About

Donna was awarded…First Place, Popular Choice, and Judges High Point Award for a first time entry at the Annual PMA/PPFA Convention held in Las Vegas in March, and attended by over 25,000 industry related professionals.

In an Open Framing Competition, the framer chooses the art to be framed (as opposed to the Print Competition, where all the competitors frame the same item). Both are very challenging. Each requires the framer to set themself apart by showcasing their expertise and creativity.  In the Open Competition, the framer literally has no idea what they are competing against, whereas in the Print Competition, the art in each case is the same, so the framing must be noticeably different from the rest.

For the 2007 Open Framing Competition, Erwin’s entry first had to place at the local level PPFA Competition, involving members from all over the state of Oregon and parts of Washington and Idaho, held in November 2006. She did so, taking home First Place and Popular Choice.

Donna chose a poster of a sepia tone photograph of Multnomah Falls taken around 1919 because it features one of Oregon’s top tourist attractions, which is a 15-minute drive from her gallery down the Scenic Columbia River Highway. Aside from the local interest in the poster, she also wanted to showcase her hand carving, a skill that sets her apart from many of her peers.

“I’ve always thought the hand carving technique looks great on old photographs. It reminds me of the embossing on old photo jackets. I thought the poster would lend itself especially well to this technique, and I loved the idea of mimicking the Falls, with its long vertical lines and the big splash at the bottom.”

The entry involved stacking two Italian mouldings, chosen for their vintage look and color compatibility with the art.  The swirl pattern in the outer frame is a subtle tie in with the hand carving on the matting. A triple acid free mat was chosen in colors that tie in beautifully with the sepia tones in the image. The hand carving is a mirror image of itself from one side of the mat to the other, which presents a difficulty factor in trying to match the weight of the carved lines on one side to the other. It was accomplished using an X-acto knife…and a lot of concentration. Museum glass was chosen for its virtual invisibility (almost as if there is no glass) as well as its conservation qualities.

Winning these prestigious awards at an International level has earned Ms. Erwin the respect of her professional peers. “This is like the Olympics of Picture Framing.”