Style Advice by Titus - Framing with Black and White.

Who said that framing with black and/or white has to be bland?

 No way!

Framing with a simple black (or white) moulding makes it easy to integrate your art into your environment, 

and lets the art speak for itself.

A clean, well-hung black and white gallery can be a strong statement, and interspersed with some of your favorite mementos it can become an eye-popping experience.

Stairs especially lend themselves to hanging 

black and white family or art galleries:

Vary the size and shape of your art for more added interest:

Or keep it simple and clean:

Set off your wall color with a pop of white

and some interesting shapes:

Or use white to add some whimsy:

We have LOADS of white and black frames to choose from and are always happy to help you design a home gallery like this one we framed for a Charlottesville home a few years ago:

And last (but not least!) don't forget that you can camouflage your secret doorways with a fantastic frame:

Visit us any day on Facebook , Pinterest or at

LaLineBella.com

or 

Tuesdays - Saturdays 

in McIntire Plaza

for more inspiration!

xx 

Titus & Beate

Fun frame fact

Did you know? Frames have been used to protect, present and preserve art for centuries.

One of the earliest frames found in history was a wooden frame attached to a Fayum mummy portrait, dating back to the second century A.D. and the Coptic Period.

These beautiful portraits were done on panels, often using encaustic (and sometimes tempera) paints,  in memory of the deceased. This early form of encaustic painting is often still beautifully luminous. 

These panels were then attached to the mummies for burial, and many have been wonderfully preserved due to the dry climate in Egypt.

Many of them are now on display for us to view, including this beautiful portrait of a young woman from the 3rd Century, which is kept at the Louvre:

For more images, go here.

For more info, go here.

LaLineaBella.com

La Linea Bella !

Fantastic Framing & Art

McIntire Plaza - Charlottesville, VA

New Whites

Roma Moulding's AMBIK in "Shimmering White" on

Lorie Leigh Lawrence's DOUBLE CACTI in our new "Crisp Whites" section in the gallery.

First matted with Crescent's VIVID WHITE Rag Mat

then floated between glass with a 1" border using UV protective glazing,

followed by ROMA Moulding's gloss white "wavy/textured" AMBIK, which is glossy on the face with finger joined pine on the outer and inner edge.

I love the organic texture with the contemporary feeling, cool ,crisp surface right next to those vivid greens!!

(Below: "Prickly Rest", also by Lorie Leigh.)

LaLineaBella.com

La Linea Bella ! Fantastic Framing & Art

McIntire Plaza - Charlottesville, Virginia

2014

ROMA MOULDING & 3LPHOTOGRAPHY

Scouted!

The new SCOUT GUIDE is out, we're a part of it, and the Scout Team is on a mission to keep you up to date with all of the BEST of what's happening in Charlottesville (and beyond!), so don't miss it!

You can pick up a new copy in our showroom!

Click here to read the current guide online:

Follow them, your local favorites (and us) on

Instagram

Pinterest

Facebook

and 

subscribe to the Scout Guide here!

LLB is proud to be part of C-Ville's best of local businesses, featured in this year's issue!

(Jen Fariello caught me painting French mats here.)

LLB brings you great locally artisan hand crafted picture framing, and the best and most creative designs we can help you whip up! 

Stop by Tuesdays - Saturdays to see what's new on our walls or to design your projects

 (we just rearranged and improved our layout) and be inspired!

From contemporary and sleek to classic and ornate, I'll help you come up with a design that will dress up your art - and your walls.

 If you think you need some extra time, just give me a ring at (434) 244-3050 and we can set up a special time.

PS: This May we are celebrating with new art, frames and designs: Happy Birthday, LLB!

See you soon!

Beate

www.LaLineaBella.com

1718 Allied Street, McIntire Plaza

Charlottesville, Virginia 22903

Find us on Pinterest, Facebook, online and/or subscribe to our Newsletter via the website!

Pampered pet? A look behind the scenes:

Recently, our Chief Style Consultant Titus was part of a really lovely blog post by the The Scout Guide.

