Today we’d like to introduce you to Ella Richardson.
Hi Ella, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I began my journey as a fine art dealer in October 1997 at 54 Broad Street. I opened my good friend John Doyle’s Art Gallery ran it for four years. It rapidly turned into a huge success story. We were the first thriving gallery on Broad Street. The district had previously catered to the law industry as well as a number of historic churches.
On November 2, 2001, I opened my own gallery with the vision of including renowned artist from around the world to Charleston. Naturally, I would be showcasing local talent but felt the need to expand Charleston’s art offerings to a clientele with more diverse interests. Visitors come from near and far and some may want a piece of the lowcountry to take home while others wish to find art that resonates from travels or an array of interest. In 2007 I came full circle to reside at 56 and 58 Broad Street, just next door to the gallery Doyle and I opened. My real estate partners and I renovated 2 offices to create a new gallery. We opened up the walls to expand into a stunning 3 room gallery space. It is filled with light, tall ceilings, includes 2 working brick fireplaces, a kitchen, marble bath with clawfoot tub, skylights and exquisite architectural details. My goal was to have a welcoming space that people felt at home and could relax while they immerse themselves in the eye candy on the walls. I am blessed to continue to have an enormous passion for my vocation.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I have learned that in business as in life the road is rarely smooth but if you can keep the faith and have perseverance you typically can weather the storm. I have had the opportunity to experience many lows as well as great highs in my 28 year career as an art dealer and an entrepreneur. There were some exceedingly tough times during the 2007-2009 recession and then again in 2020 when Covid changed the world landscape. These are the times that you have to dig deep with creating ideas to create business when the average person is not thinking about acquiring fine art but instead of they are in fear for their future.
I can remember how tough it was in late 2008 when I was struggling and wondering if I could feed myself and my dogs. God sent me an angel in the way of a new friend that provided my needs until I was able to repay the debt. I could tell many stories of the miracles along the way. I don’t take any of my blessings for granted.
The absolute most important thing that I have consistently done is to pray to a merciful God for help and to lean of good friends and family for their love and support. Life was never meant to be done alone and even as a single business owner I can’t continue to grow without talented co-workers , exceptional artists, collectors and a supportive circle to keep the business going and growing.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Currently, I am proud to represent over two dozen artists. Offering works that are both an investment and art that can quench the soul and bring beauty and life to the collectors home or office. The quality works we showcase are paintings, porcelains, jewelry and bronze sculptures by the legendary Glenna Goodacre. The styles and subject matter range from traditional to abstract. I feel incredibly honored to represent so many award winning artists from around the globe. The gallery has detailed elegant French interiors by California artist Lindsay Goodwin as well as European and lowcountry scenes by her college professor Craig Nelson. He is the head of the art department at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Both of these artists as well as more than a dozen have been working with me for over 20 years. Aleksander and Lyuba Titovets, Evgeny and Lydia Baranov and Jeff Jamison to name a few. Jamison is one of the few local artists represented in the gallery He ended up moving to the Charleston area about 10 years ago. I started representing him around 2003. He told me he had read an article on the gallery in a national publication and told his wife that they were going to Charleston to meet the owner. He knew this was the gallery he wanted to have represent his works. As they say the rest is history. He has been a sensation and continues to evoke delight with his viewer in the dreamy city scapes and beach scenes he is famous for. Another artist from Normandy, France that I started showcasing four years ago is Brooke Major. She grew up in northern Georgia but moved to France during her college years to pursue an art degree in Paris. She fell in love and has lived abroad ever since then. She and her family have a horse and cattle farm on the coast by Omaha Beach, France. She returns to bring new works to the gallery every 3-4 months. Brooke’s style is unique as her canvas is completely white with her subjects being sculpted with a palette knife. The effect leaves one speechless. Her subject matter varies from architectural to equestrian. We also have floral abstract by Texas artists Mallory Agerton and Deborah Paris. Both of these ladies also paint impressionistic and realistic landscapes.
Each month we have a new exhibition opening that coincides the Charleston Gallery Association’s First Friday Art Walk from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. Often we will have the featured artist present to meet collectors and answer any questions patrons may have. It is always a fun evening and all are welcome!
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I grew up as the youngest of five children in Columbia, South Carolina. My parents had a farm my father had inherited from his uncle down in Garnett, SC. It was about a two hour drive from Columbia. My family spent many summers and lots of weekends and vacations there. It was my happy place. That experience gave me an immense love of nature. Back then we were truly blessed to be free to roam and play outside all day long. A time when there were no locks on our doors or worries as a child. I am guilty to admit that I took that way of life for granted. We were not rich in things but in experiences and in love.
As a child, my family took several cross-country road trips. We would camp often and stay in hotels occasionally for a break. On these trips, my parents navigated different routes so we eventually saw a great swath of the country and some of western Canada. It was on my first trip out west that we visited Yellowstone National Park. I remembered thinking I wanted to stay forever. It was so majestic and as a child to see exotic wildlife in their natural habitat was great fun. I can remember seeing bison, elk, moose and bears. Sometimes that were right by the car.
I grew up having an adventurous spirit and the desire to capture the world through my own lens. I love photography, it is the medium that I started toying with when I was about 5 years old and had a polaroid camera. What might surprise some people is that I have been on 3 photographic safaris to Africa, 2 mission trips to Burundi and spent extensive time in Australia with excursions to the outback and the great barrier reef as well as traveled to Europe, Mexico and the Caribbean. Over the years I have indulged my insatiable wanderlust to see and experience as much as possible. There is still a lot of ground to cover.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ellarichardson.com
- Instagram: ewrfineart
- Facebook: Ella Walton Richardson Fine Art and Ella Richardson
- LinkedIn: Ella Richardson
