Making the Scene with Hobbyist Jeff Zeleny

Making the Scene with 
Hobbyist Jeff Zeleny:

Model train enthusiast gives 

tips on landscape creation

(Appeared on 

Fairfield.Patch.com 12/12)

By Mike Lauterborn

© 2010. All Rights Reserved.

12/12/10

Fairfield, CT – Hills. Rocks. Grass. Trees. Most of us take them for granted. But when it comes to integrating them in model railroad set-ups, they’re anything but trivial for hobbyist Jeff Zeleny. They are key to making a model railroad come to life.

A model railway scenery workshop that Zeleny was scheduled to conduct at Fairfield Museum and History Center on Beach Road Sunday afternoon Dec. 12 was cancelled, but he connected with Patch by phone to share some tips and techniques.

Zeleny has been model railroading for the past 30 years, starting and sticking with HO scale trains. He is a member of the Fairfield-based Housatonic Model Railway Club and maintains a 45 ft. x 30 ft. layout in the basement of his Fairfield home. On the side, he also helps individuals plan, repair and build all different scales of model railroad set-ups.

“I’m knowledgeable in the art of model railroading, including scenery, and the owner of Hobbytown asked me to do a clinic at the museum aligned with the museum’s December train month,” said Zeleny. The Housatonic Model Railway Club, in fact, created a set-up for the museum’s Holiday Express Train Show, which is currently on exhibit.

“Scenery is the difference between looking at a piece of wood with track on it to a scene where your mind envisions a real train running through the countryside,” said Zeleny. “When it comes to scenery, you are only limited by your imagination.”

Zeleny noted that the concepts for doing scenery really haven’t changed much over the years. “The nice thing that we have today is the multitude of resources available through the internet including how-to videos, instruction books and CDs, to guide and teach the average person how to fulfill their image of what they want their railroad to look like.”

The hobbyist said that some people create scenes of mountains, hills and trees, while some create scenes of buildings, roads, and industrial areas. “The basic scenery – hills, trees, grass – is very easy to do and comprises using newspaper, cardboard, plaster, paint and commercially available trees,” he said.

Zeleny suggested that a good way to start is to decide on the topography you want to create. For a hill, you can use cardboard strips glued or stapled in a crosshatch pattern to your set-up’s wood base in the shape you want your hill to be. Then you mix up plaster, dip strips of paper in it and cover the mound. You let this dry and then use acrylic paint in an earth tone to color it. “You should try to be realistic and match real earth tones,” suggested Zeleny.

At that point, Zeleny guided, you can leave it a hill or add plaster castings of rocks. The castings are made by pouring plaster in rock-shaped molds. When dry, these are removed and placed on the hill wherever appropriate. As poured, these are white, so you will want to colorize them with paint. To effect New England scenes, Zeleny says paint shades burnt umber, yellow ochner and black are popular.

Zeleny said you actually “wash” the rock with a small amount of diluted paint and a brush, and create a speckled pattern. Then a mixture of India ink with a drop of dishwashing soap and some water is sprayed on the rock creation to blend the colors and bring out the rock’s highlights.

Ground cover is the next important element and deciding on the type is key. For grass, there are 20-30 different types and colors of artificial substances available through hobby stores or online. To select areas of your hill, you brush on a mixture of matte medium glue, water and dish soap then affix your grass.

Trees are the final basic elements. “You can buy an already-made commercial tree or assemble them from kits. Or you can pick weeds from the roadside in fall, dry them and shape them in the form of a tree,” said Zeleny. For the trunks, Zeleny sprays on brown paint. Then he dips them into a glue/water/soap mixture and next into a canister of ground cover. These are hung upside down to dry, then affixed to the hill in punched holes with white glue that dries clear.

There are many variations to scene creation, said Zeleny, and buildings are a whole other level of dimension. “It’s about fooling the eye, similar to when you go to a play or Broadway show where they create scenes that make you think you’re somewhere you’re not.” 

Santa’s House Full of Visitors

Santa’s House Full of Visitors:

25^th Annual Burr Homestead event draws big crowds

(Appeared on Fairfield.Patch.com 12/11)

By Mike Lauterborn

© 2010. All Rights Reserved.

12/11/10

Fairfield, CT – When Santa opened his house for a visit, he probably didn’t bargain on having the whole community tromp through.

