Framing Story: Cheryl Busick Print Sunk in Reclaimed Hollywood Bowl Cedar

Inside the Frame: A Story About Space, Weight, and Listening

Not every piece of art wants to be centered. Some pieces ask for something different.

Recently, I framed a small print by Cheryl Busick, an artist whose visual language drifts between folklore and inner weather. In this print, a lone figure rests inside the belly of a massive whale, how it got there is up to your imagination. Carved in stark black and white, it’s quiet but heavy, simple but filled with tension.

Why the Art Sits Low in the Frame

Most framing follows rules, center the work, balance the borders, keep it safe and predictable. But this print didn’t feel like it belonged in the center. It needed to sink.

So I built the frame around the emotion it carried.

I dropped the print into the lower third of the frame, leaving a large field of mat above it. It felt like the weight of the ocean pressing downward, giving the print a sense of depth and pressure. The more space above it, the more the mind wanders into ideas of reflection, silence, and survival.

Sometimes negative space says more than decoration ever could.

Material Matters: Hollywood Bowl Cedar

The frame itself carries history. It’s made from reclaimed yellow Alaskan cedar, salvaged from the original bench seats of the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, the iconic open-air music venue. I came across this lumber years ago while building a sauna behind my home in California.

But I think wood remembers things. That cedar once held thousands of people, couples on first dates, parents with kids, legendary musicians, shared moments of awe under open skies. Framing this piece in that wood felt like pairing two stories that deserved to meet.

Framing as Storytelling

This frame isn’t just wood wrapped around a print. It’s story wrapped around story.

That’s what we try to do at Remnant Framing, we listen to the artwork. We listen to the person who brings it in. We listen to the history living inside the piece.

Good framing doesn’t just protect art. It shapes how you feel it.

If you’ve got a piece, big or small, that deserves more than a standard approach, I’d love to help you tell its story.

Upcoming Event

Friday, October 24 • 7–10 PM
Join us for Have You Seen This Snail?  A wild collaborative art night inspired by Gary from SpongeBob. Nearly 20 artists, live DJ, live painting, and a full creative takeover here at Remnant Framing inside Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment.

Ryan
Remnant Framing
Railroad Room 3B · Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment
Huntsville, Alabama