Ethereal Sky, 24×30” oil on canvas
I have been working with one of my favorite framing companies this week to get a custom frame for a commissioned piece that I recently finished. Why all the fuss about the frame? Because all artists understand that the frame is the final finishing touch to a masterpiece. It doesn’t just protect the work; it’s a part of the work and enhances its beauty. A masterpiece does not look right in just any old frame. Try several different frames on a painting with a variety of wood stains or colors and you’ll immediately see the difference. Imagine you were given a well-known masterpiece like the Mona Lisa and it was unframed. Regardless of how much money you had to spend, it’s unlikely you’d just go to the nearest department store and purchase the cheapest, pre-made frame available. Since the Mona Lisa is a masterpiece, you’d either get the best frame you can find or, even better, consult an expert to help you make the right choice.
Leave The Framing To The Artist
Yet when it comes to the masterpiece of your life, how often do you take matters into your own hands? Framing is often an area you want to have control over instead of God the artist, but later wonder why your life is unattractive or doesn’t seem right, causing you to blame God. It’s sad, unfortunate and unnecessary. Your job is to focus on what’s on your Life Palette, leaving the framing to the artist. The other problem with a cheap frame is it can cause such tension for the viewer that they perceive the art itself as junk. The right frame, though, will cause the piece to shine. Every brush stroke will come alive, and those who view the piece hanging on a wall will be drawn to it and it will speak the message the artist wanted to convey.
The Cost Of Framing A Masterpiece
Of course, framing a painting is not cheap. Framing a masterpiece is even more expensive. Some people will spend as much on a frame as they do for the painting. Artists and collectors understand the value a quality frame adds to their collection. In 1991 at Sothby’s in London, one 400-year-old frame sold for $947,000. A masterpiece painting is of such value and worth that it is worthy of investing in a quality frame.
You, too, are worthy of a quality frame. Why? God has created you as His masterpiece. And He has willingly paid for your life to be framed in His love, grace and mercy. It is a frame that causes your life to be displayed in the way He intended as the artist of your life – as a masterpiece!
(This blog is adapted from the book Life Palette)
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