RIPE Art & Framing

02/07/2026

When the XXL t-shirt would make the frame way too big...

Garment framing can be tricky and not every piece of fabric behaves how you want it to when you lay it flat. In the case of sports jerseys, for example, they can be large and need a frame deep enough to accommodate how thick all the layers of fabric are, and the positions of the hems and seams are meant to fit around a person; not to lay perfectly flat, etc... There are many different ways to handle that neatly, but sometimes showing the whole thing would take up a lot of wall space!

With this t-shirt, however, showcasing the printed graphic was more important to the client than the full silhouette of the large shirt. That extra fabric just for the sake of it having a "shirt" shape would have meant the frame would be huge, and that extra frame, mat, and glass would mean a much more expensive order, to boot.

Why not infer the "t-shirt" with a shape cut mat? This kept the frame size compact, showcases the logo and not all the excess fabric, and made this much more affordable to give as a gift.

The curved collar of the mat was cut freehand with a little 'framer's ingenuity' because I had misplaced my hand-held Logan mat cutter, and I don't have a CMC (Computerized Mat Cutter) machine. The excess fabric is folded behind the mat layer, and press-fit in place with no glue, pins, or sewing using a technique called the "Newberry Method". This means if we ever had to remove it from the frame, we can safely and easily.

What do you think of this solution? Do you have a commemorative or just a favorite shirt you'd frame like this?

01/19/2026

This gorgeous hand-painted and 24ct gold-leafed artist proof by came in from one of my more adventurous clients with a collection that makes me personally jealous. Over the last couple years we've discussed me doing some custom-painted matting to punch up a frame job, but it wasn't until he walked in and said "this is the one" where I got the opportunity and was given carte blanche to make it special.

The print was float-mounted on a 100% cotton rag pedestal mat to lift and separate it from the hand-painted and texturized backing mat from , adding depth and shadow to the beautiful deckled paper edge. The red and yellow drips that the artist hand-painted on each print in the edition called for the custom detail of continuing the drips onto the face mat, that also has a gold brushed black fillet from inlaid in for some gleam and contrast against the rough and concrete-like backer and bleeding goldleaf I did to emulate the print background (see slides 6-12 for the progression) using Ink! and acrylic mediums, a palette knife, and crusty ink brayer.

Capping it off (pun intended) with this too-perfect stone-like sloped roof cap moulding from , and protecting all these design elements with the unbeatable clarity of 99% UV protective Museum Glass for an uninterrupted viewing experience, this whole thing is a total showstopper.

Needless to say, when he came to pick up, he was blown away. I'm so thrilled he was thrilled. I'm jealous he gets to take it home. Now I need to figure out how to outdo this one on the next print 🤣 (and I'm already brainstorming).

The goal is always "don't take away from the art with the frame", and I think I hit the right amount of custom to not steal the show. If you read this far, let me know what you think in the comments. Did I nail it?

01/17/2026

It's not every day your client brings in a nearly two hundred year old etching of Queen Victoria, AND an etching *BY* Queen Victoria!

Full museum preservation approach with both of these. 99% UV protective Optium Museum Acrylic from for protection, all 100% cotton and unbuffered rag mats from , non-restrictive folded mulberry strip interlocked mounting techniques to allow for paper expansion and contraction, and foil barriers in the mats and frame rabbets for acid creep mitigation. Classic but understated style mouldings by and

Full white glove treatment

The provenance and documentation accompanying the etching *by* the Queen was unfortunately glued to a piece of old plywood (slide 4), so the cross-section in slide 6 shows it and the museum board mat layers are separated by a piece of ACM panel, which is practically sheet metal, to prevent acid migration from the wood to the back of the art over time. Double-sided frame to enclose and protect the wood and paper while keeping it visibly accessible to future viewers.

Arched double mat shape cuts to mimic the etching plate impressions on the portrait done by my good friend since I don't have a computerized mat cutter. Thanks again Aiden!

01/17/2026

Beautiful 40x40 custom mirror for a lucky client

Love this wood block profile from , just the right amount of rustic-chic and beachhouse vibes to keep things clean and classy while maintaining some character. I've been obsessed with this profile, and it comes in 2 widths and 3 finishes. This is considered the "black", believe it or not.

Z-bar to hang. With heavier frames, you need heavier duty hanging hardware.

Someone wise once told me if you love a frame style but don't have the right art opportunity to use it, make a custom mirror with it. Like a great piece of art, you see some of yourself in it when you look at it, and that's why it resonates with you.

I can handle pretty much any size you would need (mirror glass exceeding 60" in length requires a special order) so give me a call or send a message for a quote so you can see yourself in your favorite frame!

