Original collections from some of the UK’s leading contemporary artists have been welcomed into a new showroom created at Grimsby’s JPP Gallery & Picture Framing.
A major footprint expansion has opened up a new market for the Cleethorpe Road business, as it widens its offering to cater for all tastes and budgets.
Owner Michael Clarke has absorbed a shop he previously leased out that neighboured the burgeoning operation, transforming the layout to create a bright and airy gallery, while significantly enhancing the kerb appeal.
It builds on substantial growth in the print and framing business in the past decade, supported now by two bespoke town factories providing scalable framing services.
Mr Clarke said: “We have gone from strength to strength, having originally started offering a full customer framing service, framing pictures, photographs and all manner of memorabilia.
“There was a demand for original and limited edition art in the area, with the demise of a couple of other galleries, and with the framing and prints going well, it was the next logical step.”
It is a first venture into stocking original art works, with pieces priced between £250 to £3,000 on display and many more available.
A total of 40 featured artists include Rozanne Bell, Scott Bateman, David Renshaw, Sean Durkin, Emma Nicolson, Allan Morgan and AJ Callan.
Limited editions and wider range of prints are also being increased, as it serves private buyers, trade and retail needs.
Actual works include oils, acrylics, liquid art, 3D embellished resin pictures and canvases, with Andy Pandy, Laurel and Hardy and some iconic landscapes and intriguing interpretations all featuring.
“We have been looking for the right artists over the last 18 months for this, a lot of background work has gone into it, and physical work too,” Mr Clarke said. “We had the premises which required a full renovation project being carried out with a £45,000 investment.”
Of the overhaul, Mr Clarke said the project has involved a full new shop front, shutters, floors and ceiling and new lighting to enhance the artwork.
A full new exterior sign will be the final touch.
He thanked his team of staff for all the hard work put into the project to build the business to the point it can expand.
JPP features a team of six to eight staff across all elements, which include a full range of frame mouldings, colour matching, computerised cut mounts and a range of glass from standard float, non-reflective, acrylic to museum grade art glass.
Organic growth twinned with an opportunistic acquisition to boost framing capacity helped make the expansion a viable move.
