The high cost of improper custom framing!

You, too, can be a picture framer. It is one of the easiest professions to enter. You can find an inexpensive storefront...or take a position with a national chain. You can handle expensive art and cherished memorabilia for clients with minimal training and experience...and you might even get away with your lack of competency...for a time.

Here is an edited version of recent e-correspondence. Perhaps when you read it, you will understand why the Gallery One staff is insistent that clients work exclusively with CERTIFIED PICTURE FRAMERS (they exist throughout the country) for the good of their valuables.

Email to Gallery One
I am interested in the price of Stephen Lyman's "Evening Light," released in 1990. Thanks

Email from Gallery One
The print should retail for about $4500 - MINT, NEVER FRAMED. Thanks. Alan

Email to Gallery One
I inquired because I just bought a such a Lyman print at _____________(name withheld). It was framed back in 2007 and the person (they said) never came to pick it up. I gave them $150 for the print. Did I get a good buy? Thanks.

Email from Gallery One
You may have gotten a great buy depending upon how the print was framed and its present condition. Is it floated behind the mat? Or taped? If it was not framed according to conservation requirements, it may be worth very little. Alan

Email to Gallery One
Thanks again, Alan. I understand the print was dry-mounted. Does that affect the price?

Email from Gallery One
Yes, it devalues the work significantly. Your signed and numbered, limited edition print was treated the way a $20 poster should be treated. It is like taking a mint condition stamp, licking it, and putting it on a letter. Shame on the custom framer. In any event, at $150, you have a bargain. But it will never be worth $4500. Perhaps the original owner discovered that the framer was incompetent and made a financial settlement.

Email to Gallery One
Thanks very much for your time. I will definitely look you up when I make future purchases.

That's all for now!
Norah Lynne Brown

Thom Does Gallery One!

Well, it has taken our staff nearly two weeks to come down from our Kinkade Event "high."

Thom's long-anticipated Gallery One visit on October 17 flew by...leaving images of devoted fans and new collectors mixed in with Kinkade books, canvases and even a prized original drawing that was auctioned off to a lucky collector. It was a great weekend.

The new (the start of a series) Christmas Chapel I "O Come All Ye Faithful" was among the show's best sellers. It was unveiled before a packed house during Thom's lecture. You could hear the "oohs" and "aahs" blocks away.

We thank you all for your kind notes and emails telling us how much you enjoyed the event. We'll try to answer all of you. In the meantime, click the big square Kinkade button on home page for pictures of the event.

A special heartfelt thank you to the fabulous Kinkade staff that accompanied Thom to Mentor: Rick Barnett, Jason McCall and Rhonda Bunch.

NOW, here is some trivia for Kinkade buffs:

Thom has placed a total of 25 N’s in Christmas Chapel I, O Come All Ye Faithful in tribute to his wife Nanette, as well as in celebration for his 25 years as a published artist.

Did you know that the top five selling CHAPEL images of all time are 1) Mountain Chapel, 2) Forest Chapel, 3) Streams of Living Water, 4) Sunday Evening Sleigh Ride and 5) Dogwood Chapel?

Did you know that the top five selling CHRISTMAS scenes of all time are 1) Holiday Gathering, 2) Village Christmas, 3) Blessings of Christmas, 4) Sunday Evening Sleigh Ride and 5) Lights of Liberty?

In this work, Thom features a new technique called “the radiant palette,” where he intensifies the mid range. This makes the glow more intense and radiant than ever, while the shadows grow darker.

Christmas Chapel I, O Come All Ye Faithful features a country church — with an old-fashioned celebration of Christmas in the country — an intimate gathering of family and friends on Christmas Eve.

This is a classic timeless image of Christmas. Thom’s favorite part is the ragged cross on the steeple. He wanted to portray the light of hope that we can have during Christmas. The cross is a symbol of hope.

Christmas Chapel I, O Come All Ye Faithful is a celebration of details, with a Christmas Eve service in progress — the log building glowing with light pouring out. We can tell that people are inside celebrating, with a fire to keep them warm, maybe even singing the hymn, “O Come All Ye Faithful.”

That's all for now.

Norah Lynne Brown