A single-panel frame, held in place by magnets, allows pictures to be exchanged easily.[/caption]
Five years ago Lakeway resident Natasha McRee was frustrated by the lack of suitable framing options for displaying her children’s artwork. She teamed up with local artist Morgan Doherty to find a solution.
“I said ‘acrylic,’ [and] Morgan said ‘magnets,’” McRee said of the moment the idea for their business, Wexel Art, began.
The company’s artwork framing system includes a floating acrylic panel mounted to the wall with pairs of magnets to hold the artwork.
By mounting the acrylic away from the wall, McRee said she and Doherty created a product that allows artwork to be changed quickly and easily.
“What’s so fantastic about our product is that it gives you the flexibility of displaying different sizes of art,” McRee said.
When friends started complimenting the frames hanging in her home, McRee realized she and Doherty had a marketable product.
Early Wexel Art customers were mothers eager to find an easy and elegant way to hang their children’s artwork, McRee said. Now, Wexel Art displays are hung on the walls of many public and commercial locations, including schools, architects’ offices, orthodontist offices, veterinarian clinics and salons, she said.
The company’s custom frame designs include this wallscape of photographs.[/caption]
Wexel Art displays have been used in several high-profile settings, McRee said. News television station CNN used the frames in its corporate office to house a display of its most impactful stories, she said. Culver Studio—a film studio in Los Angeles that produced “E.T.”—used Wexel Art frames to display scripts and photos from its blockbuster movies, she said.
“To be able to display this really meaningful content is something I never anticipated,” McRee said.
Over time, commercial clients started asking for a product without magnets, she said. Doherty pioneered a second product—the double-panel frame that sandwiches the artwork between two panels, resulting in an even cleaner look.
Artwork and photos fit in a Wexel Art frame.[/caption]
McRee, who previously worked in the marketing industry, said running Wexel Art has been full of new challenges.
The company’s biggest hurdle to date was the 2014 West Coast port workers strike that stopped delivery of its products for seven weeks prior to the winter holidays, she said.
Wexel Art launched a custom division two years ago in response to requests from designers wanting frames with very specific dimensions. This division creates frames in various sizes, shapes and colors and etches names into the acrylic upon request.
“We’ve really been embraced by the design community,” said McRee, who estimates custom work accounts for 30 percent of Wexel Art’s business.
Wexel Art products are available locally at Precision Camera at 2438 Anderson Lane in Austin. Wexel Art frames are priced from $39.99.
Kickstarter success
Wexel Art completed its successful Kickstarter fundraising campaign in July, co-founder Natasha McRee said. The company’s goal was to raise $38,000 in 30 days—which it exceeded by $3,000, she said.
“If you really want to challenge yourself, try launching a consumer products company,” McRee said.
The money raised by the campaign will be used to buy a laser cutter, allowing the business to bring its custom jobs in-house, with a faster turnaround time and more creative options, she said.
