What to do, what to do, oh my, oh my?

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C

Candy

SGF, Supreme Grumble Framer
Joined
Feb 9, 2005
Posts
1,543
Loc
Holland, MI
I have just agreed to frame an elephant ear. And no, not the kind you get at the fair. This is an actual elephant ear that has an african scene of wildlife painted on it. It really is a gorgeous piece of art. It is uneven all the way around.

The ear is about 1/4" thick and is mounted (read that glued) on a wood board with a waffle weave looking back. This mount board is less than 1/8" thick. If I remember right, the piece measures 30x37, the finished size will be 40x47. I am going to mount it on a dark brown suede. The top mat is the same color, fillet, rust, and medium brown bottom mat. This mat combination will be spaced from the suede back board to give plenty of space for the art. The ear itself is fairly heavy. Oh, yes, this is going to have museum glass on it, too.

Now, the big question is......how should this be mounted? The client asked me what I was going to do to mount it. I told her that I had not a clue, but I would be in touch with several of my resources and would come up with a good solution. I thought about using mylar, but I think this is too heavy. I have also thought about glueing it with white wood glue. Since the ear is already mounted on the wood, it really isn't in preservation condition.

So, I am looking forward to your suggestions............
 
Put the ear mounted board into a small frame & then fasten that to the backing with screws from the back, then an outer frame around the whole mess. Or just screw into or through the board itself if you're not worried about it. If you peel the suede off the board, wrinkle it up & mount it back down it looks real cool. Like elephant skin actualy. Really. Try it.
 
Tusks yes, Ears...Who knows? Never heard of anyone having or wanting one before.
 
Sorry, money or no money I would totally refuse to do it! :vomit:

What, they cant sell the tusks anymore so it's now the ears! :fire:

How much will you charge for leg when thats brought in ??

It really is a gorgeous piece of art. It is uneven all the way around.
Well HELLLOOOOOOO!!
Maybe next time the poachers will be given a sharper knife to remove the ear so it's not so uneven for the person who paints a little picture on it and for the framer

How can something that is butchered be called art

I am disgusted!!

Torqoz
 
Just a quick search of google revealed this :cry:

The full story can be found here for those interested http://www.physorg.com/news100408979.html

In this image made from video released by Karl Amman, a wildlife photographer and investigator into the illegal trade in animals, poachers skin a forest elephant for its meat and tusks in the Bangui forest, May 3, 2007. Most people believe international demand for ivory is the biggest threat to elephants. But while wildlife experts are meeting in the Netherlands through June 16 to discuss the ban on the ivory trade, forest elephants, perhaps the most endangered elephant species in the world, are being hunted to extinction not only for their tusks, but for their meat. (AP Photo/Courtesy Karl Amman)

Torqoz
 
You can't just PRESUME that this elephant ear was from poachers. It could have been a lot of different sources, what about a local tribe that killed the animal for food so they could feed 100 starving tribespeople? Not a good enough reason to use an animal? Don't assume the whole story... I doubt anyone would kill an elephant solely for the purpose of an art canvas, I see it as necessity and not wasting any part...

But who really knows what happened...

Would you frame a beautifully crafted sculpture made of of ivory? I don't think you would think twice. It is the same thing in a more refined form.
 
If you want to know whether the elephant wants it' ear back, you'll have to speak louder.

We have framed about six of these things and were kind of freaked out to say the least. Ours came painted (wonderful artwork by the way) and were taken from legally hunted elephants. It seems that in some areas of Africa, the locals are pretty excited to get to charge tens of thousands USD for the great white hunter to come down and cap Dumbo. It also feeds the local village for quite some time (this is especially important when you take in to account the fact that the local McDonald's hasn't opened yet).

We wound up stitching them down to mat board with an upholsterer's needle. It was a challenging job, but we charged accordingly.

Care to share pics when you're done?
 
Ask to see the CITES certificate if you want to be reassured about whether it is legal or not. No cert, then it is in the country illegally.

As much as I mentally went :vomit: when I first read this, I then thought, how many of you get all excited when someone brings in a snake skin to frame?
 
oakandiron said:
You can't just PRESUME that this elephant ear was from poachers. It could have been a lot of different sources, what about a local tribe that killed the animal for food so they could feed 100 starving tribespeople? Not a good enough reason to use an animal?
Click to expand...

Um, he11 no! An elephant is not a herd animal. What will they eat next when no elephants are around? The tourists??

Let them get a job at McD and feed themselves.

On a more serious note, any written proof that an endangered species corpse or piece thereof is legal, is not worth the paper it's written on.

I would refuse to work with a piece like that and might actually call the authorities. It might be criminal not to.
 
I can't help but chime in here...but I can't believe someone would use such a thing as art. I am concerned that because it is "a gorgous piece of art" and all the other gorgeous pieces of art around the world it will further encourage useless killing of elephants. There was a National Geographic article a few months back where they cut off the elephants face and left the rest to rot. Whether its poachers or not...I would turn it down flat and sleep well at night knowing I didn't further the ugly cause.
Just my personal opinion...I make no judgement about you. Good luck.
 
What will YOU eat when cattle and chickens become endangered....? Maybe it would be ok if they just raised the elephants to kill them. Then would it be ok? :shrug:

I find it hard to believe that framing an elephant's ear used for the purpose of art will land anyone in jail.

Something you may not know... elephants outpopulate themselves, requiring so much food and resources to maintain a large population tends to destroy the entire troup if population control is not done. The game department ADMITS that controlled sport hunting is the only way that the animals can be saved from themselves. The licenses that are sold also provide schoolrooms and teachers in countries that they are desperately needed.

