Behind The Canvas

For over three decades the artisans at Armand Lee Framing in Chicago have been dedicated to producing the finest frames available. Whether sleek and modern, opulent, rustic or everything between, their commitment to elevating artwork through framing in unwavering. And while their work graces the walls of homes, galleries and museums around the world, few people ever make it past the showroom floor. In this episode we take a close look at the centuries old tradition of making frames by hand as we go Behind The Canvas.

Auctions have become commonplace and we can buy and sell from our phones but for more discerning clients and objects a proper auction house is required. At Hindman Auctions they can employ their team of researches handlers, photographers and expertise within the world of art, antiquities, collectibles, and more to help buyers and seller find the right object and relationship. In this episode we see how a painting goes from being damaged to setting historic record prices at auction all with the help of Hindman Auctions.

For thousands of years the primary method of recording our history, expressing our emotions and telling our stories depended upon paper. But this enduring material is also fragile and delicate and often damaged. The master paper conservators at Graphic Conservation Company are world renowned for their expertise in the conservation and restoration of works of art on paper. In this episode we step into a paper conservator's studio to see how torn, discolored and seemingly hopeless paper can be rescued and restored.

Every day at Gamblin Artist Colors sees the birth of magic contained inside a small aluminum tube. Transforming raw materials into luscious buttery paint, this small family of paint makers takes their craft seriously for their passion and work will eventually evolve into the next great painting, one that will have the power to affect within each of us the most powerful emotions in the way only art can. In this episode we travel to Portland, Oregon to see how simple raw materials are turned into some of the greatest paints on the planet.

An artist without a gallery is a chef without a restaurant or a musician without a theatre. But what exactly does a gallerist do all day and where do they find artists, and how do they find clients, and moving artwort, and writing about art, and visiting artists' studios, and phew!... it's a delicate juggling act all in the service of artwork and its power to reach us. In this episode we visit Thomas McCormick Gallery to see how a gallery operates and works with artists.

When priceless works of art need to move from one place to another, it requires more than a a set of hands and a truck. Guardian Fine Art Services is at the forefront of handling, moving and storing these most precious of objects. And when the Pabst Mansion on Milwaukee, a historic landmark museum requires assistance its Guardian they call. In this episode we travel with Guardian Fine Art Service to the Pabst Mansion to collect and store a painting and we get an unprecedented look inside a secure art vault.

While an artist may choose to paint on wood, or another fabric, the most discerning painters choose linen. And the finest line in the world comes form the fertile hills of Flanders in Belgium. But transforming the raw plant to a masterpiece-worthy canvas requires skill and craft honed through generations. At Libeco, the world's foremost producer of linen the family tradition runs through every strand, machine and employee. In this episode we follow along as raw flax is turned into the finest canvas in the world and learn why this humble plant may just be the next big thing.

For over 150 years a small factory in the Belgium countryside has been producing the finest artists linen in the world. Claessens has innovated, modernized and honed their craft over three generations but never lost the personal touch that results in a product worthy of a masterpiece. In this episode we visit Claessens Artist Canvas to see how raw linen is meticulously prepared for the next great masterpiece of painting.