From the Blog

Artist and framer enjoyed serving Capitol Hill

By Jennifer Parsons

Now more than ever, it’s important to have art and inspiration in our lives. Art gives us meaning, connects us as a culture, and encourages us to take our heart and thoughts on an adventure. It reminds us of times of strength, adversity, joy, love and freedom. Choosing art for our work and fun spaces allows us to make our rooms uniquely ours. Art framers like Dennis Turner at Frame Central Capitol Hill, helped create these inspirational spaces with crafting distinct framed art pieces in Seattle for over 20 years.

“Creating a hand-crafted design to showcase our customer’s art in the most exciting way possible is exactly why I have been working in the art framing industry for so long,” Dennis Turner, manager of Frame Central said.

“I enjoy transforming a space and I’m constantly inspired and motivated by the large range of different styles. We can frame just about anything.”

Some of these fun challenges have come in the form of framing a six-foot long prehistoric animal pelt, which had been in a customer’s family for generations. Other projects range in framing swords, muskets, clothing, medals, action figures, jewelry, original art pieces, and concert memorabilia. Dennis focused on personalization and the customer’s emotional attachment to their art.

“One very special piece that stands out to me through the years was a son’s gift to his father where we framed a patch from a Jewish concentration camp. It was to honor their Jewish ancestry and their family’s survival of the Holocaust. It was a powerful piece to frame,” Dennis said. “We presented it with beauty, dignity and authenticity.”

Partnering with customers and working with them closely on vision, budget and possibilities, attributed to Dennis’s satisfying career and the continuing success of Frame Central Capitol Hill. He and his colleagues take the time to inquire about the story behind the art piece: who created it, where it came from, and is it an heirloom.

“Macklemore, a well-known Seattle musician, brought us his music awards to frame, Dennis said. “It was an honor to help him display his passion and success. We have also helped local photographer Lance Mercer frame his pieces, which have captured a historical walk through of Seattle’s music scene from punk to grunge.”

“Sometimes a new customer would walk in with a pre-conceived notion that custom framing is unaffordable,” Dennis said. “It’s not. Our locations have prices and selections for everyone regardless of budget, which takes the intimidation and fear away.”

Dennis explained there are occasions where customers request a simple white mat and black frame, because it’s safe and it goes the best with what they currently have in their space.

“We can certainly do that for our clients, but we also like to show them other design options of what is possible,” Dennis said. “They tend to shift gears, go out of their comfort zone and become excited by the different ways their art can be presented and preserved,” Dennis added.

Another reason why Dennis has loved framing during his career is due to the familial bond between he and his colleagues and the support he has received from the leaders at Northwest Framing, Frame Central’s parent company.

“Our entire organization is a family. We have all known each other for many years, we help each other, and our leadership gives us the freedom to explore ideas, because they believe in us and trust us. Our company’s corporate culture doesn’t hinder our personality, or who we are as individuals,” Dennis said. “The company also takes good care of us, hires quality people and ensures we have work-life balance.”

This has propelled the Frame Central Capitol Hill Seattle location in a strong direction. Dennis explains about maintaining a happy staff who can provide relevance and a presence in the community.

“We fit into the community instead of trying to make the community fit us,” Dennis said. “We want to support the Capitol Hill community and their desires and needs. We don’t compromise professionalism and we maintain our creativity and individuality, as most of us are artists ourselves.”

“The best part after helping a customer with a design is sharing that our company not only offers a 30-day risk-free guarantee, but also a lifetime craftsman guarantee, which no other company offers,” Dennis said. “This gives confidence to customers to explore ideas they wouldn’t normally consider, with the added assurance that if their framed piece doesn’t work in their space, we’ll redesign it, or fix it, no questions asked.

Dennis Turner worked for Northwest Framing for almost 20 years and started framing in 1989. He retired at the end of 2020 and will start a new adventure living in San Francisco.

“Art should never be considered as nice-to-have in our life, it proves its worth because it’s an expression of who we are,” Dennis said.

Jennifer Parsons is the marketing manager for Northwest Framing.

Photo credit: Dana Kae Photography