But that was the case Saturday Dec. 11 when the Junior Women’s Club of Fairfield opened to the public the Burr Homestead at 739 Old Post Road for its 25^th Annual “A Visit to Santa’s House” event. Scheduled for 10am-4pm today and 10am to 2pm on Sunday, Dec. 12, the affair is made possible by presenting sponsor Newman’s Own, house sponsor General Electric and a host of other companies sponsoring specific activity rooms. The event benefits Brady’s Smile, a Fairfield-based non-profit that helps families with children in the neo-natal and pre-natal ICU’s at local hospitals.

Bridget Perry, Co-Chair of the event and a JWC member, said the whole house was devoted to the event and that this was the second year that JWC was supporting Brady’s Smile. Last year, the event raised $18,500 for the organization.

Perry led Patch on a tour, beginning with a room to the right of the entry hall that contained donated items, including many gift baskets, for a raffle. While parents reviewed these, their children could have their faces painted or take a photo with a costumed Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

Facepainter Caroline Kane, 14, applied a Christmas tree design on seven-year-old C.J. Vinas’ cheek while Vinas’ mom Jennifer looked on. “We wanted to see Santa and have some fun in Fairfield,” Jennifer mentioned.

An adjacent back room contained baked goods donated by JWC members as well as gingerbread houses and kits, all for sale. Perry said that pizza, water and Goldfish snacks would also be available later in the day.

In a kitchen area, Mrs. Claus visited with children like Grace McCormack, 6, and brother Liam, 4, who were visiting with mom Siobhan. “We’re having fun,” Siobhan said. “We came to see Santa and all the decorations and get into the season.”

A back entertainment room with big picture windows was hosted by Little Gym and featured a rotating schedule of activities including dance and music provided by Lenihan School of Irish Dance, Flash Pointe Dance, World Champion Taekwondo and Suzuki Music School. Madeline Gilhuly, 5, was recruited for an interactive session while parents Bill and Samantha and sister Lucy, 2, sat by.

“We came out to see Santa and do arts and crafts and enjoy the holidays,” said Samantha.

A last room on the main floor was devoted to crafts and, there, JWC volunteer Sue Martin worked on greeting card designs with six-year-old twin daughters Lindsay and Lauren. Parents and children at several stations busily worked on cards, ornaments and wrapping paper.

On the second floor, a gift shop sponsored by Southport dentist Dr. Salvatore Pizzino featured small toy items that children could buy for their siblings. There was also a second free style craft area here and a small room in which artist Deborah O’Connor created silhouettes of visitors.

Another entertainment room sponsored by Giant Steps Toy Store featured rotating activities including storytime, holiday puppet shows and instrumental performances. Next door, a train room sponsored by Hobbytown contained a G-Scale train circling a small tree and passing through Christmassy scenes.

In the hallway, Gabby Camarro, 9, and friend Emily Cholokian, 9, were picture posing with a costumed Frosty the Snowman character. Gabby’s dad, Tom, remarked, “I love to bring them down for Santa and to see the dancing. It gets them in the spirit.”

“We love Christmas! It’s awesome!” the girls squealed.

Of course, Santa’s House wouldn’t be Santa’s House without Santa and there the jolly fellow sat in his own sectioned off front room under heavy security – or at least a couple of helpers that escorted young visitors to see him. One visitor was Elizabeth Magy, 5, attending with parents Russ and Amy, from Fairfield. “Elizabeth wished for Zhu Zhu Park. It’s just magical in here. It’s the place to be,” said Amy.

Perry agreed, citing, “There’s something for everyone and kids of all ages. Community organized and funded. We encourage area residents to make this event part of their family tradition.” 

Walk and Talk a Feathery Affair

Walk and Talk a Feathery Affair:

Naturalist Dick Worth hosts bird chat at Audubon Society

(Appeared on Fairfield.Patch.com 12/11)

By Mike Lauterborn

© 2010. All Rights Reserved.

12/11/10

Fairfield, CT – If you wanted to know about the birds that call Fairfield home during the wintertime, then Dick Worth is the man to see.

The long-time birder and naturalist hosted a “Walk and Talk” with that very focus mid-morning Dec. 11 at the Connecticut Audubon Society’s Larsen Sanctuary at 2325 Burr St.

Worth, 65, professes a lifelong interest in bird watching that started as a child in New York City and continued when he moved to Fairfield in the 1980s. For about 10 years, he led school groups on spring and fall tours of the Larsen Sanctuary then, two years ago, began teaching a bird watching course for adults at Birdcraft Museum on Unquowa Road. About eight to 10 people typically attend the 4-week program to talk about bird calls and go on hikes to look at birds. Unfortunately, due to the recession, the fall course was not held this year.