PS There are no McDonald's in the jungle. If you actually had to rely on your own skills to provide yourself food, natural selection may have weeded you out a while ago.
 
For me, personally, I just could't do it. Wouldn't do snakes either - or cow heads, etc.
 
I would. Have. And worse. Lotsa snake skins, one with 6 of the biggest rattlesnake rattles I've ever seen, butterfly wings, a baby's bellybutton once, and many works of art on leather (dead cow skin, antelope, moose, bear....what's so different from elephant?). If it isn't bleeding, breathing, stinking (strike that, I've framed some pretty stinky stuff), or looking at me, I'll frame it.

Just because another culture does things different than ours does, doesn't make it wrong. Just different.

Now, an eagle feather?? That's a whole 'nother story! That'll get you in trouble around these parts.
 
Candy,

I like the idea of putting a frame around the wood it is mounted on and screwing that, through the back to a piece of 1/4 plywood. Personally I wouldn't put glass on the inner frame, just the outermost one.

As to the legal ?'s the others have posed, you'd have to ask a lawyer about your complicity by housing the "illegal" item in your shop.

As to whether I would or would not do the job. I am a small one person shop, why in god's name would I turn down ANY job? I'd definitely do the job, especially since 1/2 the mounting job has already been done for me!

I've framed things that people don't consider to be "art". Mirrors, preschool plaster casts and house numbers come quickly to mind! Not art, but I frames tons of these items. I am trying to frame one right now, a preschooler's drawing, I can't tell which end should go up! I can't decide if it is a painting of a tree with the sun in the sky, a river with a dog standing next to it looking at a yellow duck or if it is his personal interpretation of a peice of modern art! If it is the dog, it's a great piece; if it is a tree, boy does this kid need to go to school! :) Definitely not BFA material, but maybe he will be after he graduates kindergarten.
 
Val said:
I would. Have. And worse. Lotsa snake skins, one with 6 of the biggest rattlesnake rattles I've ever seen, butterfly wings, a baby's bellybutton once, and many works of art on leather (dead cow skin, antelope, moose, bear....what's so different from elephant?). If it isn't bleeding, breathing, stinking (strike that, I've framed some pretty stinky stuff), or looking at me, I'll frame it.

Just because another culture does things different than ours does, doesn't make it wrong. Just different.

Now, an eagle feather?? That's a whole 'nother story! That'll get you in trouble around these parts.
Click to expand...

The difference is poachers dont kill snakes for their skins or babies for their bellybuttons. The difference is it's not only illegal but ethically wrong. The differnce is a cow is not an endangered animal. The differnce is YOU DONT HAVE TO KILL AND EAGLE TO GET IT"S FEATHER!
 
I think everyone should stop hugging trees, and help out with mounting methods....The ethic of whether we should or shouldn't frame, mount, eat, etc. endangered animals and their skin should be in another thread in another location.

Perhaps you could call a taxidermist for suggestions???

:shrug:
 
Where's Jerry? (aka JDS). I know he's been busy running for office at home, but maybe you could e-mail him. He was a taxidermist and has offered helpful advice on this topic in the past.
 
omg Doug, you just posted one of my all time favorite bodies of work. Been in love with it since I first saw it.
 
I have to say I am in total agreement with Daughn. Elephants are such abused animals in this world. What with poaching, circuses and zoos. They are brutally killed for their tusks. Forced into submission to perform in circus acts, made to be penned in confined spaces. They give more than they need to in this world. They are such majestic creatures. Out of respect to the animal I would have to turn this job down, I don't care how the ear came to be removed from his being.
 
Colbert

Yeah Steph, isn't he great? We've framed some of his photos for customers and bought and sold a few. I just ordered another 4 today.

I noticed that when I click on his link in my previous post, sometimes the Tokyo show site comes up and sometimes the one I was trying to link to does, where you can scroll through the images. Don't know why! I encourage everyone to look through them.

Kathy and Daughn: well said!!!!!
 
Colbert

If you get into the Tokyo site, click on "Enter Basic Site", then click Portfolio to see the images.
 
Wow, that was amazing Doug. It actually brought real tears to my eyes. There is a body of work I would like to see someday.
 
My apologies to all of you who have been offended by this post. I rarely run into a situation such as this in this small midwest town where I work. I did not intend to start a discussion about something so many seem to be so passionate about. Again, I apologize.

Nuf said.
 
lol Candy, thats the Grumble for you. Spit in the wind and next thing you know its a hurricane!
 
Side Note:

People DO kill snakes for their skins.


Candy:

I have no idea how I would go about mounting this thing. If you don't wanna post a picture publicly, for fear you may be stoned, send me one privately. I would like to see how you tackle this project.
 
Thanks Mecianne. I will just call it a piece of leather next time.

Val, thanks for your comments, too.

I have found out that I am not holding onto anything that is illegal.
 
Sorry Candy, sometimes things just evoke an emotion and response. This is like having a conversation. Didn't mean to offend you either.
 
Candy, I don't think anyones "passion" was directed at you personally.

Animal cruelty is a hot-button issue for many including yours truly.

The ear may have come from poachers or it may be from an animal that died of natural causes or was culled legally and humanely.

Some would frame the thing and be glad to get the work, others would not. I respect both positions.

Sounds like you are glad to get the work, so:

I'd take Bob's advice about screwing it down. If the board it's mounted on is smaller than the ear and won't be seen, just screw that into a backing board that is covered with the mat. If the board is larger, cut it down so that it won't show. If cutting it down isn't practical, you could stain it to compliment the mat and the art.

For the moulding, I would think any of L J's Primitive line would look good. There's one that's a shadow box style and the others you could build up to the depth you need.
 
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