Twenty-five years of city life haven?t aged the Craig Flinner
Gallery.
The store on North Charles Street celebrates its 25th anniversary with contemporary artist Steve Sorman, who reveals his love of traditional and unorthodox printmaking processes.
“Most everything [Sorman] does has a multilayered effect, like etching on top of photography or silkscreen,” said Craig Flinner, owner of the gallery. “[Sorman] uses multiple techniques on one piece. It?s never just one medium.”
In addition to lithography, etching, engraving and silkscreen, Sorman often adds hand-coloring and handmade paper to his work. The New York artist is fascinated by the specific qualities of different material.
“Every process and material has its own atmosphere,” he said. “If you are looking for a certain kind of feeling, find what medium best does that.”
Life as an artist is making one mistake after another, Sorman said. “Essentially, my job is doing what I don?t know what to do, and by the end of a process, knowing how to do it,” he said. “There?s almost no point [to creating] if you knew how to do what you were going to do before hand.”
In 1982, Craig Flinner planted the seeds for The Craig Flinner Gallery in the basement of the Belvedere Hotel.
His first store, The Print Loft, offered a variety of inexpensive antique maps and prints. Four years later, Flinner arrived on Charles Street, where he has been ever since.
The Craig Flinner Gallery fills a very important niche in the Baltimore art scene, said Robin Budish, executive director of the Historic Charles Street Association.
The gallery?s storefront displays, specialized inventory and framing work demonstrate its “class A operations,” Budish said.
Running the gallery is the “only thing I want to do, even when things aren?t good,” Flinner said. “You don?t go into the art business thinking you are going to get rich and it?s going to be easy.”
Baltimore?s gallery owners “aren?t beating each other on the price of peas,” he said. “We help each other. I?d like to see more galleries [on Charles Street.] This city is full of good artists with a lot of talent.”
IF YOU GO
» What: Showing of works by contemporary artist Steve Sorman
» Venue: Craig Flinner Gallery
» Where: 505 N. Charles St., Baltimore
» When: Through April 30. Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
» Cost: Free
» Contact: 410-727-1863, flinnergallery.com
