
You may remember Courtenay's vintage Ortalion poster from her entry in last fall's Colors Contest. We certainly haven't forgotten it.

You may remember Courtenay's vintage Ortalion poster from her entry in last fall's Colors Contest. We certainly haven't forgotten it.

Courtenay wrote, Given that many of the objects in our home are monochromatic, the colour in my "favourite colourful object," too, is sparing -- but that's one of its strengths. The 40 x 60, Rene Gruau-illustrated stockings ad in our dining room is a piece I still feel lucky to have got my hands on. As much as I love all the now-ubiquitous vintage poster art from the early part of this century, it's rare to come across an original, oversized ad from the mid sixties -- and one that makes such striking use of my favourite colour scheme, at that. To me, red (preferably, a bit on the orange side), black and white can seldom fail, representing both the ends and the dead centre of the spectrum in maximally-contrasting glory. Combined with an ultra-dynamic composition, Gruau's genius of a brushy hand, the figure of a freewheeling chick who I continually aspire to look like and some large, black Italian type -- few things could be more exciting.
In fact, that poster with its strong graphics has haunted us ever since we first saw it. Courtenay got hers on, yup, eBay, for a total steal -- $60. We saw one once on eBay for about $600, too much for our pocketbook. Then, for months, nothing. But the internet is a funny thing. Just today we found a bunch -- here, and here, and here, and here. We'd still rather find one at flea market prices, so we'll keep an eye out.
I'm wondering where her dining table is from.
view Sassy in SF's profile
i really like the poster. where did you get the frame an how much did that run you. I have a poster from a dutch graphic designer, that is a similar size. I won it at a raffle at a fundraiser, and i know it's worth a good amount of money, i just have trouble spending almost $200 on a frame for it...
view jmorey's profile
I had the print custom framed at the wonderful Framed in Vancouver. If you live here, I would highly recommend them. It wasn't cheap (around $300), but considering the print itself was so inexpensive, it was well worth it. That price also included UV glass to protect the inks from fading. I don't know if you can even find pre-made frames at such a large size (this poster is around 40" x 60").
view Courtenay's profile
jmorey, I have been really happy with http://framesbymail.com/ -- you can get a frame around this size for maybe $100 depending on what sort of options you choose. The frames are not as sturdy as what you'd get for 3x as much money but they're pretty well made, and you can order any size you want.
view Tiny Banquet's profile
I, too, have had great experiences with Frames By Mail. After spending WAAAAYYYYY too much on a frame from a professional framer in town, I decided it was worth taking a risk on buying from an on-line store. The quality is equal to the fancy framer and about a third of the price! I've used them several times now and I've been happy with everything I've gotten from them.
view PhillyLass's profile
I've been happy with Light Impressions frames, too. I've only used the aluminum ones, but they are nicely made and the hardware kits are great, too. Tons of choices, good prices. Just be careful with the laser cut, mitered corners. I cut the living snot out of my hand one time putting one together! Corner was so sharp I didn't even feel it, but the blood spewing out of my finger was a pretty good tip-off!
view dharmabum's profile