Thursday, November 27, 2014

Our Small Business Story


For the annual celebration of the heart of your local business community, Small Business Saturday, I thought I'd answer some questions that I receive again and again by new and older customers alike to show you what this small business is all about.
 Thanks for making La Linea Bella ! what she is today: she'd be nothing without your projects, visions and ideas! Every day our workshop gets to tackle new creative challenges, and every day, we grow a little bit more.

Thank you!



Where are you from?

I was born and raised in Hamburg, Germany. I moved to the States when I was 19 and love it!

How did you get into framing?

I have always been interested in art. Printmaking is one of my big passions.
After I graduated from the former Corcoran Gallery and School of Art & Design, framing was a natural fit. It's a balanced combination of using your hands, design, precision, aesthetics, left and right brain activity, a love for creating beauty... and of course the side that preserves artwork for the future.
I've been framing since the early 90's and have seen the industry fluctuate over the years, first up and up, then down - and now back up, which is really exciting.
One thing remains: good framing and design will always prevail and are irreplaceable.


How was La Linea Bella ! born?

I've been fortunate to have worked for the best in the field over the years.
I managed some awesome workshops with fantastic artisans on the team.
When I eventually outgrew those workshops, I decided to set out on my own, both as a working artist and as a framer. Both sides took off right away, but the creative world of framing has kept me so busy, that I've put my own art on hold for now and will pick it up again at a later point in time.

Art by Rachel Bush and Fred Dodson in our gallery.

How did you choose your location?

McIntire Plaza has a really unique and creative energy.
(I really think they should call it McIntire Village!)
It is chock full of independent thinking local artists, businesses and craftsmen, including folks like John Rubino, John D'Earth, Jason McLeod, Fred Dodson, and many more. Many of them have been there for decades. From massage therapists to sculptors, the variety of creative occupations runs the gamut, and you can tell that the minute you set foot there.
It's as local as you can get, and I can feel the creative energy and a special sense of community growing every day.
It was a perfect fit for La Linea Bella !


What's your mission at La Linea Bella?

My mission is to take the sense of functionality out of framing a little, and to put the beauty back into it. Framing is a huge part of your aesthetics and the decor in your home. It's like furniture on your wall.It can enhance a piece of art (or a room) - and it can also kill it if done incorrectly.

Recently I have also united with a few fabulous local photographers on a mission to get your photographs off of your computer and onto your walls to integrate those special moments back into your life instead of letting them vanish.
We have wonderful materials and glass choices these days that can diminish past damage on your inherited family photographs, and that can also preserve those photos for future generations.

Click here for our first feature.


Join us this Saturday, November 29th, and on December 6th and 7th, and help us celebrate the small independent artisan businesses at McIntire Plaza. All gifts, photo frames and art will be 20% off all day on Small Biz Saturday, and we'll be open 10 - 5.

Also visit places like ReThreads Charlottesville | Carpe Donut | Jason McLeod Jewelry | CIRCA | C-Ville Coffee | Fred Dodson Woodworking | Flowers by Natalie | Sandy Motley Catering | Glorious Foods | Great Harvest Charlottesville | Pigment | La Linea Bella ! | Carpet Plus| and more!

Thanks for joining us, happy holiday season!

Beate



La Linea Bella !
Fantastic Framing & Art
1718 Allied Street, McIntire Plaza
Charlottesville, VA 22903

(434) 244-3050









Sunday, November 16, 2014

New Collaborative Project: Photography, Digital vs. Print - CAT THRASHER


I am so excited about this project!

It is so obvious how fast images zoom by us today, and alongside those images are the special moments that go along with them.

Poof, they're here, then gone, or filed away in a folder with many others, in the vast world of your computer. In the past, an old photo was 20 years old. Today, a day is already too much age for an image to be interesting.

We're at the border of still remembering going through old inherited or stashed away boxes of old photographs in our parents' attic or basement, and the speed of the newest generation that almost never bothers to print out images and may not even care about any of that "old stuff". 

I remember finding photos of distant (or past) relatives and asking: "Who is that?".
That will soon become a thing of the past unless we reconsider how we treat our photographs or images (and memories).

I invited some of my favorite C'Ville photographers to participate in a collaboration, featuring their view on digital vs. print (and consequently framing and preserving those prints (and their art), and introducing them and displaying them in your every day environment.

First up:

CAT THRASHER

Cat Thrasher Photography



"In this digital age, it's unsettling how few people print and frame their photographs. 
You have to ask yourself, when you take a picture, what does it mean to you? 
Is it significant? Is it special?"

Cat Thrasher



"I would argue that anything that begins and exists in 1s and 0s, on a computer, is a copy. There is no original...there's only a first copy. So when you print and frame a photograph, you're actually creating the first one. That's it, that's the original, hanging on your wall. Until you get to that point, your photographs don't exist in real life."



"When I think about framing my black and white studio portraits, the first thing I think about is how prominent the frame will be, and what impact that will have on the image. When you look at a print, sitting on a table, you have to consider that it is naked, and framing it is like putting on its clothes. One thing I've been obsessed with lately is museum glass, because there is no glare or reflection from the ambient light around the frame, which can really distract from the photo. You get the best view of your photographs through it. I also love to play with the size of the mat, for instance: a big mat with a small photo or a large photo with a smaller mat. You really have to think about the individual image and what kind of treatment it needs. But don't think so hard that you don't do it at all. That's the point where I think some folks get hung up. Because, in the end, the best frame is the one that is hanging on the wall, with the photo in it."




You can also find
on Facebook!

 Thanks Cat!

I look forward to continuing this conversation.

I've invited several other photographers to participate in this exchange - 
check back with us for more!

Ciao, Beate



La Linea Bella ! 
Fantastic Framing & Art

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All Rights Reserved.