25
YEARS OF FRAMING
4walls spoke to Lawrence Robinson GCF (Adv) from Pictor Gallery Custom Framing about his beginnings in the framing industry, and how framing has evolved over the 25 years he has been in business.
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Lawrence was always interested in art as a child, but began his career travelling the world as a land surveyor. After spending three years working in Libya, he decided to leave the surveying industry, with the intention of reconnecting with his passion for art. From there, he bought some second-hand framing equipment and began doing framing courses with the Fine Art Trade Guild. After realising his love for framing, Lawrence made the brave decision to sell his house to start his own framing business in the front room of a rental house in Manchester. The decision obviously paid off, as Pictor Gallery Custom Framing has now been in business for 25 years and is still in the same location!
Lawrence said: “When I spoke to the landlord of the property, he thought I was daft trying to sell art and framing, but when we opened in 1995 the work came flooding in. We were lucky enough to have space for both a framing workshop and a gallery.” Due to lockdown restrictions, he hasn’t yet been able to celebrate his 25 years in the business. But Lawrence continues to look to the future and develop his business by taking part in the Fine Art Trade Guild Continuous Development Programme to further his knowledge, and strives to use the latest techniques, materials and tools in his work.
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We asked Lawrence how the framing industry has changed over the last 25 years, and he said: “The internet has changed the industry dramatically, as it makes it easy to stay updated on current news and events. But it also sparked a price war between galleries, with each offering the same image at a lower price to win over customers. I’ve even had customers bring in mounted editions to be framed, which I was selling in my shop.” Despite this, Pictor Gallery has embraced technology from the start, and in 2001 the gallery was awarded funding for a new website by winning a competition funded by the council. Since then, Lawrence has redesigned the website and is beginning to get to grips with using social media to promote the business. “I know that social media is incredibly important for developing the art side of our website, and I’d like to build up a presence on social platforms. But I work alone and one thing I don’t have enough of is time! In the future, I may consider converting the art gallery into another workshop and employing some help. This would give me more time to focus on both my family and running the business.”
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