Check Out Andy Nortnik’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andy Nortnik.

Hi Andy, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My wife and I started the FUN & FUNKY Art Gallery eight years ago in a 12′ x 12′ room leased out of a local restaurant in Bailey, Colorado. I’m an Industrial Sculptor and Steampunk Artist and my wife is a Photographer. Our son (who was seven years old at the time) sold his die-cast toy cars to help dad and mom pay the first few month’s rent. We kept his cute sales sign to remind us of our humble beginnings! He is now an amazing Artist in our gallery as well! We ran our family business for about six months, ended up being quite successful and in the meantime, we collected business card after business card from local artists who wished to come on board.

We finally decided that perhaps adding a local artist or two would be a benefit to our community and also add some variety to our offerings. We now have over 100 Colorado artists, crafters, sculptors and photographers onboard and recently, we won the coveted “People’s Choice Best Art Gallery in Park County” award for the second year in a row. We’ve also won “Best Jewelry,” “Best Gift Shop,” and several “Best Artisans” awards, all of which we are very proud of. We now have two locations and we are considering a third location as well.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Other than the COVID Pandemic, it has been a fairly smooth transition from a small “hole in the wall” gallery to our current standing as a well-respected business in our amazing community and one of the most highly rated art galleries in Colorado. We have a very wide and diverse online presence and several 5 STAR ratings, both from locals and Colorado tourists who support us.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I received my art degree from the Colorado Institute of Art and my 25-year corporate background includes graphic design and art direction for Fortune 100 and 500 companies. Several years ago, I chose to take off my graphic design cap and work with my hands instead of software and now my specialty is industrial sculpture. I repurpose found objects into creative home décor and lighting.

My wife also has a creative educational background and chose Photography as her medium of choice, which she enjoys very much. What sets us both apart from other artists is our ability to create beauty from simplicity. My creations are both artistic but also utilitarian. My wife’s specialty is her ability to look not only at the “big picture” in her subject matter but also the “small picture” and accentuates the beauty in it all. My son dabbles in “all things” creative and I am very proud of them both!

How do you think about happiness?
Our happiness is creating something that strikes an emotion in our customers. We enjoy the creative experience but also talking with customers to find out why a certain sculpture or photo resonates with them. But our passion is supporting ALL of the Colorado Artists in our gallery and providing a venue for them to sell and find creative happiness themselves. We do not refer to our gallery as a “fine art” gallery but a “gallery for the people.”

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @funandfunkygallery_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtByAndyNortnikGallery/

Image Credits
Images Copyright Art by Andy Nortnik, LLC