Well hello everyone,

Thanks for droppin’ by our online gallery space here on the web. It’s been a little while since we shared properly on here, but behind the scenes we’ve been busy working away on a few bigger projects — one of which we’re finally ready to start sharing a little of today.

Before we go there though we just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who voted for us in the Business Port Macquarie - Business Awards, we have made through to the finals in 3 areas, we are so very grateful for you all.

Finalists - Business Port Macquarie - Coastline Bank - Business Awards 2026We are so very excited to have made it into the finalist stage of the busines awards in 3 areas, Entertainment & Events, Retail (5 or less employees) and Excellence In Micro Business (5 employees & under). Many dont look at us as a small business due to the size of the space we hold for our clients and the longevity of our business, we can assure you we are a two man ..or should we say man and woman team. We love what we do and we feel very grateful that we get to do it.

This particular project is rolling out through our artist community first, however if you’re an interior designer or decorator and can already see the benefits of this tool, please feel free to reach out. We’d be more than happy to organise some early access for you as well.

We’ve quietly been working on something behind the scenes that we think could become a really useful tool for artists — especially those applying for art prizes, preparing for exhibitions, selling online, or simply trying to work out framing options before committing to the full cost.

Our new Virtual Framing Tool is designed to help artists professionally present their work before the physical framing even happens.

We can already see so many practical ways this could help our local artist community.

Scenario One — Preparing Artwork For A National Art Prize

Let’s say an artist is entering a national art prize.

They need:

• Professional presentation images
• Accurate finished artwork sizing
• Framing details
• Correct colour representation
• A retail price inclusive of framing
• Sometimes even images showing how the artwork may look installed

Normally, this can mean needing to fully frame the artwork upfront before even knowing if the work has been accepted.

Instead, the artist comes into the gallery and has the artwork professionally digitised using colour-correct calibration.

While they’re here, we can also sit down together and go through framing options. Once they’ve narrowed down their preferred setups, we can build those into the virtual framing system.

From there, they receive:

• Professionally presented framed images
• Accurate overall dimensions including the frame
• Width, height and depth details
• A framing quote
• A couple of “in situ” mock-up images showing the artwork on a wall
• Presentation-ready imagery for submissions, websites or social media

What this means is the artist can confidently submit their work with professional presentation and accurate information — without needing to pay for the full physical framing straight away.

Instead, they’re investing first into the digitisation and presentation side of the process.

If the artwork is selected, sold, exhibited, or they decide to move ahead later, the framing can then be produced based on the approved design and supplied quote.

And if it happens outside the original quote period? Usually the difference is fairly minor unless supplier pricing has changed significantly.

Scenario Two — Removing A Sales Roadblock

Here’s another situation we can already see this tool being incredibly useful for.

An artist has an artwork they created years ago. A potential buyer loves the piece, but asks:

“Could it work with a different frame?”

Traditionally, this can become a bit awkward.

The artist either:

• tries to verbally explain options,
• searches online for rough mock-up examples,
• sends screenshots of frames that may not even exist locally,
• or the client simply loses confidence because they can’t properly visualise the finished piece.

With the Virtual Framing Tool, the answer can simply become:

“Yes — absolutely.”

The artist can jump into the system and mock up two or three genuine framing options based on what the client is asking for.

At the same time, they can request updated framing quotes directly through us.

And importantly, those quotes are based on real framing products and actual available mouldings — not generic fake mock-up frames pulled from somewhere online.

Because we work closely with our local artist community, artists also receive their artist pricing structure rather than standard retail pricing. We understand artists need room to earn from their work too.

From there, the artist can send their client:

• realistic framed previews,
• updated inclusive pricing,
• accurate finished sizing,
• and a much clearer vision of the final piece.

It removes uncertainty for the client and creates a far more professional and streamlined experience for everyone involved.

If the client decides to move ahead, the artist can either bring the artwork into us themselves, or simply send the client directly to the gallery and we can take care of the framing process from there.

Honestly, this side of the system may end up being one of the most powerful parts of it — because sometimes the difference between making a sale and losing one is simply helping someone visualise the finished artwork properly.

Why We Think This Could Be Really Helpful

What we love about this tool is that it helps bridge that awkward gap between creating the artwork and professionally presenting it to the world.

For a lot of artists, that step can feel financially out of reach at times — especially when submissions, exhibitions and opportunities all seem to happen at once.

This system gives artists another option.

It allows them to:

• Professionally present their artwork
• Plan framing before committing
• Test different framing looks
• Create cleaner online presentation
• Build stronger submission material
• Market artwork with framed visuals included
• Show collectors how finished work may look
• Prepare exhibition concepts ahead of time
• Offer framed versions online before production

It’s also useful for artists who aren’t local and want help planning framing before shipping work.

Guided By Us — Or Play Around Yourself

Some artists may want the full guided experience in-gallery where we help with digitisation, framing choices and setup ideas.

Others may simply want access to the Virtual Framing Tool itself so they can sit at home and experiment with their own images and framing ideas in their own time.

Both options are possible.

At this stage we’re doing a quieter rollout through our artist community first while we continue refining the system and seeing how artists naturally use it.

If you’d like to know more about the Virtual Framing Tool or the artwork digitisation side of things, just get in touch with us through the website or send us a message.

We’re pretty excited to see where artists take this.

Please feel free to reach out if you want to explore this and recieve the link - Scott & Cherie