01/16/2026

RIPE is your 2026 Best of Long Island Frame Shop!

This was a real delight to see in my inbox. To say I'm grateful is a huge understatement.

I petitioned them to add the Frame Shop category back in August 2024 and nominated about 30 other framers all across Nassau and Suffolk Counties, but since it didn't appear in the 2025 competition I didn't pay it much attention this year and wrote it off. So 75 days into the 90 day voting period, imagine my surprise finding out by chance that not only had they added the category, but I was on the ballot! I was in the height of working on holiday orders, and the competition was already a couple weeks from closing, so I didn't really bother to start posting or promoting it. Looks like I didn't need to!

Thank you to all who voted for our little atelier making fancy rectangles. I appreciate everyone that's supported me and my wife Amy making our dreams come true and building our life together.

With all the love we can muster,
The Dangers

11/04/2025

::EDIT:: Back up and running again. Reminder that you can book an appointment online and check time slot availability at
www.calendly.com/ripeframing/appointment

☆☆☆

I know its criminal how bad I am at posting here, but the shop's internet/phone is down (now on day 6 after being promised on Friday it would be back up within 72 hours), and now won't be back up til the 10th. Long story, thanks

I can still run a card transaction on my machine using my personal phone as a hotspot until I run out of data (not on Verizon thankfully), but writing up a new order is painfully slow, and aside from individually calling customers from my personal phone I'm mostly dead in the water for comms

I'll be working on the orders in-house in the meantime, but I apologize to anyone trying to reach me

Much love,
Scott Danger

In other news, here's something cool I finished up today
(pic for attention)

09/06/2025

07/22/2025

Blood infections are not something to be taken lightly. Sorry for the delays on orders, but I needed to be by her side.

Thanks to everyone who checked in on her and sent messages and well-wishes, they meant more than you know.

Being a one-man shop is not easy, thank you for your patience.

07/15/2025

06/28/2025

Tool Man or Iron Man? Which team are you on?

It's not unheard of for a client to come in and say "Here's my card, work your magic!", and it allows your custom framer to do something a little different and unique!

This fun pair of signed and numbered prints by John Hopkins of Ink Pot Artworks called for something equally fun - Bella Moulding Prisma frames! Almost infinitely customizable, they are custom milled to order from a single solid piece of ¾" thick acrylic (meaning they're closed corner frames), backpainted in color-coordinated Nouveau hourglass silhouettes with this funky Unzipped milled accent. How much cooler can you get?

Of course, glazed with Tru Vue Anti-Reflective Museum Glass for a perfect viewing experience, and Crescent Brands black-core mats for that thin black bevel as an accent nod to the black border in the print!

My client was over the moon with the choices. Would you rock some super contemporary frames like these for your art collection?

05/13/2025

Not your typical Venetian Masquerade souvenir 🎭

This papier-mâché mask was brought back by my clients from a recent trip to Italy where they attended Carnivale di Venezia, and it required some special shadowbox treatment.

The Ambrosia face frame from Larson-Juhl was extended out in a vertical stack formation with another 4" deep black frame to reach the adequate depth to house the mask. After chiseling out the lip of the back moulding, I use pocketholes during glue-up for a flush and secure bond between the two frames. Lined with a charcoal matboard for a classy neutral look and sharp interior seams.

It's not always necessary to reinvent the wheel in custom framing, so the mount method simply used a pass-through for the existing ribbon, with supports and a matboard wedge to give a hair more tension to my ribbon-tying skills to eliminate any wiggle or play within the frame during handling.

Capped off with the incredible Tru Vue Museum Glass, this is a very striking presentation with an uninterrupted viewing experience.

Where would you hang this to best remember your whirlwind Italian vacation?

11/29/2024

Happy Thanksgiving 🦃 🖼🍽

RIPE will be taking a break for the weekend! I'll be back slinging fancy rectangles on Tuesday, December 3rd - so book an appointment online now at
www.calendly.com/ripeframing/appointment

Also, a note: I'm just about at capacity with holiday orders, so anything taken in starting now will be scheduled for January completion. I appreciate all the support and trust with your precious items and art. I'm a one-man shop and I've only got so many hands and hours in the day 😅

I'm pretty sure I say this every post, but I've been slacking at keeping up with social media content here because I'm busy as ever completing your awesome custom orders. I've got some great finished job photos and some really cool posts for you all, just need to kick myself in the butt and write them out. Appreciate the interest in what I do, and very grateful for all of you following along and bringing in such cool stuff.

Happy holidays from us to you and yours!

Eternally grateful,
Scott & Amy Danger