This watercolor of the Captive Elephant was completed by the artist, and the decorative border was added later. What do you think about the border? Does it work well with the painting? What would the watercolor look like with a different border or with no border at all?

Now it’s your turn to experiment with borders. Take a look at the following images from WCMA’s collection and choose one for which you would like to design a frame.

Charles Prendergast (American, 1863–1948)
Blue Tree, ca. 1927-1929
watercolor and pencil on paper
8 7/8 x 9 1/2 x 3/4 in.
Bequest of Mrs. Charles Prendergast
Catalogue Raisonne: CMO #2357
95.4.43

Charles Prendergast (American, 1863–1948)
Circus, 1940
tempera and gold leaf on incised, gessoed masonite
24 7/16 x 23 3/4 in.
Gift of Mrs. Charles Prendergast
Catalogue Raisonne: CMO #2306
86.18.34

Unknown (Kiowa artist)
Two Kiowas, 1880
pencil and crayon on paper
7 1/16 x 9 15/16 in.
53.7.1

Pick one image and print it. Use markers, colored pencils, or collage materials to design a border to surround the image. What lines, shapes, colors, and patterns could you use in your border to reflect or complement the image?