Friends Helping Friends

I have always said that the best part about working at a small photography business is the chance to work closely with friends, and to create images of their families and from their memories.  It seems like just yesterday that my friend Karen Kelly came in to Mastercolor wanting us to create a stretched canvas for her of a really fantastic shot she had captured while visiting Maine on a family vacation.  At the time we were already printing on canvas, but to be honest, we really did not want to get into all the materials and space needed for creating Canvas Gallery Wraps.  Well Karen is one of those special types of people that can tell you what you should be doing without coming across as pushy. Long story short Karen knew our business better than we did, and now Canvas Gallery Wraps are some of our most requested items.

After Karen convinced me how easy they were to make, told me where I could go to buy the stretcher bars, and how popular these would become, Mastercolor produced our first Giclee Gallery wrap with her image of the "Good Ole Buoys". Karen’s Gallery Wrap has been hanging in our lobby ever since                     .

The advice given to me by a close friend has really helped shape the future of our business.  We even designed a separate website just to handle the volume of Giclees and Canvas Wraps we received, www.mastercolorcanvas.com.

On the weekend of May 14^th there will be a fund raising event held in Karen’s honor to help fight the financial burdens that come with the daily battle against ALS.  Karen was diagnosed with ALS or LouGehrig’s disease in 2010 and a group of friends have organized this event to help offset the cost of a lift van for the Kelly family.  It is open to the public and is being held at Brixx Pizza on Westover Terrace in Greensboro.  Cost for the event is $15 for adults and includes music, pizza and beer, the cost for children is only $7.  They will be selling raffle tickets for over 40 great prizes and are holding a silent auction during the event (11a.m.-4p.m.).  If you want to bid online before the event start, please visit the auction using this link. (http://www.32auctions.com/organizations/1500/auctions/1628)

A copy of “Good Ole Buoys” signed by Karen will be one of the priceless items there to raise money.  Hope to see you on the 14^th.  Please visit Brixx Pizza whenever you are choosing a night out for dinner, I am not sure there is a nicer group of people to dine with in all of Greensboro!