Classic Art Of Stratford Picture Framing
1060 Ontario Street N5A 6Z3 Stratford, ON, Canada

COVID19 STOP THE SPREAD SMASH THE CURVE!! We are temporarily closed in respect of Covid19 self-distancing requirements and also the government's shut-down decision. If you wish to contact the shop for any reason, please feel free to call us at 519-271-9518. Leave a message and I will return your call.... If you have a project in with us at this time, please rest assured that we are working to clear everything we have in-house and will contact you to arrange safe pick up or delivery. Thank you - Support local - and STAY SAFE!

The Great One... signed #99. Note the mat colours and the colour and finish of the frame. All selected to compliment and highlight the colours in the photo.

A shadow box commemorating the final regular season game at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. The tickets are set into a recess with the mat under them internationally "dirtied up" to match the ticket at the top left. This was a really fun piece to deliver to our customer. To quote, "a home run".

A signed PLATINUM BLONDE drum head. We captured it in a couple of layers of precisely (circular) cut black foamcore and then applied a reverse cut mat on top, capturing it in place with the round metal frame of the drum head still showing. No damage done to the drum head - a small amount of two-side tape under the metal to keep it from turning.

Two pieces recently framed by Classic Art. Both are limited (very... 25 only) edition, signed & numbered prints of stained glass works by sculptor Peter Allan Rice. For both pieces we chose a rustic and weathered looking frame, both times addressing the subject of the piece. The bottom mat creates a 1/4" wide band of colour, picking up on an element of colour in the piece and making it really pop. Finished with a neutral top mat, solid core so that there is no white line... at the inside where the opening cut is made. Peter's spectacular original works can be viewed and purchased this weekend at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 10365 Islington Avenue, Kleinburg, Ontario. Friday from 6 to 10pm, Saturday & Sunday from 10am to 5pm. I attended the Opening Gala on Friday evening last year and am again looking forward to it this Friday evening. There is a lot of spectacular work to see from a limited and select group of Canadian artists at this Autumn Art Sale Fundraiser. Looking forward to seeing Peter's display, among others. #art #customframing #pictureframing #shadowbox #jerseyframe #memorabilia #ledframe #ledbacklit #printoncanvas #stratfordontario #peterallanrice #mcmichaelcollection See more

With kind permission from our customer... a very successful illustration of how colour choices will impact presentation. This is a wool piece, stretched over a 3mm acid-free matboard. Brownish red bottom mat with a neutral off-white top mat (solid core, so no white line). Add gloss wood frame to closely match the band created by the lower mat and, of course the colors in the lighthouse building. Really thrilled with the results. More importantly, so were the couple who purchased the framing. #art #customframing #pictureframing #shadowbox #jerseyframe #memorabilia #ledframe #ledbacklit #printoncanvas #stratfordontario

THANKSGIVING LONG WEEKEND HOURS Well, fall has arrived and along with that comes the Thanksgiving holiday and long weekend. Traditionally a time to spend with family and to give thanks for all the good things and blessings we have in our lives. Now that summer is fully behind us, we will remain open on the Saturday of this long weekend and will close for the actual holiday Monday. Following is our long weekend schedule... Friday October 11th 9:30 5:30 Saturday October 12th 10:00 4:00 Sunday October 13th Closed Monday October 14th Closed Tuesday October 15th 9:30 5:30 Have a safe and enjoyable long weekend.

Seasons of Algonquin. Another truly spectacular piece by Peter Allan Rice, framed and backlit by Classic Art. To see more of Peter's work, visit our shop at 1060 Ontario Street or visit Peter's website peterallanrice.com #art #customframing #pictureframing #shadowbox #jerseyframe #memorabilia #ledframe #ledbacklit #printoncanvas #stratfordontario #stainedglass #peterallanrice @ Classic Art Of Stratford Picture Framing

"MORE SPORTS MEMORABILIA" on display and sale at CLASSIC ART - with certificates of authentication. More pieces can be seen at our shop. Framing for your art, photos, memorabilia, jerseys. Specializing in custom shadowboxes. Plus sports memorabilia. Come in and have a look. @MoreSportsMemorabilia

