By Catherine Fox
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/29/08
Running an art gallery is rarely a pretty picture. As many an entrepreneur discovers, art is only one ingredient in the recipe for survival. Just as important are location, timing, business smarts, perseverance —- and luck.
No wonder galleries come and go, and no wonder Shawn Vinson finds his 10th anniversary on Decatur's Courthouse Square a cause for celebration.
To mark the occasion, he has filled the recently renovated gallery with a survey of the artists in his stable. A painting by Ruth Franklin, a British-born artist and his wife, greets the visitor. Not just a gallery mainstay, she is behind the gallery's unique niche in British printmaking.
The roster, which has grown through her connections back home, now ranges from Anne Desmet, internationally known for finely detailed miniature visions of England and Italy, to the punky, primitive work of poet/musician/cult figure Billy Childish.
"Vinson is probably the only gallery in Atlanta that specializes in printmaking," says Stephanie Smith, president of the Atlanta Printmakers Studio.
"The printmakers are of really exceptional quality, both technically and expressively, especially the black and white work, which you don't see that often in Atlanta."
Vinson Gallery was one of the few in Decatur when it opened, and its owner has had a hand in building the scene.
"Shawn works hard to promote the arts here," Cheryl Burnette, executive director of the Decatur Arts Alliance, says of Vinson, who is a member of her board. "He initiated the Decatur ArtWalk and got us involved with the Atlanta Gallery Association's events."
Vinson, 38, is a dyed-in-the wool Decaturite.
"I moved here in 1993 because it was affordable, but now I wouldn't think of leaving," he says.
What with the renovated gallery, a devoted Decatur clientele, and his new partner Dominic Richardson, he is ready to take on the next 10 years.
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