Picture Frame-Carved Wood c. 1936

Natalie Simon made this picture frame out of carved wood sometime around the late 20th century, a beautiful object with swirling details painted in what looks like silver against a navy blue background. Imagine Simon, carefully carving and painting, the concentration it would take to bring to life these elegant details. It’s like she's building a world within this frame, a space for reflection. The circular form is so inviting, yet it's surrounded by these ornate, almost baroque, carvings which lend the artwork a sense of grandeur and sophistication. The contrast between the silver and the navy evokes a dreamy, otherworldly feeling. I’m curious about what sort of image the frame would contain, and how Simon might have thought about the relationship between the frame and its content. Painters, carvers, artists of all kinds, we’re all in conversation with each other, riffing on ideas, borrowing and lending inspiration across time. Simon’s frame reminds me of the endless potential for creativity, how a simple form can be transformed into something so evocative and unique through dedicated, artful labor.