Nigel Walker, Creation Fine Arts

This monthly feature focuses on a local business person, in a questions and answers format.

1. What is your background?

I am not trained in art, but I used to play truant from school to go to the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. And, when I go away anywhere, a gallery is the first thing I look for. I have always had a desire to see and buy artwork.

But my background is as a social worker, working with people with learning disabilities, the elderly and the department of health. Setting up the gallery was a strange diversion for me, when I retired at 60. I had been well-paid and had a good pension and just sitting around all day was not appealing.

I spent two and a half years travelling to visit and speak to people who ran galleries. Living in Beverley it frustrated me that there were no galleries worth noting. So it was a personal journey for me, and expensive vanity project.

I have been here two years and my aim is to make it pay its way by the end of this year. It has been a long haul, but I am getting there now. It started in my head five years ago.

2. How do you attract people to the gallery?

Getting visitors to know about the gallery is very important. There is no shop front to draw people in. I am top on Trip Advisor for this area, which is very useful and worth hundreds of pounds to me in terms of marketing. I have evening functions in Autumn and Winter, with artists or people talking about artists. It is all about making connections.

I like to think of Creation as a gallery without walls, and I am very keen on getting stuff out there for people to see - for example, the Off the Wall event. People are often frightened and nervous about going into galleries and walk around in silence as if they are in church.

I don’t ignore them, I say hello, but I don’t hassle them or follow them round. I am not trying to sell them anything. If they see something they love, they will buy it anyway. If they don’t, then I won’t be able to sell it to them.

3. Tell me about the building…

I found the building much earlier than I needed it, but I knew it was what I wanted. I paid six months’ rent upfront and the landlord agreed that I could have it when I was ready. But he gave me the keys anyway, which meant I was able to get in and refurbish and set up the lighting and security system in readiness.

It is a very nice building and sympathetic to being an art gallery. I can divide the sections up into each room. It was built in 1520 as a timber framed building using handmade bricks. Then it was extended in the Georgian era. You can still see some of the original wood-pressed wallpaper from 1814 and the lime plaster walls, as well as floorboards which were probably re-used from ship timber from the Beck.

4. How would you describe the work that you do?

Because I am on my own, I do everything, from the hoovering to the accounts. But I believe one of the things a gallery owner should be doing is giving people the right information.

Most people who come in are just looking to see what’s around. Some want something particular. But, often, they don’t know how things are made. The complexity of the methods, how unique something is, the experience and skill that goes into it - all this can make something much more valuable.

I like to be able to cater for everyone, whether they are looking for decoration for their homes or an investment. There is a good cross-section of mixed contemporary fine arts, which reflects the price range people are willing to pay, going from £10 to £1500.

5. How do you decide which items to put where?

I get everything out and look at it. I need to see all the work together. I have some red walls deliberately because paintings often look good on red walls. Then I look at the colour balance, the size, complementary aspects next to each other. It is trial and error.

It can take a long time to get it right and it is different for every show. But having different exhibitions every five to six weeks means people come back. Every week there is something new. People can get visual blindness when walking round a gallery and will just look at something that catches their eye. It is impossible to look at everything.

I like to change things round and keep it fresh. I have spare paintings in the attic, waiting to be displayed.

6. What is the most rewarding aspect of running the gallery?

Giving artists the opportunities to get their work seen. People like to support local artists and 35% of the work is from East Yorkshire, Hull and York. Around 40% is from nationally known artists, with 25% from international artists, with some from Cuba, Bulgaria and Romania. I try to make sure you wouldn’t find the same artists that you find elsewhere in the area.

I also like being able to help people find pieces that they fall in love with. It is a real joy for me to help them acquire it. Sometimes people will see something they like, then come back six months later and I no longer have it displayed. But I will do my best to retrieve it from other galleries. I will go to extreme lengths to secure it. I often see people in the town and they will tell me how good a piece that I sold them looks in their house.

I would love it if everyone who comes in finds one thing they like. Not necessarily to buy it, but just to enjoy it.