house using two stock frames, removing the lip from one and joining them back-to-back to get the 3.5 inches of depth.

These two large photographs are framed with Neilsen Florentine Silver aluminum frames and hung using a three-point secuity hanging system. In addition to deterring theft, the hanging system eliminates shifting of the pieces against the wall.

Down one of the hallways we hung 6 historical photos of emergency rooms and doctors in action. The mat had healthy 5-inch margins and was lined with a small frame called a fillett.

A close-up of one of the five shadow boxes in the new lobby. The shadowbox is a picture of a military field kit and is getting ready to be hung.

Fish Tank- "after"

2010-08-23T03:36:00.000-07:00

Here is the fish tank complete with frame:

Fish Tank Frame August 2010

2010-08-23T03:33:00.000-07:00

This is a project we did for Brett Johnson of Maine Street Design for a client of his. The challenge was to build a frame to fit around a four foot by 8 foot fish tank. Here is the "before" shot of the tank:

Latest Corporate Installation

2010-08-23T03:24:00.000-07:00

Board Room of Michaud Distributors, Saco, Maine
August 2010

Custom Mat Cutting

2010-03-15T14:26:00.000-07:00

We offer custom mat cutting to fit all of your needs. Here is a recent job for Maine Medical Center.

Custom milling

2010-03-07T19:34:00.000-08:00

Inside my old livestock barn in Bowdoinham, I have set up a woodshop to mill framestock. With a router table, joiner, tablesaw and a thickness planer, I can produce some great simple profiles. Today's from was produced with pine I recycled from a house we renovated in Topsham. Boy did it smell good.

Shadowbox

2010-02-25T07:48:00.000-08:00

Custom shadowbox of an antique pocket watch made with a 2.5 inch solid cherry frame from Vermont Hardwoods. We can do something similar for your treasured heirloom. E-mail me at cox@cascobayframes.com for a personal quote. Thanks, - Tony

Custom Shadow Box Frame for Antique Sword

2010-02-18T08:55:00.000-08:00

This is a custom shadow box frame we built for an antique sword. The box is lined with suede matboard and we built custom wooden hooks to the swords specs. The box is hinged to allow the owner to remove the sword to show.

Corporate Work

2010-02-10T03:17:00.000-08:00

On Monday, February 10, 2010 Mike and I hung
16 pieces at the Magellan Petroluem corporate offices in a beautiful building at 7 Custom House Street. The job took three hours to complete. Learn more about our corporate work at
http://www.cascobayframes.com/contract.php

2010-02-10T03:07:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Casco Bay Frames and Gallery Blog. We offer quality custom picture framing using archival materials. We have been conveniently located in the Hannaford Plaza in Portland for over 30 years. Corporate orders, art sourcing, repairs, ARTIPLAQ mounting, framing supplies, installation, delivery and pick up. Fine American Crafts and unique art from emerging local artists. www.cascobayframes.com