Not sure I saw this coming... a custom Japanese screen! A very good customer (couple) came in with a very specific idea they had to provide an aesthetically pleasing solution for a window opening. The screen would be constructed with frame mouldings and rice paper panels (roll supplied by our customer). We took the project on, of course. Fabrication began with modifications to a moulding to achieve the desired profile (3/4" x 3/4"). Then cut to size and v-nail panels lik...e a picture frame. The next step was to fabricate mitered corner glass stops for the back, then cut and fit the rice paper panels. The rice paper is secured in place by the glass stops that are precisely fitted to each panel. Next is the really, really, (REALLY) fussy part which is aligning and attaching the hinges. Sufficiently small black hinges were not available so we used brass hinges and painted them black. Done! #art #customframing #pictureframing #shadowbox #jerseyframe #memorabilia #ledframe #ledbacklit #printoncanvas #stratfordontario See more

An interesting piece I framed for display in the shop. This is a ceramic tile we bought while vacationing in South Dakota a number of years ago. The painting depicted on the tile is a spectacular piece called Northern Sun by JoAnne Bird, a Dakota Sioux native. I chose a very large float frame and mounted the tile on a piece of wood in order to install it deep in the float frame. The desired result was achieved, giving the piece a lot of punch and displaying the entire piece without any tile edge showing. #art #customframing #pictureframing #shadowbox #jerseyframe #memorabilia #ledframe #ledbacklit #printoncanvas #stratfordontario #classicart

At Classic Art we make it part of our business pay extra attention to the details. We make almost all of our frames on site, which gives us the ability to make the detailing - on what we'll call a fancy frame - match and flow on the mating corners. We do this by cutting each corner successively and making sure that the patterns match. This requires extra resetting of the stops when cutting, but well worth the outcome. ...a level of service, above the norm, that we can offer due to full on-site cutting and assembly. Our cutting and assembly shop also gives us the ability to do full frame restorations. See the photos that will illustrate the corner detail matching.

AUGUST (SIMCOE DAY) LONG WEEKEND HOURS With the late warm-up this year its hard to believe were already coming up on the August long weekend. Following is our long weekend schedule... Friday August 2nd 9:30 5:30 Saturday August 3rd Closed Sunday August 4th Closed Monday August 5th Closed Tuesday August 6th 9:30 5:30 Have a safe and enjoyable long weekend.

...a stunning painting of Alice Cooper by David Garibaldi. An interesting thing about this project was that we actually selected the larger of the three frames used prior to seeing the painting. The gentleman we framed this for came in to the shop to discuss the project before receiving the commissioned piece. Based on his description, we chose the wider frame with the burned looking face. When the painting did arrive, rolled up in a heavy-duty shipping tube, we then added th...e inner and the outer frames. So the frame consists of a stack of three frames, actually from three different manufacturers. The canvas is 5 ft. wide by 6 ft. high. Including the frame the painting is over 5 1/2 x 6 1/2 ft. A rewarding challenge and very satisfying to see the final results after stretching and framing the piece. More so to see our customer's reaction. David Garibaldi has raised $4 million for charity through his work and is currently on tour as the opening act on the KISS End of the Road tour. Three canvases are painted each night, one of which is of the band and is auctioned to raise money for local charities. #art #customframing #pictureframing #shadowbox #jerseyframe #memorabilia #ledframe #ledbacklit #printoncanvas #stratfordontario #garibaldiart #davidgaribaldi

...a 39" Samsung television we put in a picture frame and mounted on the wall in the shop. It now displays a rotation of photos of work we have done. When it's off, many who have seen it were shocked when told it's a TV screen. #art #customframing #pictureframing #shadowbox #jerseyframe #memorabilia #ledframe #ledbacklit #printoncanvas #frameyourtv #stratfordontario

...a stained glass refurbishment and framing project. The stained glass pieces, six of them, were originally windows in the family farmhouse over 100 years ago, and were recently found in the attic. All of the leading was severely deteriorated and fragile - particularly around the outside where there had been mastic when they were in the window openings of the farmhouse. It had already been decided that re-leading them was out of the question as it was too expensive and would... completely alter the character of the pieces. So they came in to our shop to discuss ideas of what to do to maintain them intact and make them mountable as sun catchers at the family home - the same farmhouse where they used to be windows. The decision was made to very gently and very carefully clean them and effect some repairs. Then to install them into hangable frames. We did the cleaning and repairs, then fabricated the gloss white frames. The stained glass was then sandwiched inside the frame with a piece if no-reflection Art Glass on the front and a regular glass on the rear. Sandwiching them in the frames in this manner would prevent any further deterioration and allow for a clear, bright, and undistorted presentation. We then fabricated custom glass stops and installed them as a shoe on the rear to retain everything in place. The "shoe" was made to come flush with the back face of the frame and the shoe and rear of the frame were painted white to match the finish of the frame. Photos were taken of the finished pieces in the showroom of Classic Art, both on the table and hanging in our storefront window. #art #customframing #pictureframing #shadowbox #jerseyframe #memorabilia #ledframe #ledbacklit #printoncanvas #stratfordontario See more

