The Parlor Gallery began taking shape when I participated in a neighborhood Artist's Open Studio tour in the fall of 1998. Since my studio is a small room on the third floor of our four-floor brownstone, and can't accommodate more than 3 people at one time, I decided to move my work downstairs to the living room on the second floor (referred to locally as the "parlor floor"). I moved out most of the furniture, set out a vase of fresh flowers, trays of refreshments, and a small reception table. There was so much wall space that I was able to hang fifteen of my own pieces and invite two other local watercolor artists to show with me as well. The Open Studio tour visitors constantly remarked on how pleasant it was to view work in a living room style setting. It was easier for them to visualize owning the work and imagine how it might look in their homes. Many suggested that I keep the room as is and have showings on a regular basis. A second show followed in the early summer of 1999 as a part of the Garden District's Annual Garden Walk - this one a group presentation of the Brooklyn Watercolor Society. My mailing list and requests for more shows were growing. I realized that I was using the space more to show my work than as a living space! Finally, by the the time of the South of the Navy Yard Artists' Open Studio tour in the fall of 1999, the space had a special name - Parlor Gallery - and was fully dedicated to the showing of fine art. Parlor Gallery's mission is to make the ownership of fine art more accessible to all by offering it at affordable prices and by displaying it in a welcoming, home-like environment.