Standing at the top of the steps at the Society’s main facility watching a flurry of activity at an adjacent feeder, Worth named the types of birds that can be seen in the winter or are year-round residents. “A number of American Goldfinch stay here for the whole winter and are frequent feeders,” he said. “Then there’s the Tufted Titmouse and Black Capped Chicadee, both of which are here year round. You can also see the White Throated Sparrow.”

He said that though owls stay in the area, you would be unlikely to see them as they are nocturnal. But one could definitely see small woodpeckers like the Hairy and Downy breeds and larger woodpeckers like the Flicker and Red-Bellied variety. Another bird that people might see is the White Breasted Nuthatch, which looks similar to the Chicadee.

He explained that these birds are seed-eating and that they follow a pattern of nesting and mating in the spring and usually have four or five offspring. Unfortunately, only about one in five of the offspring survive, due to predators like hawks, disease or injuries suffered from falls when learning to fly.

“Kestrel Hawks will hang out around a feeder and swoop down and kill a bird,” said Worth. One, in fact, was hovering in a nearby tree as he spoke.

About the birds in general, he said each has a different sound. “You start to get familiar with their calls, which is easiest in the winter because of the small number of birds that stay here. In the spring, when other birds return, you are already familiar with the calls of the winter crop, so learning the sounds of the other birds is easier.”

Worth said the secret to birding is to find a popular spot the birds frequent and to stay there. “Often, that’s a place that has water, like a pond, where they come to drink, or a meadow, where there are usually seeds on the ground and predators can be spotted,” he said.

One of the key things an aspiring birdwatcher can do is always look up. “You’re more likely to see birds in trees than at eye level,” Worth remarked.

There was a very plaintive screech as Worth excitedly said, “Oh, wow, look at that! A Broad Shouldered Hawk! He’s watching that feeder.” Sure enough, though it was hard to spot at first, the massive bird was perched on a limb of a tree.

“You can see how well they camouflage themselves. There are barely any leaves up there and he blends right in,” said Worth.

The bird man said this pursuit is popular because it requires so little. “You really just need a good set of standard binoculars and a good bird identification book, though you need patience, too. You have to stand there and wait for the birds to appear.”

Worth’s career path has been as windy as the Sanctuary’s trails, with an early start as a newspaper reporter for the old Hartford Times, a Gannett paper. For the past 30 years, he has written history texts and biographies. He’s also a jazz piano player and conducts a “Keys” instructional program for children in kindergarten through 6^th grade in the Bridgeport school system.

Surprisingly, Worth has not written about his hobby, though he’s extremely knowledgeable. “There are so many books out there, I never felt there was a need for another.”

But he certainly is passionate about his pursuit. “Bird watching is a very, very relaxing way to spend time. It’s being out in the woods with a purpose. What it enables you to do is see some of the most spectacular creatures. Some of these birds are just gorgeous. There’s no end to the amount of time you can spend doing it.”

Ogden House Tour a Trip Back in Time

Ogden House Tour 
a Trip Back in Time

(Appeared on 

Fairfield.Patch.com 12/10)

By Mike Lauterborn

© 2010. All Rights Reserved.

12/10/10

Fairfield, CT – As homes in Fairfield go today, the Ogden House would have construction code issues with the zoning board, but in its day, it was considered a stately residence owned by a well-to-do family.

The historic saltbox with its hand-planed shingles at 1520 Bronson Road held a candlelight open house early evening Dec. 10. It was hosted by the Fairfield Museum and History Center and featured a team of docents in period costume giving background about the house and its owners and a glimpse of life back in 1750, when the home was constructed.

A front walkway lined by paper bags containing candles led to the entryway of the home. Just inside, docent Barbara Lucia greeted visitors and collected a $3 admission fee. “This is my second year doing this,” said Lucia. “I’m a newbie. History was always something I was interested in. At this point in life, as a retiree, you look for something constructive to do.”

In a front dining room, docent Patricia Rock pointed out features, like a gate leg table at its center. She explained that the table would normally be pushed to a corner to allow activities of the times like spinning yarn on a loom, working with flax to make linen and carding wool, which involves combing it to pull fibers into straight rows.

“Spinning was constant as all the clothing and bedding had to be made,” said Rock. “Flax growing was mandated and there were a couple of acres of the plants grown near the house.”

Rock mentioned that fellow docent Harry Audley grows flax to use for demonstrations. Standing nearby, Audley said, “It’s a long process. It’s seeded in March, pulled and dried in July, placed in a stream for 21 days in August to dissolve the gelatins around the fibers, then dried and hung in a barn. Then it’s brought down, put through a flax break to break the shell and pulled through a hetchel to straighten the fibers for spinning.”

