Wading through the ordinary

Tim at his studio in Denny Brothers TIM WADE

Artist Tim Wade has been working as a framer since 1984 when he got a job at Denny Brothers, a worldwide printing company and retail shop in Bury St Edmunds offering stationery supplies, art materials and picture framing services.

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Having worked in the industry since the age of 19, Tim has a wealth of experience in the art of picture framing and over the years he has framed letters of historical importance, original artworks, Stephen Ward original sketches, Rolling Stones memorabilia and much more!

Tim said: “I’ve always wanted to invent a totally new art style, as I don’t think that all art should be the same. I was lucky to have spare time during lockdown to experiment with new ideas and techniques, largely based around my other passion of fixing antique bikes!”

Working in the framing industry also instilled in Tim a love of art, leading him to start painting in his spare time and even win the Arts Society Picture of the Year award for best pastel at age 21. He was lucky enough to be able to sell his paintings from the framing studio at Denny Brothers, and he sold lots of paintings in this way throughout the 80s. In 1999, Tim went on to study a Masters in oil painting but since then he has struggled to find the time for his hobby.

Lockdown for Tim was the perfect opportunity to pick up the paintbrush again. He spent time rediscovering his passion and even developed an exciting new painting technique! The new technique is mixed media and involves creating moulds from a composite material and building up the moulds to create the desired shape before painting. The moulds are only slightly 3D, meaning that the images look 2D until you get up close. 4walls was also interested to hear that the background for Tim’s most recent piece was made out of recycled Larson-Juhl packaging! Tim’s new painting style is proving popular with the public, and he has already framed and sold a couple of his new pieces.

“As an artist and a framer I am in the unique position to be able to frame my own work, which is lucky because I know exactly what I want! I generally go for contemporary mouldings, particularly when it comes to my new pieces as I feel it complements them best. It isn’t important to me to follow trends; I prefer to look at the artwork and choose a moulding that makes it stand out.”

We’re looking forward to seeing more of Tim Wade’s unique art in the future, and it’s great to see such wonderful pieces in Larson-Juhl mouldings!

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