Jeff Neely began his life in the art world by first being in the art rental business. In this business, he began to think about the impact the frame on a piece of art has on the overall appeal and sellability of that art. Jeff says that one piece of art in ten different frames can go in a hundred different rooms. The statement makes a lot of sense if you think about it; not everyone has the same style of decor in their home, so one frame might look fabulous in a contemporary home but out of place in a rustic home. Jeff then began making frames in his garage at home for the art that he had. One day while at the small business development center at UTPB, he came across a year-old post from Silver’s Framing about them looking to sell their business. Jeff called Silver and asked if they were still looking for a buyer, which indeed they were, and about 10 minutes after their first meeting, a deal was made, and Jeff bought Silver’s Framing. The agreement with the sale was that Jeff would learn how to become a master framer from Silver, and then he could take control of the business. During this time, Jeff was working around 18-hour days, framing with Silver first and then heading over to his gallery and framing everything and anything he could at night. In 2020, Silver’s Framing and the FaFa Gallery were merged into one building. The beginning of the pandemic created a slow start for the new business. Still, Jeff spent that time perfecting his framing techniques and giving back to the community when he could by hosting art shows for UTPB students who needed a show to graduate, participating in the local art crawls when they began running again, and providing the local artist a place to show their work.
Speaking Topics
During our November meeting, Jeff will speak about the main differences between showing art in an academic presentation and a commercial presentation. He will also discuss what floating an image means, when you should shadowbox an image and how, and how to use framing to enhance your art. Jeff will teach us all the importance of how you frame your artwork, when it is appropriate to use specific methods, and what style of frame you should use for different pieces. Sometimes, people think about how much they love a frame and then stick their favorite art piece without considering if the frame is taking away or overpowering the artwork within it. Jeff tries to educate people about how a specific frame can enhance the artwork within it instead of overpowering it or just being plain boring.
Everything Jeff will be speaking on at our November 4th meeting at 6:00 pm will be beneficial information for our upcoming art show hosted by the FaFa Gallery in January 2023. We will be in for a treat, getting to learn a new way to think about presenting our artwork. When Jeff was asked what he loved most about framing and selling art, he said he loves beautifying people’s world one wall at a time. It’s the reaction people have when they see a piece of artwork they cherish enhanced in a way they did not think was possible. MOPPA is very grateful to such a caring and knowledgeable man for donating his time and space to host and speak at our next meeting and as a sponsor for our non-profit.