In an adjacent back room, called the keeping room, docent Roberta Garbarini offered baked goods and piping hot apple cider from a long table. As people filed in, she went into action. “This is where the fire was kept,” she said. “David Ogden was gifted the house on his wedding night. The fire would have to be kept going all night as it would be difficult to reignite. A teenager would have tended it and slept down here. Jane Ogden would bake pies and bread over the fire.”

This small snippet of information was enough to gain an appreciation for the challenges of living in these parts 260 years ago when the home was built, suggested Bill Vogel, president of the Fairfield Museum. “This is a throwback to Colonial times right here in our neighborhood. It’s a great opportunity to see how tough it was to get by back then,” he said.

“The Ogdens were actually fairly well off,” added Vogel. “Most residences were half or a quarter of the size. You can see that even with their rudimentary tools, they built houses to last.”

Pooh Donahue of Fairfield, visiting with her children Andrew, 5, Tommy, 4, and Ronan, 5, were curious about the home. “I wanted to bring the kids to learn about history and this old-fashioned house.”

The family tromped from the back room into a north parlor on the opposite side of the house. Rock explained that the room was used for entertaining, and a small table for tea parties, card games, the drinking of rum and a smoke with clay pipes. There was also a desk here where Mr. Ogden did his accounting of trades – often his crops for the wares of a neighboring cobbler.

The upper portion of the home contained the family’s sleeping quarters, including a master bedroom with a four-post bed and fireplace, which was actually quite cozy looking.

Back down below, museum coordinator Walter Mathis spoke about how sugar was packaged, in a 4 to 6 inch cone. A small tool called a nipper would be used to break off pieces, though sometimes the children would sneak down and bite off a piece – hence the term “little nipper” -- a fact that delighted the little nippers in attendance.

Cosmic Cubs Site a Mother/Daughter Project

Cosmic Cubs Site a Mother/Daughter Project

(Appeared in the Fairfield Citizen news w/o 12/6)

By Mike Lauterborn

© 2010. All Rights Reserved.

12/4/10

Fairfield, CT – It was a labor of love that had its share of challenges, but the space-themed website the mother/daughter team concepted and developed was well worth the effort.

Interviewed recently at Fairfield Public Library, Fairfield resident Ann Kennis, 52, and daughter Alex, 13, talked about how their Cosmic Cubs Club was inspired, the road to develop it and some of the website’s features.

Though Ann was chiefly a model in her early years that had done fashion, catalog, cosmetic and hair work for leading agencies Ford, Kay and Elite, she was also a creative type with an interest in children’s toys. In her 30s, she introduced a line of plush toys called Space Bears. These were teddy bears that came from different planets, which she introduced through her small business Space World, working out of her New York City apartment. An initial production run of 1,200 quickly moved and she had thousands more produced in China for distribution to planetariums and specialty stores.

Two years ago, Ann began thinking of bringing back the Space Bears. Daughter Alex was a fan of websites Toon Town and Webkinz. The two thought of creating a website that featured the interactive fun of those sites and new, better Space Bears. The Cosmic Cubs Club was born.

Unlike their ancestors, the Cosmic Cubs are bears that travel to planets, and each has a favorite. The leader of the pack is Ertle, who loves Earth. Others include Sammy from Saturn, Marvel from Mars and Merky from Mercury. Luna, who likes the Moon, is one little girls seem to like best and is white with a pink costume.

“We mocked up some of the bears I had when I was little and used them for inspiration,” said Alex about how the bears got their look. “The lady at our local drycleaners made the initial costumes, so we could visualize them.”

Rather than create plush toys as before, Ann decided to pursue a website. “That’s what the kids want these days,” she said, though added that a plush toy introduction is ultimately planned as a limited edition run.

Why the space theme? “It’s endless, timeless… you can keep exploring,” Alex commented. “It also allowed us to bring back Space Bears,” said Ann.

The site’s target is boys and girls 4 to 12, but with a focus on girls ages 5 to 10. Features include the ability to customize your own cub, learn all about the Solar System, engage in space trivia, decorate your own spaceship, create stories and play cool games.

“We created potential ideas for what could be games, but mom came up with the ultimate ideas,” said Alex.

“Girls like to collect and decorate, like in Webkinz. We developed a lot of accessories,” said Ann.

Two key collaborations, though, really helped the pair get liftoff. The first was with Paul and Cindy Wentzell, website gurus that helped them design the site. Working from prototypes, the Wentzells created illustrations of the Cosmic Cubs and did all the information sheets, space quizzes and other text elements.

