The right frame can take a great piece of art and make it spectacular. With the right combination of matte, outline, and color, a frame can draw your attention towards the art or work to make it more beautiful. Artist Jayson Weidel’s new show, “Shadowboxers,” is the epitome of that, as he’s taken relatively straightforward portraits and accentuated them with elaborate themed frames. io9 has your exclusive look at some of his latest creations.
“Shadowboxers: Round 1” will be on display Monday, September 8, from 4 to 9 p.m. ET at the Miamisburg Art Gallery, on Main Street, Miamisburg, OH. Don’t live anywhere near there? The artist will also put the entire show online at his website, www.oo-de-lally.com, so out-of-town fans can see the show and purchase if they so choose. Here is just a small selection of what’s in store. Click to expand.
That’s just a taste. The show itself consists of 28 handcrafted framed pieces. Each has (usually) two sketch cards in it with a painted backdrop and custom frame. Some of those are complex; others are a bit more subtle. In addition, there will be 60 individual, original sketch cards sold in sets of two. These are unframed but offer even more characters that Weidel loves.
“If I’ve never heard of the character, I won’t draw them,” Weidel said in a press release. “Every piece is born from my own memory—something I loved, laughed at, or obsessed over. This is a visual tomb of everything I’ve ever geeked out over.”
He’s also releasing a book, “Shadowboxers: Round 1,” to go along with the exhibit. It’s got process shots and final images of everything in this show, as well as the whole development of the idea. Oh, and calling this all “Round 1” is very purposeful. Weidel is already working on Round 2.
What I love about this concept is that, yes, the drawings themselves are cool and work on their own. But they are just the basis for the whole framed piece. The frame is part of the art, and who says it can’t be? As a result, you get a little extra bang for your buck, and you don’t have to go out and buy individual frames. Again, see the full show in person in Ohio or online at oo-de-lally.com starting Sept 8 at 4 p.m. ET.
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