OUR FRAMES are made from real lobster trap wood that was used to
harvest lobsters here in the Keys.
After
5 or so seasons of using these traps, the hardware that holds them
together starts to rust, and the lobstermen can no longer use them.
We take these older traps, break them down and use the weathered
wood to make the frames you see here. We take great care to keep
the staples, nails, and other fasteners in the wood to keep it looking
the same as when used as a working trap.
The
black rope we sometimes add on the frames is the actual pull
rope that is tied to the bouys you see in the waters thoughout
the keys. The rope with the rings at each end is what is tied to
the trap itself and is called the “bridle”.
All
the barnacles, rust, crustaceans, and character on the wood is
natural. Sometimes we add shells for more decoration, but even
these shells are collected by us and are native to the Florida
Keys waters. On some of the larger frames we add the actual “lobster tag” that
is required by the State of Florida to be on each trap that
is placed in the water.
Since
we can make more frames from a trap than we can get the tags, we
can only put these on the larger ones we make. Every season each
trap must have a new tag. And every year these tags are a different
color.The
season years are placed on the tags as well as the lobsterman's number
and the number of the trap certificate.
After carefully constructing
the frames, we varnish or white-wash them to make them suitable
for use to complement any piece of artwork. And as many people have
said they are themselves a unique piece of art. Because of the unusual
aging process of the wood, no two frames are the same. We then
place some of our original paintings, photos, or prints in them.
The
frames can also be purchases empty so you can place your own artwork
or photos in them. If our standard sizes do not fit your needs, we
can make a custom frame just for you. Give us a call or email us.
