Inside the Gilding Studio: From Bole to Burnish
What water gilding is, how it differs from oil gilding, and the five-stage process — gesso, bole, leaf, burnish, tone — used in the SBAS Houston studio.
ReadNotes from the bench
Journal
Notes on framing, gilding, and preservation from the SBAS studio — the why behind the choices we make at the bench — alongside The Studio Letter, our monthly newsletter archive. Don’t miss Frames of the Zodiac.
All journal entries
Museum Glass vs. Conservation Clear vs. TruLife Acrylic: How to Choose Glazing
A practical guide to glazing: UV protection, reflection control, glass vs. acrylic — Conservation Clear, Museum Glass, Optium, and TruLife compared.
ReadHow to Frame a Valuable Painting: A Collector's Checklist
A collector's checklist for framing valuable paintings: reversibility, archival materials, condition reports, glazing, provenance, and installation.
ReadPeriod Frames 101: Matching a Frame to a Painting's Era
A primer on period frames: Italian, Spanish, French, Dutch, English, and American traditions — and how a painting is matched to its era's frame.
ReadHow to Care for (and When to Restore) an Antique Gilded Frame
How to clean and care for antique gold leaf frames, what damages them, and how to know when professional frame restoration is warranted.
ReadWhat “Archival” Actually Means in Framing
“Archival” has a precise meaning in framing: stable materials and reversible methods. What the word guarantees — and what to ask your framer for.
ReadFraming Textiles and Objects: Scarves, Jerseys, and Heirlooms
How textiles are framed to conservation standards: stitched mounts, shadowbox depth, UV glazing — scarves, jerseys, weavings, and heirlooms.
ReadHow Houston's Climate Affects Your Art (and What We Do About It)
Heat, humidity, hurricanes, and hard sun: what Houston's climate does to artwork, and the framing decisions that protect against it.
ReadThe Corner Is the Craft: Finished-Corner and Chop Frames, Explained
Finished-corner frames vs. chop frames: how each is made, how to tell them apart, and why the corner is where a frame's quality is decided.
ReadLabels of Provenance
Sarah Balinskas on the labels found on the backs of artworks — what they record, why they matter, and how a careful framer preserves them.
ReadVerso Windows Explained
The February 2026 Studio Letter: verso windows for provenance labels, a 1934 Time Magazine, a paired poem, and a double-sided Pollock.
ReadDesigning Display Solutions for 3D Objects
The January 2026 Studio Letter: acrylic cases, custom armatures, and pedestals for objects from embroidery to sculpture.
ReadThe Art of Hardwood Framing: Eight Woods, Eight Finishes
The November 2025 Studio Letter: eight hardwoods and finishes from the In-House collection, each paired with the right artwork.
ReadBlack Walnut, Powder-Coated Aluminum & Lemon Gold on Black Clay
The August 2025 Studio Letter: black walnut with a verso window, graphite aluminum, 18k lemon gold, and Gottlieb's Burst pair.
ReadA Mid-Season Reflection on Art, Excellence & Collaboration
The June 2025 Studio Letter: continuous learning across the art world, a Sanskrit page in bird's eye maple, and Hugo Capron in 22k gold.
ReadWhite Gold Floats, Raw Steel, Arrowheads & a Murphy Frame
The May 2025 Studio Letter: a white gold float frame, raw steel for Shepard Fairey, a 36-arrowhead design, and a Murphy frame for Charles Rosen.
ReadCommercial Framing, Shadow Box Effects & Miró in Antique Black
The April 2025 Studio Letter: a Michael Jang photograph for a Heights restaurant, Lou Peralta shadow boxes, and two Miró lithographs.
ReadGilded Float Frames, 100% Reversible & Custom Welded Steel
The March 2025 Studio Letter: a gilded frame-within-a-frame, 100% reversible artist-frame floating, a custom welded frame, and fly specking.
ReadMaple Frames, the O'Keeffe Profile & Matisse's Jazz
The February 2025 Studio Letter: maple and bird's eye frames, an Optium-fitted oak frame, a gilded panel frame, and three Matisse Jazz pochoirs.
ReadA New Chapter: Gilded Frames, Cherry Wood & a Message from Sarah
The January 2025 Studio Letter: hand-carved gilded frames, cherry wood, a Carrington reframe — and Sarah passes the torch to Binod Shrestha.
ReadBegin
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