It was titled "In Praise of the Pampered Pet" and it featured some of The Scout Guide's own alongside other famous (pampered) shop dogs or favorite pets. We loved it and he was super flattered to be a part of it!!

Here's that shot of Titus again, pictured with his favorite ROMA Moulding  basket weave LA TRECCHIA frames (reminds us of a little basket for him to sleep in), and this photo (well, the two photos actually) was taken by Kay Taylor of Sheridan Avenue Studios.

Bow tie courtesy ReThreads Charlottesville (that's where we find or special order the best ties for him!).

But our little man Titus wanted to set the record straight. About being "pampered", that is.

The truth is, when Titus is not modeling or guarding the shop, or helping you design that one super-fab piece you won't ever to be able to live without again, he is hard at work and  helps us out in the workshop, diligently building frames and tending to other important parts of the process. See?

He is an awesome frame builder and thought it was important that you knew how irreplaceable he is at La Linea Bella ! and how much he loves being a part of it all.

So the next time you pop by LLB, give him a pat on the shoulder and go tour the workshop with him. He surely deserves the pat, and he'd love to show you around!

See you soon!

Beate & Titus

c/2014 La linea Bella ! Fantastic Framing & Art - Charlottesville, VA

www.lalineabella.com

Properly storing your art

Every week I get this question: How do I properly store my art?

Everyone knows the sadness that comes over them when they pull out that diploma they thought they had safely stashed away in that cardboard tube in order to frame it later on. It's now half yellow, half white, and irreparably curled for eternity.

Or the now leopard-pattern-spotted (foxed) print of Paris that you "safely" put away in between two sheets of cardboard in your attic or basement five years ago, hoping to frame it when you moved into that new house with more wall space.

Not to mention those irreplaceable family photos from the 70's, showing your parents in denim bell-bottoms and furry "fros" at some great outdoor festival in Colorado (I guess you just got a glance into my past;).

Once they're cracked and faded you'l never get those back. (The photos, not the parents.)

What could have prevented such malheurs?

Here's what I recommend (and it's so easy!):

-Go to your local art supply dealer.

-Purchase some acid free foam core and cut two pieces slightly larger than your art.
(Rag board will do, but it will bend more easily.)

-Purchase some glassine paper or acid free tissue.

-Cut your foam board into two pieces, approximately 1" larger than your art. 

-Fold the acid free tissue/glassine in half and insert your art in between. Then gently fold the rest of the tissue around the three outer edges of the art to safely encapsulate the art. Insert in between your foam board, tape the edges to hold the boards/folder together (NOT masking tape, preferably chose an acid free tape) and "Voila!", you can now store your art. NOT in your attic or basement where there is a lot of fluctuation in temperature and humidity, but in a dry, low-lit space or closet or, actually, underneath your bed is totally fine: wherever you have some air circulation to keep your art dry and unexposed to humidity (or gnawing pets - we've seen it all...).

If you are a print collector like me and you store a lot of art, invest in some acid free print folders/boxes. For serious moisture control, use some Silicone paper.

And for photos, you can purchase special acid free storage boxes. (Purchase all these here.)

If you encounter any damage from improper storage, we recommend consulting a paper conservator to repair as much of the damage as possible. Our favorite resident Charlottesville paper magicians are Robert and Martha Orton of Blue Ridge Book Conservation and I'm happy to tell you more about them and sing their praises, just give me a call or pop by with your art.

Oh, and I forgot to mention the best form of storage: 

Beautiful conservation-minded archival framing!

Not only are you storing your art or documents, you are enjoying them at the same time while they beautify your home and even turn some heads. 

See you soon, I hope this was helpful!

Shoot me any other questions you may have that we can share here.

Beate

c/2014 La Linea Bella ! Fantastic Framing & Art, Charlottesville, VA. 

www.LaLineaBella.com

Thank you!

We wanted to thank everyone for their great enthusiasm and fantastic feedback we've received in the past few weeks: I don't know if it's the super weather or the especially wonderful projects we've been working on, but we love it!

xx

Beate

Fall Newsletter

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