Realizing a game developer would be needed, in early 2009, Ann scoured the world’s talent but ended up with a Torrington, CT based group, Left Brain Games, to help. At that time, Ann had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and had lost all her hair from chemotherapy treatments. She went to the initial meeting wearing a wig.

“My husband Jeffrey couldn’t believe it,” said Ann, about her willpower. “I just felt I had to do it. I was really self-conscious about the wig and tugging on it, and then just told them what I’d just been through. They were like ‘Whoa.’”

Even through therapy, Ann went up for meetings once a week to work on all the elements and by Sept./Oct. 2010, had a good working model of the site. She was actually surprised it took the amount of time it did to develop but attributes that to the legal aspects, privacy policies and other compliance issues that are required.

The final part of the puzzle was how the site would be funded. Looking at other site models, Ann decided to make it subscription-based, with time terms of one month, six months or a year.

The website officially launched Nov. 23 and Ann and Alex’s hopes for success are high. They also hope to get schools involved and have had initial interest.

“The site, particularly the story-making aspect, is unique and educational and I think that’s our point of differentiation,” concluded Ann.

To visit the site online, go to www.cosmiccubclub.com

Man About Town: Sitting in a Circle

Man About Town:

Sitting in a Circle

(Column appeared in the Fairfield Citizen newspaper 12/10)

By Mike Lauterborn

12/5/10

At the join of the Old Post Road and Post Road beside the Fairfield Inn on the outskirts of Fairfield’s downtown sits the Circle Diner. For nearly seven years, the family-friendly eatery has been dishing out hearty breakfast, lunch and dinner fare seven days a week. It seemed a good place to roost for a spell on an early December Sunday morning.

Signs of the holiday season were evident here including twinkling Christmas trees at the front entry, delicate countertop displays, garland and wreaths in appropriate spots and striped red bows adorning overhead lighting.

Hostess Danielle was manning the front desk this morning, with managing partners Gus Tsilfides and Maria Lalvay providing oversight. Gus and Maria are two of six partners in total of the nearly 3,000-square-foot restaurant.

A crew of 13 waitresses, all dressed in blue polos and black pants, worked the deck, shuttling steaming plates of omelets, stacks of pancakes and towers of waffles to the hungry masses that steadily streamed through the door.

The place was as toasty as the piping hot bran muffin that waitress Elena delivered tableside and abuzz with conversation, laughter and the clinking of silverware. It was a happy, welcoming environment reflected in the faces of patrons.

At one adjacent table, a group of seven spoke about a big upcoming football game.

A couple and their infant daughter, who was propped in a high chair and tapped a sippy cup on the table, happily chatted with another couple that had joined them. Soon, blue-eyed Elena delivered Cokes and egg sandwiches to them.

A family of six packed into a front booth near the door tackled their breakfasts. One little boy, with a Red Sox t-shirt and sporting close-cropped hair, crammed a burger into his gullet while stirring a hot chocolate.

A pair of seniors nestled into a corner booth and considered items on the menu. They engaged each other in conversation and seemed quite happy in the twilight of their lives.

Gus plopped down for a bit to talk about Circle. His enthusiasm was obvious.

“The kids bring the parents in and when they’re done eating, they love to get their lollipops at the front counter,” he said.

Gus mentioned there are 300 items on the menu and that anyone can get anything at anytime. The partner also spoke about the good community work the diner performs such as hosting a Kennedy Center fundraiser breakfast every September.

As we spoke, more faces, more families, more sports logos and more excited bits of chatter merged collectively in this delightful detour. There seemed to be no end to the assault and one wondered if the official capacity limit of 210 would be tested.

The wait staff kept their cool through the bustle and din, wearing a path to the kitchen and all its stainless steel equipment and activity. There, the cooks worked grills and pots and skillets in a measured methodical way, knocking out orders as quickly as they were submitted. It was clear the owners had cottoned on to a formula that worked well here.

As Danielle grabbed stacks of bright yellow menus and led the continued arrivals to their tables, Gus worked the register and bundled up and passed off to-go bags containing food that had been too overabundant to consume in a sitting. A generous helping at a good value was certainly part of the successful gameplan.

“Goodbye, thank you!” Gus called to a departing couple.  His adieu reminded me that I had best giddy-up as well, though I would have been perfectly content lingering through the lunch hour in this pastel-hued, chrome-trimmed emporium. With reluctance, I removed myself, pondering where I might drop in next in my “Man About Town” adventure.

Art Imitates Life: A Portrait of Gallery Owner Russell Jinishian

Art Imitates Life:

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.