Artworks Picture Framing Gallery is a custom picture framing studio on Main North Road in Papanui, Christchurch. The team frames certificates and degrees, photographs, sports memorabilia, medals, needleworks and embroideries, and offers conservation framing, mat board replacement, canvas stretching, shadow boxes and exhibition work. Design comes first: with an extensive supply of frame samples and mats chosen to suit each piece, the stated goal is to preserve, protect and complement your art so you can enjoy it for a lifetime.
One of their recognised specialties is the shadow box — memory boxes created from family treasures that all too often sit unseen in closets and dresser drawers. Needle art is handled with particular care, from counted cross-stitch and needlepoint to lacework, crewel, crochet, quilts, tapestry, rugs and samplers, whether precious heirlooms or contemporary pieces.
Alongside the framing bench, the gallery showcases Quentin Doig photography and Kelvin McMillan prints, and gift vouchers are available. Free framing estimates are offered — just call or email to start the conversation.
Tucked along Main North Road in Papanui, Christchurch, Artworks Picture Framing Gallery is a working framer's shop in the truest sense — a place where certificates, photographs, medals, tapestries and family keepsakes are turned into finished pieces built to last. The studio's stated goal is a refreshingly simple one: to preserve, protect and complement your art so that you can enjoy it for a lifetime.
Everything here starts with design. In the shop's own words, the design of your framing is the first element in the successful outcome of a framing project, and that philosophy shapes every job that comes through the door. If you're not sure where to begin, the team invites you to call for a free framing estimate — no obligation, just an honest conversation about what you'd like to achieve.
The short answer is: almost anything flat, and quite a few things that aren't. The services list covers custom framing of certificates and degrees, photographs, sports memorabilia and medals, alongside dedicated work with needleworks and embroideries. Conservation framing is offered for pieces that need extra protection, and mat board replacement gives existing frames a new lease on life without a full reframe.
One of the studio's recognised specialties is the shadow box — memory boxes built from the family treasures many people keep tucked away in a closet or dresser drawer. Medals, mementos and small objects are arranged and framed so they can finally be seen and enjoyed rather than stored.
Canvas stretching is also on the list, so paintings and prints on canvas can be prepared for framing or display, and the shop supports exhibitions — useful for artists and groups needing consistent, presentable framing across a body of work.
Two of the quiet heroes of good framing get special attention at Artworks. The first is the mat: as the team puts it, mats enhance and have the ability to change the way people look at and respond to art. A well-chosen mat can make a small picture seem more impressive, a dark image look lighter, or even transform an everyday postcard into an exciting piece of art.
The second is the frame itself. An extensive supply of frame samples means choices are made in person, with real samples held up beside your piece. Whether the job is a beloved print or, as the site cheerfully suggests, the perfect finish for a new master bath mirror, the range is broad enough to find the match.
Needle art receives particular care here. The studio frames counted cross-stitch, needlepoint, lacework, embroidery, crewel, crochet, quilts, tapestry, rugs and samplers — a wide brief that spans precious family heirlooms as well as contemporary pieces. Anyone who has inherited a fragile sampler or finished a months-long cross-stitch project will appreciate a framer that treats thread and fabric as seriously as paint on canvas.
Alongside the framing bench, the gallery showcases artwork of its own, including Quentin Doig photography and prints by Kelvin McMillan — a reason to browse even if you arrive with an empty frame in hand. Gift vouchers are available too, which makes the shop a practical stop when you'd rather let someone choose their own piece to frame.
Visiting is straightforward. The shop sits at 6 Main North Road in Christchurch, and the team can be reached by phone on 03 352 7594 or by email at [email protected]. Whether you arrive with a degree certificate, a drawer of medals or a postcard with unexpected potential, the process begins the same way: a look at the piece, a conversation about the outcome you want, and a free estimate to get things moving.