I worked as a picture framer for many years. I loved it, though the money is a bit sparse. Eventually I taught myself to make traditional, hand carved and gilded frames. I spun this off into a small business of my own starting in 2005. At first, I only sold them through The Framesmith in the Squirrel Hill Section of Pittsburgh.
In 2008 my family and I moved to Ithaca NY. I began selling to some galleries and frameshops there, and also to some private collectors. Unfortunately, the economy tanked in 2008, and little by little, the market for carved and gilded frames tanked too, as the price of gold leaf skyrocketed. By 2010, my business was mostly mothballed and I moved on to more recession-proof occupations.