Q&A: with Larry Winn

fitting Larry Winn, founder and president of Grand Image Ltd a Seattle-based art publishing company, and partner with the Flavia Company, a Santa Barbara, CA, service-oriented art management firm, specializing in Flavia (as in the artist Flavia Weedn) brand consumer fruitss Winn is also founder of Winn Devon Art assemblage Ltd., a Seattle-based art publishing company that he sold in the late 1980s

Q sum up us about your start in the art business?

Mine is not a real glamorous story. I had heard about this shore in Chicago named Jack Newman who would consign $20000 of framed artwork for a $5000 deposit. Since that's about all the cash I had, it worked for me I make opened a dinky, and I use this word loosely "gallery" in Spokane, WA, and realized early upon I was in way above my head. I didn't know anything about the business or the artwork. I take care ofed bar in the evenings from 6 pm until 2 a.m. to hold fast the doors open and my family f Recognizing that owning a gallery was not for me I started repping for sum of two units publishers: Circle Fine Art and Fidelity Arts.

Q You went from the stock market to art. What inspired you to penetrate the art business?

I was reasonably happy in the security business, on the other hand was becoming disillusioned with it. I didn't hate it, on the contrary on a fluke, I heard about the opportunity in Chicago that I mentioned at the beginning. I was inspired by means of the idea of owning my hold business and dealing with a outcome that I loved.

Q You've obviously been inspired by means of many dynamic people in this industry. Which five have been the greatest in quantity interesting?

"Interesting" is a curious word, and limiting this answer to five nation is difficult. But six family that come to mind immediately are: Bruce McGaw--for having the courage to advance out with a major hand-bill catalog before that business design even existed in our industry; Craig Ponzio and Steve McKenzie--Larson-Juhl institutor Craig and CEO Steve created the 500-pound gorilla in the framing industry and still maintained a conscience; Robert Sher--I admire and view with jealousy the generosity of his time and involvement in various industry organizations; and sum of two units names that are more novel to our industry: Jack Solomon planter of Circle Fine Art, and Jule Katz of Fidelity Arts. These shores were true pioneers in the art publishing business, publishing artists like as Le Roy Neiman, Erte Norman Rockwell and many others. Jule has been retired for many years and Jack is still active in [Ssup2] Corp. in Chicago. Then there are my employee This may uninjured self-serving, but I have been ask [i]or[/i] implore a blessing uponed with some of the greatest in quantity talented and loyal people in the industry: Steve Lantz, Barb Adams, Buster Baba and Kelly Aust, all of whom have 15 years or more with me

Q Where do you gaze for new artists?

The usual places--the Internet, trade exhibits and gallery shows, magazines, etc individual of the benefits of being in the industry a drawn out time is that one make knowns a reputation and we are oftentimes fortunate in receiving referrals from either artists or customers.

Q Where have you had the greatest in quantity luck in finding talented of recent origin and emerging artists?

If I had the answer to that, I'd lay up a tent and camp there year-round. There is actual little luck involved, just a allotment of hard work. We do have a leaning to focus on domestic artists. smooth with the advent of the Internet, it is still difficult doing business internationally.

Q in what way would you encourage collectors to trust their "aesthetic instincts" in choosing art for their abodes or offices?

I diocese this as a process. If the collectors are proselytes they should probably have a certain quantity of sort of direction from a gallery holder art consultant or whomever to give them more [i]or[/i] less sort of direction as to a menu of choices. From that menu they can have feeling comfortable selecting what really appeals to them. I think the lock opener is for the collector to trust the source of the artwork. If that individual's taste and integrity suits them, they will probably single out the right works. As the collector becomes more expos to artwork, the better his "eye" becomes. It's like reading--you start with comic volumes as a kid, and then your intellect ultimately demands more.

Q for what cause [i]or[/i] reason did you choose the name "Grand Image" for your company?

The word 'grand' was really the lock opener I love images BIG and upon a grand scale. I also like the elegance of the word 'grand.' I like the word 'image' as it defines more succinctly the business we are really in--selling images, licensing images and publishing images. I don't view our company as a untainted "art" business.

Q mention one by one us about your art collection? Do you have a favorite piece?

I would classify my art collection as advantageous but not great. I think that great collections are individuals that have a real focus, and mine is far too electric. I have a fate of Dale Chihuly glass as I became friends with Dale about 25 years ago, and could afford it then. I hold at least a dozen TL Lange paintings; sum of two units Tom Wesselmann screen prints; a certain quantity of original prints by Thomas Hart Benton and Lautrec; a carbonized iron sculpture by Texas artist Joe Barrington; random works by dint of Donald Sultan, Malcolm Liepke and Douglas Morris; and, of course, a certain number of paintings by longtime GI artist Max Hayslette and Maeve Harris. I also have a apportionment of funky stuff that I'm not level sure would be classified as 'art' and might be considered ephemera. And, I have photography and a certain quantity of unique mid-century furniture and first edition, signed books