Ocean Blue Galleries opens in Winter Park

What’s in a work of art?

The answers you will get are wide ranging, but there is little doubt that those artists put their passion, soul, and time making it into something unique.

For customers, those aspects are all understood and appreciated, though there has to be an aesthetic there that catches the eye.

Helping find those works of art for buyers is exactly what the team of Bobby Gray, Jay Shaffer and Guy Vincent hope to achieve for those in Winter Park with the opening of Ocean Blue Galleries on Park Avenue.

“Between the three of us, we have been in the art business for about 48 years, and we are a retail art gallery,” Gray said. “We currently have 12 (artists) here in this gallery — from international to American artists, and everything from fine wall art to imported glass and some domestic glass.”

The new gallery, located at 202 S. Park Ave., opened for business Nov. 4 but will have its grand opening on the Nov. 17 and 18. 

Although it is just now getting settled in, Ocean Blue already has seen an influx in customers — which the trio expected when they landed in Winter Park.

Gray, Shaffer and Vincent traveled around Florida — visiting cities both large and small — trying to find the perfect spot for their next location. They originally found success with the launch of their first gallery in St. Petersburg last year.

“What we do is a little different,” Gray said. “A lot of art galleries open down side streets and pay low rent and hope to sell a few pieces of art, and we are the opposite. We open, (and) we want high-volume traffic, and we are willing to pay the high rents as long as we see a lot of foot traffic.

The community has been a big part of the business so far for Ocean Blue. Gray said of the several pieces sold, almost all of them have been to locals.

Most of the art featured at the gallery itself runs between $1,500 to $50,000 and is produced by the 12 artists featured in the current collection. An additional bonus that comes along with the art, is that if a customer lives within a 10- to 15-mile radius of the gallery, Ocean Blue will offer installation services.

Not only will the featured artists have their work in the gallery, but also Gray said Ocean Blue also would be hosting one of the artists every weekend through April.

Along with getting artists in to do work and demos, Gray will be overseeing the entire gallery. He will be relocatin to Winter Park from Ft. Lauderdale.

 As Gray joins the Winter Park community, and as he and his partners’ gallery becomes a part of the city’s vibrant downtown, there is the hope Ocean Blue can help locals find the art that is just right for them.

“I’ve collected art off and on for 30 years, and when people come in, they ask my opinion on the value of the art and things,” Gray said. “And what I tell them is if they’re looking to buy something to decorate their home, then buy a piece that moves them.”