Most importantly, I cut all of our wood frame mouldings and stretcher bars!

This comes with the added responsibilities of having to know everything there is to know about our frame mouldings and planning future projects, on top of machinery maintenance and upkeep! If something breaks, I have to be able to fix it, or learn how to fix it from someone else for the next time it happens.

It’s a really unique intersection in the art world where your technical skills need to be as precise and well versed as your ability to conceptualise a design on top of having a keen eye for colour and the qualities of the materials you’re using. I absolutely love it!

Outside of work, it’s rare to find me in the same place twice. I love running, needlework, photography, watercolour, gaming, and printmaking! I often find myself wishing I could make clones of myself to do everything I want and extra brains to store all the cool things I learn and get inspired by.

Prior to joining the team at Opus, I was a senior framer for a larger corporation that was focused on the full service experience. I learned a lot about the industry standards for framing, and spent a lot of time trying to problem solve how to frame weird things in the most archival way possible! This gave me a really solid foundation of skills and technical knowledge, and a thorough understanding of all the pieces in play that need to come together. Experience in eSports and gaming honed many of my soft skills and - funnily enough - helped introduce me to different cultures and expanded my love for art in all its forms.

Our new frame mouldings are a nod to contemporary modern design. There’s lots of colours, which we were really lacking in, as well as updated takes on natural wood veneer and some really beautiful and elegant metallics. I think there’s something for everyone and I believe they will transcend whatever future design trends come along.

Framing is a balancing act between being classic or being fresh and modern. Our former selection contained a lot of classic styles, but we felt that we were missing options for fun frames, and the ability to choose from a rainbow of colours for any occasion.

We also felt strongly about sustainability as our customers have become more educated about the things they’re purchasing and we likewise, developed a passion for trying to find the best possible products we could. We wanted to bring in suppliers which we really loved, and this led us to Larson-Juhl. Our relationship with them grew after we were invited to tour their warehouse facility in Burnaby to see that they really stand behind their products.

Similarly, there was a surge in travel-related art when pandemic restrictions were lifted. When you’re back from your first vacation out of the country after a few years, you don’t want to pair that funky and bright coloured print with a boring frame, do you? 

FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council. It was created to prevent illegal timber being consumed and is focused on the environment. 

PEFC is the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification and was essentially a build on from FSC to facilitate certification of sustainable forestry, but adapted especially for small scale land owners.

These are important distinctions recognizing the effort Larson-Juhl has invested into making sustainable products. They have a state of the art manufacturing facility in Wisconsin, USA which is super cool and would be fun to visit.

I love playing with textures and thicker ply mats to enhance something that would otherwise be a little monochrome. 

My all-time favourite mat combo would be: 

• coloured mat on the bottom
• textured (or thick) mat
• neutral mat on top 

I think most of my personal pieces have 2, if not 3 mats! I also love juxtaposing widths - having the frame wider than the mat or playing with mat margins, for example.

We will have samples of our new frame mouldings in-store at all locations by the time this article comes out, so please stop by your local Opus to see the new frame mouldings!

At the end of the day, I feel like framing should be treated as an extension of the artwork. However, a trip to your local framers can quickly get overwhelming, especially if it’s your first time. Ask lots of questions, and you might even want to do some research beforehand on some of the terms we use frequently. Pictures of inspiration or mood boards are great tools to help narrow down what you like and don’t like! 

Also, being on the production side of things, I don’t often get to see the finished product. Sometimes while I’m making a frame I imagine what’s going inside! So - please tag us on social media so we can see the cool things you’re doing. 

Please tag us at @OpusPrintSpace or @OpusArtSupplies with your finished products!