BEHIND Meet hitney Dossey

Working as a fine art framer for almost three years, Whitney Dossey was looking for a position to grow in responsibilities and expertise in her field when she found a home at EC Gallery. As the frame shop manager for EC Gallery, Whitney is in charge of workflow, ordering framing and shipping supplies, and “I frame, frame, frame….”

“My dream days at work are when all the other framers are on some other project, I can turn on Joni

Mitchell, close the doors and see how many Gloria Lee paintings I can frame in one day. I like the calm and quiet of making something out of parts and knowing that something now exists that didn’t exist before.” Whitney graduated from San Diego State University

with a bachelor’s degree in applied design with an emphasis in ceramics. During her time there she studied under professors Richard Burkett, Joanne Hyakawa and Richard Keely. Her art degree encompassed classes in woodworking, fibers and ceramics. Each of these skills apply directly to her expertise as a custom framer, which requires working with wood and fabrics in every design. “I have a degree in three-dimensional art,” Whitney explains, “and when I look at a blank canvas, nothing comes to me. I love being able to use my three dimensional skill to make two-dimensional art pop!”

EXCLUSIVE COLLECTIONS GALLERIES

Growing up, Whitney was the child of artists, surrounded by creative thinkers and doers who gave her the freedom to know that her opinion mattered. Today, the majority of her friends are artists. For her, collecting art is not just about acquiring a painting or a sculpture that has monetary value or fame; her most treasured works of art have been the gifts or commissions that developed over many years of getting to know her artist friends. Over time, her love for the artwork itself intermingles with her affiliation for the artist and his or her philosophy.

“What I like most about EC culture would definitely be the family aspect. At the main office, we eat lunch together, family style. It’s a very warm and inviting place to work.”

Being around art every day allows her to live in her element. “I’m really enjoying the pen and ink Daniel Ryan pieces that have been coming in lately,” says Dossey. “The clean lines and fabulous stippling work are somehow very calming; something about them just makes me stop and inhale.”

These paintings and so many other significant works of art are under her care every day. She acknowledges the thrill of seeing these masterpieces at her fingertips — taking responsibility for them and making them look their very best. “I got to frame a Chagall today! My job is the best.”

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THE CUR T AIN