An interesting and fun piece. A truly wonderful customer of the shop brought this sculpture in with the question- how to put it on display on their wall. I suggested framing it - a shadowbox frame with a bright, fresh look. So, we used a deep frame, of course, with a reddish brown earthy and weathered looking face. Then set the flower, created using cutlery, on a bright yellow suede mat - with the thought of a sunflower in mind. Add suede sides and no-reflection Art Glass for the look you see here. Voila! #art #customframing #pictureframing #shadowbox #jerseyframe #memorabilia #ledframe #ledbacklit #printoncanvas #stratfordontario

...an interesting piece that I'd like to share with everyone. The challenge on this was to match the red piece, which was done by Classic Art 25+ years ago. It was done using a red velvet fabric and a silver string to hang the sandblasted "pendant" that had been purchased in Thailand. The current piece, an orchid - also from Thailand, was to be done the same way but with colour choices that would suit the subject. So we selected green mats and then, rather than seeking out ma...tching fabrics, the decision was then made to actually use the mats... thus the challenge. We did a reverse bevel cut on the top mat and then cut concealed mats and foamcore underneath to create the cylindrical opening. Cut another reverse bevel, this time a strip to the length of the opening's circumference. Add some silver string and thus arrive at the finished matching piece. We were thrilled with the result, as was our customer. That's what it's all about! #art #customframing #pictureframing #shadowbox #jerseyframe #memorabilia #ledframe #ledbacklit #printoncanvas #stratfordontario @ Stratford, Ontario See more

Canada Day weekend is almost here... Our long weekend hours will be as follows: Friday June 28th 9:30 - 5:30 Saturday June 29th Closed Sunday June 30th Closed ... Monday July 1st Closed Tuesday July 2nd back to reg. hours Happy Birthday Canada! Have a safe and enjoyable Canada Day weekend.

VICTORIA DAY LONG WEEKEND HOURS This is the weekend that we always refer to as the first long weekend of the summer - with folks starting into their gardening or heading to the cottage (hopefully not in a flood zone) to get it ready for the summer season. Whatever it is that youre planning to do, enjoy, have fun, and be safe. Following is our schedule for the long weekend Friday May 17th 9:30 5:30 Saturday May 18th Closed... Sunday May 19th Closed Monday May 20th Closed Tuesday May 21st 9:30 5:30 Have a safe and enjoyable long weekend.

EASTER WEEKEND HOURS Spring has sprung, but as I post this youd be hard pressed to know it. Easter is approaching and with that will come the warmer weather, buds on the trees, and all other good things, Im sure. We will, of course, be closed for Good Friday and will also be closing to have a little break on Saturday. Easter Sunday closed as always and then back to regular hours on Monday. Heres our Easter Weekend schedule Friday April 19th Closed... Saturday April 20th Closed Sunday April 21st Closed Monday April 22nd 9:30 5:30 Have a safe and enjoyable Easter long weekend.

We just completed an interesting piece that I'd like to share with everyone. The challenge on this was to match the red piece, which was done by Classic Art 25+ years ago. It was done using a red velvet fabric and a silver string to hang the sandblasted "pendant" that had been purchased in Thailand. The current piece, an orchid - also from Thailand, was to be done the same way but with colour choices that would suit the subject. So we selected green mats and the decision... was then made to actually use mats rather than fabric... the challenge. We did a reverse bevel cut on the top mat and then cut concealed mats and foamcore underneath to create the cylindrical opening. Cut another reverse bevel, this time a strip to the length of the opening's circumference. Add some silver string and thus arrive at the finished matching piece. We were thrilled with the result, as was our customer. That's what it's all about! See more

FAMILY DAY LONG WEEKEND HOURS With the Family Day weekend approaching, it is time to post our long weekend hours Friday February 15th 9:30 - 5:30 Saturday February 16th 10:00 - 4:00... Sunday February 17th Closed Monday February 18th Closed Tuesday February 19th back to reg. hours Have a safe and enjoyable long weekend.

Just had a conversation with a gentleman in my store - brought me back to when I was a kid.... Who remembers a time when you had to go to the drug store to get your photos developed? And you could choose prints or slides. And when you picked your processed photograhs up, there were always strips of negatives included in the envelope.

