Meet Nancie King Mertz of ArtDeTriumph & Artful Framer Studios in Lakeview

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nancie King Mertz.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Nancie King. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Attended undergrad and grad school downstate (BFA in Painting from U of IL and MA in Painting EIU) and began the framing company while a painting student. That grew into a gallery of my work incl. approx. 100 area artists and craftspeople. I sold that business in 1987, retaining the framing portion, and moved with my husband to Chicago. I built the framing business here and continued to paint and exhibit, and my husband joined me in 2000 to offer Giclee prints and cards of my work. We established our current business in 2003 and have been open 7 days a week since!

We won several business awards from Chicago organizations and I’ve been named a Distinguished Alum by my university, grad school and high school.

My work has won many awards and is featured in the Chicago-based TV shows and in gallery shows across the US, China and France. I produce approx. 150 paintings annually and teach painting workshops across the US and Europe.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The economy greatly affects the art business and we’ve had to weather those storms as the fluctuations occur.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about ArtDeTriumph & Artful Framer Studios – what should we know?
We do 3 things: creative custom framing with a focus on conservation and customer service. We offer archival Giclee prints in any size of my work on paper or canvas. And our gallery is full of my original work of Chicago, the US and Europe.

We’re known for my images of Chicago and our good service. Nearly everything we sell is produced in-house, which is unusual today.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Honesty.

Pricing:

• Giclee prints start at $45
• Fine Art Cards are $5, Art gifts start at $15
• Original run from approx. $400-$8000

Contact Info:

• Address: 2938 N Clark, Chicago, IL 60657
• Website: NancieKingMertz.com, ArtDeTriumph.com
• Phone: 773 832 4038
• Email: Nancie@NancieKingMertz.com

Image Credit:
All works by Nancie King Mertz, PSA-M, CPP-M, IAPS-MC

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