Kathleen Warner on Kathleen Warner Fine Arts:

In 1974, I had a few artists I wanted to help establish in the art community.   I found that the gallery system was sadly lacking.  It was, and is, a rather closed system that can accommodate only a few artists.  The determination of why and who gets entree in a gallery is often a cloudy arrangement.  More important is that the average person never enters a gallery. There is an implicit elitism in the promotion of artwork that is difficult to avoid.

My intent was to get artwork in front of people where they were. In my experience, most people will inherently learn to appreciate fine art by merely being around it. The palate learns to differentiate between good and bad with art just as it does with food. Surround yourself with wonderful fresh food and McDonald’s doesn’t really taste all that good. Similarly with artwork, being around it, most people will gravitate to better art. Getting artwork in front of most people isn’t really possible with a gallery situation.  I sensed that everyone goes to work; to their bank; to hotels. So, I determined to work with educating average people by putting the best possible artwork in front of them whenever possible and trust their taste to develop.   And, allow many more artists to make a living with their art.

Working with restaurants,  hotels and corporations is a balancing act. You must have work that is not too far ahead of the people utilizing the space.  It cannot intimidate, or irritate the viewer. It must be appropriate for public viewing and must fit the scale of the space. In addition, for the clients to use the art, it must fit within reasonable budget considerations. It’s a difficult balancing act, but one I enjoy immensely.  I truly am an interior art director.

Throughout the years, I have followed my instinctive balance of taste, my appreciation for the client’s position and fairness to the artist.   My business allows me many rewards.  I can educate the general public (and often the client). I can turn and look at a finished project and usually feel a deep sense of accomplishment for a space made better.

I take very seriously the delicate position I am in. My client must trust that I will provide the best possible art for their money. The artist must trust that I will get the most money for their art. Both sides must trust that I’m doing my best for them. I feel my ability to continue to work with some of the same clients for my w hole career and have clients who will come back to me when a need arises even if it’s been years, means I’ve done a good job.

Happily, I am returning to my Italian heritage and hoping to achieve a similar path in Italy.  In 2009, I will begin using my Italian name, Faletto. I’m unsure at this point what company name I will use for my company, but I will  be based in Italy and  work throughout Europe finding hospitality and corporate projects that will allow me to search out artists whose work can find its way into projects throughout Europe to gain them visibility and career credibility.  I hope to bring my expertise in pairing projects and artists to everyone’s benefit, especially the public.

by Kathleen Warner – Kathleen Warner Fine Arts

Kathleen Warner Fine Arts

Kathleen Warner runs a fine arts business which specialises in matching artwork to building and design projects.