Today we’d like to introduce you to Logan Renfrow
Hi Logan, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I had the opportunity to work in China after college where I was able to travel around the country as a part of my job. I got to know China through these travels, interactions with my Chinese co-workers and friends, and of course, art. China has so many different types of art that show a deep and rich culture.
As happens in life, I started thinking about the future. I’m an artist myself but wanted to be involved in the art world in a different way. I wanted to put together art exhibitions for the public to showcase artists and offer the opportunity for people to connect with local artists and their works. This was 2018 as I had moved back to Dallas. I found a local gallery in Richardson at the time. I wanted to put together an art exhibition that would bring together American and Chinese culture. I was introduced to the Dallas Chinese Art Association. We partnered to bring an exhibition of 50 artists with works made by Americans and Chinese in our show “The Middle Kingdom Meets The Lone Star State: A Cultural Conversation”. We had a successful three-week exhibition where artists and patrons had an exchange of culture and gained a deeper understanding of each other.
I was going to begin planning additional exhibitions with the gallery, but they closed by the end of 2018. After that, I started to consider how I wanted to proceed next. Did I want to find another gallery to put together exhibitions? Did I want to try opening my own gallery? I looked around Dallas and to no one’s shock, there was nothing out there. After several months go by in 2019, I decided to put together an online gallery. I called the gallery Blue Dragon Fine Art with name being influenced by my time in China. I wanted to start the gallery to showcase artists at any stage of their career but with a focus for artists who had only been painting a few years and for the art to be more approachable so that patrons could enjoy original works from local artists. I launched the online gallery that fall. While this was all happening, I learned about a shared space that was available near the Design District. I toured the space, and it was the perfect place to launch a physical gallery.
I moved into the new space in late 2019, and I decided to have the opening reception at the end of March in 2020. As I was making preparations at the beginning of that March, we started to hear about this thing called Covid. I thought in the moment that we would all be closed for two weeks and then resume life. Obviously that did not happen. It was not until March 2021 that we could then officially open our physical space. I ended-up having to move the gallery to a new space that just opened towards the end of 2023 in East Dallas called Art on Main. We have been there since and have enjoyed bringing our art to the community from the Blue Dragon artists.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Like all businesses there have been challenges along the way. The global pandemic provided one of the biggest challenges because I was still renting a location without opening it for a year. I wholly believed in what we were and are trying to accomplish to promote local artists to the DFW area and to have art available at approachable prices so patrons have the opportunity to own original art.
I think another challenge has been making our case on why to own original art and to make that acquisition. Owning original art is about enjoyment, connection with the artist, and how their piece speaks to you. Artists dream in their art bringing the work to life. Some like to first plan their piece as a part of their process and then create the painting. Other artists sit down and just start painting as they let it flow. In either style and all of those in between, the artist is putting themself into the piece. They are conveying an array of emotions that allow the viewers to connect with the piece. Original art is a personal experience for the artist and the viewer that creates a connection through the artist’s piece. We have events throughout the year for patrons to come meet the Blue Dragon artists and to see their outstanding works.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
It has an amazing run over these past five years. I had a vision to have an art gallery and have gotten to realize it. There was never going to be an optimal time to start a gallery. I took the plunge and haven’t looked back. Thinking over time since 2019, it’s a short amount of time from one perspective but with the global pandemic, it makes the beginning of Blue Dragon seem like many years ago. As any business when there are challenges, you just have to keep moving. I’m proud of working with the Blue Dragon artists as they have been with me every step of the way. They make the gallery what it is, and I look forward to continuing to work with them.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I would say success is having a clearly defined set of goals so that you can measure success. My goals were to promote local artists especially those who have painted for a few years and provide original art that was approachable for people. We achieved these two goals as I have had the opportunity to work with more than 20 artists over the past five years, and patrons are enjoying the works in their homes across the DFW area.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bluedragonfineart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluedragonfineart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bluedragonfineart
