Meet Carlos and Mynor Guzman of Professional Fine Art Services in Monterey Park

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlos and Mynor Guzman.

Mynor, Carlos – please share your story with us.
Carlos, our Founder and CEO, immigrated to LA from Guatemala City, Guatemala at the age of 19, on Jan. of 1986. Shortly after his move to LA, he was employed at a frame shop that was leading the industry in LA at that time. Carlos later on mastered the craft of Frame making, learning from other industry leaders in LA. In December of 1999, Carlos opened his frame shop from his own home, turning his garage into a wood shop.

In 2005 Carlos’ oldest son Mynor Guzman joined PFAS, and has been a team since. Carlos, Mynor, and the PFAS crew have worked with such LA artists like Edward Ruscha, Charles Gaines, Kathryn Andrews, Analia Saban, Karl Haendel, Aaron Curry, Aaron Garber-Maikovska and Jonas Wood. Our client’s referrals are the key to our success. Due to the artists having representation globally, much of our business comes from Europe, and other corners of the globe.

PFAS was relocated to its current location in 2008. The move happened during the Economic recession. It was a rough couple of years. The Art Industry had taken a hit like so many at that time. The Fine Art Industry bounced back, and has grown significantly since the recession, and the newest epicenter being LA.

Has it been a smooth road?
Carlos being an immigrant, found it very difficult to be successful in the U.S. Carlos had to hold down 3 jobs to provide for his family. Carlos was once arrested by U.S. Immigration Officers when they raided his place of employment. Carlos was forced to leave the U.S. leaving behind his Wife and Son. Carlos was able to reenter the U.S. and be reunited with his family. For several years Carlos had to work 7 days a week, holding multiple jobs at once in order to be able to save the money to buy a home, and open his business.

At the beginning of his business, it was very difficult to get clients. Starting a new Frame shop that specializes in Fine Art framing, and not having much of reputation made it very difficult to gain new clientele. Trusting a frame shop with valuable Artwork, is like searching for the best schools in the area for your children. A collector of fine art may find it really difficult to  trust a new business to handle their valuable collection.

The recession of 2007-2009 was a very difficult time for PFAS. As the Fine Art Industry is an industry of luxuries, it was quickly at a standstill. PFAS had to downsize to survive.

So, let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Professional Fine Art Services Inc. story. Tell us more about the business.
PFAS in now housed in a 6,000 Sq. ft. facility. We provide full Museum Quality products and services which include: Custom Framing in wood and metals, Custom Acrylic fabrication, Photo Mounting and Lamination, Crating, and Art Handling. PFAS is very proud to employ the best craftsmen of the industry in LA. Many of our employees have more than 20 yrs. experience. We provide a 1 on 1 experience with the artist, collectors, and gallerists we work with. We have gained a reputation among the LA art scene for achieving some of the most difficult framing designs that artists come up with. We’re very proud to get the ability to meet very important artist of our time, and like everyone else, working with celebrities is always fun. We continue to look forward to working with the younger generations of artists, and embarking new challenges.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Technology advances yearly, so does the media, and methods artist create their work. Every year we get artist who come in with new ideas, pushing for new materials to be used as art, reclaimed or repurposing existing materials to be incorporated into a frame. Your traditional photograph on paper, or a drawing on paper has become less common as a medium. So many artist paint, or draw on materials now that would be considered “non-conventional”. This shift in mediums will continue to change, artist are constantly developing new forms to create art. We’ve seen an artist use Salt and Ashes on a metal panel to create a triptych of an aerial shot of New York City, no paint was used to create the piece. Art schools are really pushing newer generations of artist to think outside of the “Norm”.

Contact Info:

• Address: 1455 Monterey Pass Rd. STE #107, Monterey Park, CA, 91754
• Website: www.PFASinc.com
• Phone: 323.266.6618
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @PFASinc

Image Credit:
Mynor Guzman

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