Art Galleries reinforce Wimberley’s creative vibe

(Editor’s Note: This is the first in a three-part series profiling art galleries in Wimberley, which will run monthly prior to Second Saturday Gallery Trail for March, April and May. This first installment features Pitzer’s Fine Arts, Gallery G and Wimberley Glassworks, all of which will be open until 7 p.m. on March 9 for the monthly gallery trail event.)

Drive into Wimberley from just about any direction and you’ll get the idea that this a creative place. Along the way you are sure to spot some of the 50 oneof-kind Texas-sized boots, as well as numerous largescale murals. Then there are the art galleries.

There’s no doubt that Wimberley is a thriving arts community, which is a good thing in so many ways. Just ask the State of Texas and the Texas Commission on the Arts(TCA).

Back in 2005, TCA began designating culture districts as a way for communities to boost tourism and economic development while creating cultural and civic benefits for residents and visitors alike.

“Artists, cultural institutions and creative enterprises all contribute to a community’s economic potential,” TCA states on its website. “Not only do they generate direct economic activity, but artists and creative entrepreneurs infuse communities with energy and innovation.”

In 2015 and after an extensive application process, Wimberley was awarded one of these prestigious Cultural Arts District designations. As the arts community continues to thrive, an important component are the many diverse art galleries that call the Wimberley Valley home.

PITZER’S FINE ARTS

Walking through the artistic entryway, with cobblestone-like pavers under your feet, you might forget for just a minute where you are. Looking ahead you see an inviting courtyard filled with large bronze sculptures and then through the windows to the left, handsomely framed, welllit paintings on rich, dark walls. No, you’re not in Taos or Jackson Hole. You are in Wimberley at Pitzer’s Fine Arts.

About 40 years ago, Rob Pitzer went into the art business and he and wife, Lynda, have owned galleries from Corpus Christi. Texas, to Carmel, California. In 2006 they moved to Wimberley, opening their gallery just off the Square here the next year.

Artists represented by Pitzer’s Fine Arts work in a wide variety of mediums and styles. Themes and subject matter are also diverse. Some artists are local with an almost celebrity like following, such as Lilli Pell and Jim Street, but most are from out of state, such as Western artist and Utah resident Nelson Boren, and Michael Albrechtsen, a plain air artist who lives in Kansas. Regardless, one thing is consistent: they are all professional artists.

“The artists we’ve represented have all been most successful in their careers as artists, over many years, and most also show in additional top level galleries across the country,” Pitzer says, adding that “a number of those artists have their works represented in museums on a permanent basis.”

Pitzer’s Fine Arts’ clients can come from up the road, across the country or from around the world. Sales can range from a few hundred to thousands of dollars.

“Our significant sales come from both local as well as new and returning clientele from across the country, Mexico and from other countries,” Pitzer says.

Examples of recent sales range from a first-time buyer who made a $12,500 purchase, to a longtime client who purchased a large collectible sculpture for $60,000. More information at pitzersart.com.

GALLERY G

On the far backside of the Square but also within the Cultural Arts District, you’ll find one of the newest additions to the local arts community, Gallery G.

Located at 103 Henson Road and sharing a courtyard with Bent Tree Gallery, Gallery G is owned by Gail Graham, who is also an artist specializing in fused glass.

“Gallery G started as Grahamstock Glass in 2015,” Graham says. “For two years I housed only a few artists and have evolved into the co-op gallery that is now Gallery G, representing some 20 artists.”

Graham says that she never really intended to own a gallery but after seeing a vacant building in Olde Towne Plaza, she took the leap, soon outgrowing the tiny space.

Eventually Graham learned that the former Papa Hoo’s Hill Country Popcorn building was available. There she found her current location.

“We like to refer to ourselves as ‘the people’s gallery’ as we have art for every taste and pocketbook,” Graham says.

Gallery G includes both a gift gallery area with “prices from $10 to $200 and a second gallery room featuring fine art with higher prices, of course,” Graham says.

Local photographer, Tom Bender is one of the current Gallery G artists.

“Tom’s work is popular,” Graham says. “He does layered photo art with hand painted backgrounds as well as computer manipulated photography.”

Another local artisan represented by Gallery G is Keith Anderson, whose “very unique wood art with metal and other inclusions are sealed with epoxy resins.”

Not all of the artists are from here. For example Monika Astara, who creates hand-painted designer clothing, lives in Austin, and oil painter Annie Looney, who is known for her figurative art, works from her studio in San Antonio.

Learn more about Graham and the gallery by visiting galleryg.me.

WIMBERLEY GLASSWORKS

While it’s not within Wimberley’s Cultural Arts District, ask just anyone if there’s a glass blower in town and they are almost certain to mention Wimberley Glassworks.

Located in a 6,000-square-foot combination gallery/studio on Ranch Road 12 between Wimberley and San Marcos, the building is hard to miss with its tall “School-Bus-Yellow” tower. This is where Tim De Jong creates and sells his fine art glass creations, but it’s not where he began.

“Just after art school, I knew I wanted to set up a demonstrating studio for the public to watch hand blown glass being created,” De Jong says, and soon found himself in Texas. “I decided the Wimberley Valley was the artist community I wanted to be a part of, and we’ve been here for 26 years now,” he says. Twelve years ago, De Jong expanded his operation and moved into the current building.

While there are many outstanding glass blowers, De Jong has created his own style, which makes his art stand apart from the rest.

“One of my most soul-searching recent works has been the River Timber lighting pendants, which are organically shaped cylindrical clear glass shades that are created by blowing glass into hollowed out fallen flood wood,” the artist says. “Lighting from within brings out the texture of the wood, creating something beautiful with art from the devastation the floods had on our community.”

Selections in the gallery at Wimberley Glass Works range in price from under $100 to several thousand dollars and range from signed-and-numbered limited edition paper weights to stunning, hand-blown chandeliers.

A bonus for visitors is that on any given day, they can watch De Jong and members of his team doing live glass-blowing demonstrations in the studio.

Learn more about Wimberley Glassworks by visiting wgw.com.

Editor’s Note: This article’s author, Linda C. Jacobson is a freelance writer as well as an artist and local gallery owner.