A Portrait of Gallery Owner
Russell Jinishian
(Appeared on the front page
of the Fairfield Sun 12/9)
By Mike Lauterborn
© 2010. All Rights Reserved.
11/27/10
Fairfield, CT – A connection to water and an involvement with art. From an early age, these were the two things he was sure would be constants in his life. Fifty-eight years later, Russell Jinishian is not only still tied to these passions, but literally showcases them for all to see.
Jinishian is the owner of J. Russell Jinishian Gallery at 1657 Post Road in downtown Fairfield and considered to be the leading specialist in Contemporary Marine and Sporting Art. Interviewed recently at the gallery space, he spoke about his boyhood days by the sea, mother’s environmental work, his climb through the art world and the establishment of his unique facility.
A Shore Thing
Jinishian was born in Essex, CT in 1952 and, during his first 10 years, moved around quite a bit, from Cos Cob and Glastonbury to Fairfield.
“In the 50s, my folks built a house on Fairfield’s Colonial Drive,” he recalled. “It was one of the first houses on the street and there were no others between it and the beach. Only a meadow.”
His father was employed by U.S. Plywood, which figured into the construction of the home. “Houses weren’t being built from plywood back then. My dad and the builder designed it on the top of the builder’s pickup. My dad got him all the plywood he needed.”
In 1962, the family moved to Old Greenwich, which Jinishian described as “a beach town.” For him, life there was spent boating, sailing, fishing, swimming and anything else water connected.
“My father was an ex-Navy guy and sailor, so we always had boats in the family and cruised up and down the coast,” he said.
With regard to his mother, Jinishian said she is best described as an environmental activist, who ultimately became the Shellfish Commissioner in Old Greenwich.
Jinishian is quite proud of his mother’s work and explained, “She engineered reopening and restocking the oyster beds that had been closed for over 30 years and implemented a process of monitoring the water quality and maintenance of the beds, which residents continue to enjoy today. Along the way, she got to know all the oystermen. When they first opened the beds, the oysters were huge, as they hadn’t been harvested. My dad, who’s 90, still goes down to dig them to this day.”
Schools of Learning
Jinishian first imagined himself as an artist and went to Cornell University in 1976, pursuing a B.A. in Fine Arts. He traveled for a spell after graduating then landed a position as a Programs Director at Silvermine Guild of Artists in New Canaan. The Guild was started by a number of artists that lived in New York City, including Solon Borglum, whose brother Gutzon carved Mt. Rushmore.
Of the Guild experience, Jinishian said, “I got to know a lot of artists and wide range of styles and topics. I cut my teeth there.”
During this time, he met wife Patricia Warfield, who was teaching at the Guild and is a practicing professional artist, and they had two children together.
Along the way, he also began writing art reviews for publications that included Art New England, Fairpress and the Connecticut Post. The pursuit exposed him to a lot of exhibitions, more artists, venues, etc.
“I’m not sure anyone read my stuff other than my mother and the artist I was writing about, but it probably honed my critical skills,” joked Jinishian.
In the early 80s, he heard about the Mystic Maritime Gallery, which had just opened, in Mystic, CT. “I thought to myself, I love boats, I like art, let’s go see what’s happening.”
Jinishian was hired as the gallery manager and relocated there in 1982. In 1985, he took over as Director and worked there until 1994.
He described the experience as a true eye-opener that helped shape his career direction. “Mystic is a unique place and Mecca for anyone interested in maritime history, maritime art and artifacts. In 1985, Rudolph J. Schaefer of the brewing family built the gallery wing that I came to oversee. It was the most significant marine art gallery in the country at the time. We worked with 300 marine artists from around the world. Its establishment also coincided with a whole renewed interest and growth in marine art.”
The gallery hosted notable exhibitions including the work of the British Royal Society of Marine Artists as well as leading celebrities with a passion for marine art such as Walter Cronkite, Bill Buckley, George Plimpton and Tom Watson.
Return to Home Port
During Jinishian’s Mystic days, entrepreneur Dave Usher was building up a limited edition art print business in Fairfield and, by 1994, it had grown into a multi-million dollar international company. He decided to branch out to selling one-of-a-kind original art through his own galleries. He called these Big Horn Galleries and recruited people with art experience to run them. Jinishian agreed to manage the gallery he established in Fairfield – Jinishian’s present-day space.
Since 1920, the building had been the Bonney Electric Company. Jinishian oversaw extensive renovations to transform it from an appliance store to a state-of-the-art gallery and opened it with a real cross-section of art from still lifes to fantasy art and Western themes.
Jinishian ran the gallery for three years. Unfortunately, the business model was flawed and Usher sold off all but the Fairfield location. By that time, Jinishian had decided he was really a maritime expert and wanted to have a marine gallery. He leased the second floor from Usher while Usher reopened the first floor as the Greenwich Workshop Gallery. Thus, J. Russell Jinishian Gallery was born.
“I decided to take the top slice of artists – about 75 in all – and display and promote their work,” said Jinishian. “Along the way, I ended up working with some of the top sporting artists, specifically fishing and hunting.”
In 2000, Jinishian started a magazine, Marine Art News, to help promote artists but also give inside information to help people learn about and evaluate marine art.
In 2008, the Greenwich Workshop decided to move its gallery to its corporate headquarters in Seymour and Jinishian expanded downstairs to fill the building’s entire 7,000 square feet with marine art. Jinishian now keeps about 500 works of art in the facility at all times, with about 300 pieces on display. These are price-tagged between $200 and $250K, offering a wide variety of subjects, styles, sizes and prices.
Jinishian said one of the most important roles he plays these days is in guiding collectors to artwork suited to their individual tastes. “Everyone knows how to buy a house, a car, a refrigerator… but when it comes to artwork, there’s no Consumer Reports to go to, and people often don’t know how to make a value judgment about purchasing. My job is to provide information to people about the artist, artwork and sense of value, so they can make a decision.”
“I can’t imagine being in any other line of work,” summed up Jinishian. “I am excited every time a package arrives as it contains some incredible new piece of art that I have the honor of seeing for the first time. And I really enjoy helping people find something they can enjoy for the rest of their lives.”
SIDEBAR
J. Russell Jinishian Gallery: Maritime Art and History All in One
Since its creation 13 years ago, Fairfield’s J. Russell Jinishian Gallery has grown to be the leading maritime art gallery in the country.
Owner Russell Jinishian says the gallery is a surprising and welcome find for many art enthusiasts. “Most people in Fairfield don’t realize you can’t go anywhere else in the country but this renovated appliance store and see the top marine artists in one place. People visit here and say, ‘Jeez, it’s like going to a museum.’”
The marine art collection includes every aspect of life on and around the sea, rivers and lakes including depictions of clipper ships, tugs, liners like the Queen Mary, America’s Cup yachts, gondolas in Venice, ports like New York, historical ships such as the U.S.S. Constitution, marine mammals and beach scenes. Jinishian says the broad content drives universal interest and that, each week, he receives new artwork from top artists that makes its world debut in his gallery.
Jinishian says the artists specialize in certain categories and are experts in their field, and that the accuracy of their work often makes for amazing interactions with visitors. A painting of the U.S.S. Enterprise aircraft carrier from a stern view inspired one visitor to relate that he was the captain of a ship that cruised behind it and that was his exact perspective.
“The gallery is really a treat and education in itself besides offering the opportunity to own a masterpiece with a maritime orientation,” says Jinishian.
The J. Russell Jinishian Gallery is located at 1657 Post Road, Fairfield. It is open to the public Tues.-Sat. 11-5. For more info, visit www.jrusselljinishiangallery.com or call 203-259-8753.
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