Until their proper display in museums, the paintings of most Renaissance masters languished for centuries on the magnet-flecked fridges of their proud mothers. Preserve your art for future generations and house guests with today's Groupon: for $50, you get $100 worth of custom framing or $200 worth of original Betty Hadfield art from The Gallery at East Beach in Norfolk.
The Gallery at East Beach's sophisticated staff possesses a knack for refining that which is already lovely by making paint into art and putting art into frames, leading Pilot Media readers to crown it Norfolk's Best Art Gallery and Best Print and Frame Store for 2011. Vulnerable visuals set clearer boundaries by nestling themselves into sturdy, chic frames, arranged around the gallery in a herringbone pattern of corner samples for ease of perusal. Acid-free archival- and museum-quality mats in a wide range of hues support photos, prints, or diplomas with subtle backup vocals. The friendly staff estimates matting and framing costs free of charge, with prices ranging from $45 for a small, simple piece to $350 or more for a large blacklight velvet masterpiece. Alternately, peruse paintbrush maestro Betty Hadfield's striking creations ($75+), which have appeared in a constellation of galleries and art shows, selling to collectors nationwide. Hadfield corrals haphazard oil pigments into vibrant sea scenes and still-lifes, illuminating her subjects using bold, italicized, or underlined color.