CHRISTMAS & NEW YEARS HOLIDAY SEASON HOURS SATURDAY DECEMBER 22nd 10:00am 4:00pm... SUNDAY DECEMBER 23rd - WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 26th CLOSED THURSDAY DECEMBER 27th & FRI DECEMBER 28th 9:30am 5:30pm SATURDAY DECEMBER 29th 10:00am 4:00pm SUNDAY DECEMBER 30th CLOSED MONDAY DECEMBER 31st 9:30am 1:00pm TUESDAY JANUARY 1st CLOSED WEDNESDAY JANUARY 2nd 9:30am 5:30pm LAST DAY TO PICKUP CHRISTMAS ORDERS DEC. 22

The Holiday Season is Approaching... so its time to consider meaningful gifts for those close to you. Classic Art offers everyday reasonably priced, yet spectacular custom framing for your family photos, sentimental items, sports memorabilia, and the list goes on. Come in and say, I saw your Facebook ad, for a 15% discount now through December 31st. Dont be fooled by offers of huge discounts think about what the price would be before that huge discount. Our discount is based on our everyday reasonable prices everyday prices that are the same as that discounted price. Like our Facebook page and come see for yourself.

YES, WE DID INDEED FRAME A MASON JAR! I mentioned in my last post that we were framing a mason jar. Well, the project was completed and last week was picked up by my customers, a truly wonderful couple who make it fun and interesting every time they come into the shop. They took the framed jar to France and presented it as a congratulatory gift to a gentleman family member with direct ties to the founder of the Lamont Glass Company, and who was recently awarded the Legion ...dHonneur, Frances highest order of merit award. The jar is encased in a suede mat, oriented toward the top of the frame with a medallion above it, and below it an advertisement from 1898 and a history of the Lamont Glass Company. The medallion is the medallion of the Lamont family Clan (on the Clan Tartan background). Fabrication of the frame involved modifying two different moldings and then stacking them to achieve the required depth to frame the jar. Concealed below the suede mat is a small foamcore shelf to assist in supporting the jar in place. The cutout in the mat is shaped to fit around the jar tightly and follow the shape of the jar with all its curves. After a few expected trial-runs the proper fit was achieved. The sides of the frame on the inside are lined with the same green suede mat that was used to encase and present the jar, medallion, and writings. I took a series of photos to document the fabrication and my customers very kindly sent me photos from the time they presented the gift, including a picture of the frame mounted on this gentlemans wall. I thank them for that it was extremely rewarding for me to be able to see these.

Spreading the word... Incredibly talented local sculptor in glass and stone, Peter Allan Rice, will be showing (and selling) his work at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection Atumn Sale Fundraiser (October 19th - 21st). The Gallery, home to the Group of Seven collection, is located in Kleinburg, Ont., at 10365 Islington Avenue. His intricate and thoughtful pieces are a must see, composed of materials including carefully selected stained glass, copper, granite and other types of rock. Peter's one man show at the Station Gallery in St. Mary's continues through October 13th. Open from 11:00 to 4:30 daily, except Mondays.

THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY WEEKEND HOURS A sure sign that fall has arrived Thanksgiving weekend is nearly upon, so its time to post our weekend hours. Note that we will be open on the Saturday, as our long weekend Saturday closures were for the summer weekends. Friday October 5th 9:30 - 5:30... Saturday October 6th 10:00 - 4:00 Sunday October 7th Closed Monday October 8th Closed Tuesday October 9th back to reg. hours Have a safe and enjoyable long weekend.

At Classic Art, in addition to providing reasonably priced custom picture framing, we can also turn your cherished heirlooms and keepsakes into works of art. With experienced and talented artists on staff, we will create for you anything from a simple, to an elaborate, to what you might believe to be impossible, presentation. In our on-site workshop we can do custom modifications to stock mouldings to make it possible to preserve and present almost anything in a custom shadowbox display. Here are examples of some recently completed projects. We're currently working on a shadowbox display of an antique mason jar. How do we fit a mason jar in a frame? Watch for our post when it's finished!

The Labour Day weekend is approaching. ...our long weekend hours will be as follows: Friday August 31st 9:30 - 5:30 Saturday September 1st Closed Sunday September 2nd Closed ... Monday September 3rd Closed Tuesday September 4th back to reg. hours Have a safe and enjoyable long weekend.

