Art is where you find it

Just because that keepsake is old, lumpy or just plain odd doesn’t mean it can’t be framed to good advantage. In fact, Susan Granger, proprietor of Solvang Gallery & Frame, prides herself on her ability to skillfully showcase everything from photographs to fine art—and a whole lot in between.
“I love picture framing,” she admits. “It’s a happy job and I never get cranky customers.”
An artist in her own right, Granger appreciates the emotions associated with many of the items she frames.
“My favorite,” she says, “is to see customers tear up when they see one of their treasures framed, so they finally can hang it up and really look at it.
“People bring in all kinds of things,” she continues, “stitchery, artifacts and photos, and sometimes really exotic things, like a tiger’s whisker or an ancient Indian dress.”
Occasionally, behind a yellowed photo or heirloom painting, lurks a treasure of even greater value, just waiting to be discovered.
“In the old days,” Granger explains, “to save money, people would open already framed pictures and put in what they wanted to look at. One customer brought in a painting done by her mom,” she remembers, “and behind it were three pictures of her mother that she had never seen. She was so touched. It was something really special for her.”
While working as a volunteer at the Santa Ynez Historical Museum, remounting photos and artwork into quality frames, Granger came across a 1970s-era poster. Behind it was a survey of the California coastline, meticulously hand rendered in the 1870s.
“It had all the ports,” Granger says, still excited by the find, “including Santa Barbara, and all it showed there was the mission and a road to the coast.
“The museum doesn’t have stuff restored that often,” she adds, “and it’s a real treasure for them. It’s hanging in the Frontier Room now.”
Before moving to Los Olivos 21 years ago, Granger began her framing career out of sheer necessity.
“I was an art major at Cal State Long Beach,” she reveals, “and I couldn’t afford to pay for custom framing. So, I worked for Aaron Brothers and learned everything about matting and framing.”
While on a visit to the Valley, she and her husband decided to leave the confusion of Orange County behind, in order to raise their children in a better environment.
“We had maybe a little too much wine,” she laughs, “and put a down payment on 20 acres in the high foothills near Los Olivos.
“We wondered if it would be awful to leave suburbia, pull our daughter out of kindergarten and put her in the little Los Olivos school,” she adds, “but the friends she made there are still her best friends, and that’s pretty rare.”
While her husband traveled for his job with the phone company, Granger went to work for Solvang Graphic Arts Gallery. With three small children to care for, however, she soon became a freelancer, framing for Pacific Flyway and Ralph and Diana Story’s gallery.
“I had the best job in the world,” she declares. “I was independent, and I’d get to kick back in Los Olivos and listen to Ralph’s stories.”
Granger eventually purchased Solvang Graphic Arts Gallery and changed the name to Solvang Gallery & Frame. This year, she celebrates the 20th anniversary of the gallery, a busy frame shop and art gallery complete with ready-made and vintage frames and original paintings.
Featured in the gallery, artist Hugh Slayden keeps the walls hung with a variety of his work’s, from impressionistic renderings of land—and seascapes—to western-themed paintings. He also designs wine labels and does personalized horse portraiture for riders and their beloved mounts.
“Hugh paints unique scenes of the Santa Ynez Valley and San Luis Obispo,” Granger explains, “all kinds of different things. He was the interior creator of AJ Spurs, did all the carving and the painted tabletops years ago, and he just completed the largest mural in San Luis County, 80 feet long at Avila Hotel.
“Last year we sold 23 of Hughes paintings,” she adds, “and he just brought a dozen new images of the Valley into the gallery. He has quite a following.”
With her children grown and her husband retired, Granger looks forward to bringing the family into the business. Her daughters helped design the new sign and sometimes make seashell frames, while her son, now 22, helps with the framing.
“We try to put them to work whenever we can,” she smiles, “because we want to keep them in the family business. It’s a tradition in Solvang.
“My husband will help with the business, too,” she adds. “We just went to a convention and he’s really motivated about marketing, advertising and bringing in top-of-the-line of equipment.”
As owner, Granger not only offers custom framing, she also stretches paintings, replaces mattes, does restoration work and makes repairs. She ably handles large framing projects for area hotels and restaurants, and with extra help in the shop, is poised to expand into even larger projects.
“There are so many fun things I enjoy about my job,” she says. “I get to work with everyone from starving artists to Valley celebrities, and best of all, I get to live in paradise.”