The Picture Place Becomes Main Street Gallery

In keeping up with our shifting economic times, photographer and gallery owner Lane Poor has rebranded his business in downtown Warren. What used to be called The Picture Place is now Main Street Gallery. Poor says The Picture Place needed a new name since customers typically thought it was a frame shop and not a fine art gallery.

The Picture Place officially opens as Main Street Gallery Saturday, Feb. 26, at noon, with a festive opening reception from 7-9 p.m. The inaugural exhibition features Poor’s own nature photography, featuring images of local flora and fauna, and works by beloved local painter Richard Kaiser, best known for his Bristol 4th of July paintings. The show will be up for four weeks and therafter Poor says the gallery will continue to exhibit nature and nautical themed works by local and regional painters and photographers.

As a photographer himself, Poor takes his photographs in the mornings when he can observe the natural world as it awakens. To capture action shots and close ups of birds and insects he uses the “OWL” protocol – observe, wait, and listen.

“Some of these photos, I would be in the same place for an hour and a half,” Poor said. “With herons in particular I’ll just sit there until they move on and I can catch them in flight.”

With a background in physics and a penchant for building and inventing, it’s no surprise that Poor has mastered every step of the photography process from shooting and printing to matting and framing. Poor uses both a high quality Epsom printer for Giclee prints and a lower resolution HP printer for laser prints which allows him to offer work at all price points. Matted and framed laser prints go for as low as $25 while Giclee prints run up into the $150 range. 

Poor is also teaming up with gallery owner Valerie Bryan of Valerie’s Gallery. Bryan, whose own gallery underwent some , will be curating shows at Main Street Gallery. Poor admits that marketing is not his strong suit and has brought Bryan on board to help in that regard. She and Poor are also starting a membership club for “students and starving artists” to purchase frames and framing materials at a discount.

“Lane has got wonderful ideas,” said Bryan. “We tweak them together and get them out there.”

For more information about the Main Street Gallery visit them at 504 Main Street in Warren or check out their Facebook page here.