An interesting and challenging project... A customer came in to inquire about options to clean up, save, and present some very old stained-glass pieces. The four pieces were very, very old, so much so that the lead channeling was actually rotting, and the pieces were wanting to fall apart. Even just the cleaning part of the work was a challenge, with the lead channels shedding material every time you disturbed the piece. We discussed options with the customer and the idea of ...dismantling and reconstructing the pieces had already been rejected as too expensive and too impactful on the character (age) of the pieces. The pieces had been windows in the family farmhouse, installed in the 1800's. At some point since then, they had been removed and stored in an attic. We suggested cleaning them as best we could and then framing them to hold them together, protect them for the long term, and to prep them for hanging indoors in windows in the family home today. We agreed on moving forward with this and we proceeded with the following... We VERY CAREFULLY cleaned each piece and made the frames to fit tightly to the pieces to prevent any possibility of movement once framed. We sandwiched the pieces in the frames between two pieces of glass, regular glass behind and Art glass in front. Art glass is a spectacular crystal clear zero-reflection glass. We made continuous glass stops (also referred to as a shoe) and installed them in the frames behind the glass to hold everything tightly in place, then painted the stops as well as the back of the frames white so that they would present well when viewed through the window. The whole project was a complete success, with both us and, more importantly, our customer very pleased with the results. See more

The August long weekend (Simcoe Day) holiday is only a few days away... Our long weekend hours will be as follows: Friday August 3rd 9:30 - 4:30 Saturday August 4th Closed Sunday August 5th Closed ... Monday August 6th Closed Tuesday August 7th back to reg. hours Have a safe and enjoyable long weekend. A little read about Simcoe Day. The holiday celebrated on the first Monday of August giving many, but not all Canadians a mid-summer, long weekend is known by many names. It's British Columbia Day in Canada's western-most province and Natal Day in Nova Scotia. But in Ontario, the holiday Monday is known by more than one name. Ottawa celebrates Colonel By Day and it's Joseph Brant Day in Burlington. In Toronto, however, it's known as Simcoe Day in honour of John Graves Simcoe, Upper Canada's first lieutenant governor and the man who initiated the abolishment of slavery in Canada. Toronto City Council established the civic holiday in honour of Simcoe in 1869. It's no coincidence that, in of all places, Simcoe's name still resonates in southern Ontario. Simcoe was a known supporter of abolition. "His bill was brought about by an incident the Chloe Clooey incident," said Natasha Henry, a curriculum consultant specializing in African Canadian history. Simcoe received word of a slave owner violently abusing his slave, a girl by the name of Chloe Clooey, on his way across the Niagara River where he went to sell her into the United States. It was said that her screams were heard by many and the matter was brought to Simcoe's attention by Peter Martin, a former slave. "It was his impetus to introduce the bill, but it was then met by objection from a number of the members of his government," Henry said. Many members of the legislative assembly at the time owned slaves of their own and so resisted Simcoe's urge to abolish slavery in Canada. The resulting law was a compromise that would gradually lead to the end of enslavement. The act allowed slave owners to maintain the workforce they already had who would remain enslaved until their death. Owners were not allowed to purchase new slaves from the United States and any children of female slaves that were born after the act was passed would become free at the age of 25. Simcoe's anti-slavery act was the first to pass in a British colony and remained in effect until August 24, 1833, when Britain's Slavery Abolition Act put an end to slavery in most of the empire. Copied from an on-line CBC news article: Alexandra Kazia CBC News Posted: Aug 05, 2013 2:34 PM ET | Last Updated: August 5, 2013

The Canada Day weekend is fast approaching... Our long weekend hours will be as follows: Friday June 29th 9:30 - 4:30 Saturday June 30th Closed Sunday July 1st Closed ... Monday July 2nd Closed Tuesday July 4th back to reg. hours Happy 151st Canada! Have a safe and enjoyable Canada Day weekend.

For the showroom. A drawing I did many years ago of the family cat. I did it using a random scribbling technique with .025 technical pen. Finally now, it is properly framed for display and preservation. Set back 1 3/8" in a chunky shadow box frame with black suede mat and similarly matted sides. ...going for the dark and mysterious look.

Our hours for the Easter weekend... Good Friday March 30th Closed Saturday March 31st 10:00 - 4:00 Easter Sunday April 1st Closed... Monday April 2nd Closed Tuesday April 3rd 9:30 - 5:30 Happy Easter everyone!

With Easter approaching, I thought this this would be a great time to share this. A truly lovely and wonderful customer had us frame this hand crocheted creation that she has spent all of her free time working on for months. A truly spectacular piece. We mounted it on a rich red suede mat, then set it deep in a gold frame, lining the inside edges of the frame with the same suede mat. She very kindly gave us permission to post. Happy Easter.