Our Staff 

Care to meet those that care for your art and framing project when you visit Framin’ Place?  Learn more about our staff from their bios below.

Robert A. Mueller – Owner / Fine Wood Craftsman 
Robert studied Industrial Arts Education at Central Missouri State University, receiving a BS in 1978.  His work including the study of woods, wood properties and strengths, and wood finishes.  Through this he learned the utilization of different coloration and species of woods in combinations to create unique pieces.  He later earned a Masters in Industrial Education, and taught woodworking for four years.  As a fine woodworking craftsman, Robert has built many custom pieces of furniture and cabinetry still in use today.  One of Robert’s larger, significant and most successful projects was building, from raw lumber and fine woods, all of the molding, woodwork and cabinetry in his home in western St. Charles County.  He brings to Framin’ Place all the craftsmanship and experience in woodworking, applying it to the fine custom framing he offers today through the shop.
Robert and his wife Karyline reside in St. Charles county, and have three sons Josh, Brandon, Lucas.  They spend much of their time enjoying the younger boys involvement in basketball and other sports.

Karen L. Kelley, CPF – Manager / Artist-in-Residence
Karen has been at Framin’ Place for since 2000, and is a familiar face to many of our long-term customers.  She has been observing art for a lifetime, literally.  Many of Karen’s relatives and family friends have been artists.  Her family’s walls were hung with oils and sketches created by her fraternal grandmother, her aunt and her uncle.  She spent many hours in their studios watching them create and later, when she took up painting, was encouraged by their praise.  They did, however, caution her not to make a profession as an artist, as they felt it was too risky.  So Karen listened . . . sort of.

Karen received a degree in Art Education from the University of Missouri, taught two years in the St. Louis Public Schools, and has worked in advertising.  Most of her career has been in framing, Karen is qualified as a Nationally Certified Picture Framer  (CPF). 

Karen is a working artist.  She belongs to the Mid-Missouri Fine Arts Society, the St. Louis Artists Guild and the Gateway Pastel Society.  Karen is currently in qualification status toward becoming a “Master Pastelist” with the International Pastel Society.

Karen has taken workshops with nationally know plein air artists such as Billy-O (Billy O’Donnell) and John Rausch.

Learn more about Karen's work.

Barry K. Luedloff - Art / Conservation Consultant
Barry recently began regularly consulting here at Framin’ Place in 2006, and comes to us with a background in facilitation and training, History of Art, design, customer service, and a personal interest in preservation and conservation. 

He began his studies at the University of Missouri – St. Louis, spending 3 years learning the basics of Art and Art History, with focused studies in Primitive art, Northwest Coast art and culture, printmaking, and the Impressionist movement.  He followed this with 3 1/2 years of study in History of Art / History of Architecture at the University of Kansas (KU) and the (Helen Foresman) Spencer Museum of Art.  He spent 3 years as the Student Assistant assigned to the extensive Frank Lloyd Wright Collection, located in the Special Collections Department of Spencer Library.  Here he worked on the identification, conservation and long-term preservation of personal papers, letters,  photographs and other documents of the Wright Collection, as well as other rare and historically significant books, documents and historical pieces preserved at Spencer Library. 

During this time, and on an emergency basis, Barry and several other staff preservationists were loaned to work with the disaster recovery and restoration effort of a unique private collection of rare pre-WWII prints and pamphlets.  The contents of the collection had been severely damaged in the mid-1970’s Brush Creek flooding of the famous Country Club Plaza in Kansas City.  Although much was lost in that disaster, many irreplaceable documents were saved, restored and preserved.

Outside of framing, Barry is a training consultant, facilitator, workshop and conference speaker and, among other things, . . . a classical organist.