Artists continue to find success through local galleries

Editor’s Note: This is the second in a three-part series, running monthly prior to the Second Saturday Gallery Trail and profiling art galleries in Wimberley. This installment features Bent Tree Gallery and Art on 12, both of which will be open until 7 p.m. on April 13 for the gallery trail event.

Starting any small business is a tricky endeavor. About a third close their doors before they reach their second anniversary. Half are gone by the fiveyear mark. Only 3 in 10 might still be around after 10 years in business.

Considering those statistics, the three oldest galleries in Wimberley have proven to be the exceptions. Two were featured last month. Tim De Jong started his Wimberley Glassworks 26 years ago and Pitzer’s Fine Arts opened in 2007. The following year, Bent Tree Gallery joined the local gallery scene and has been thriving ever since.

BENT TREE

GALLERY

Located at 105 Henson Road in Garden Gate Courtyard, on the backside of the Square, Bent Tree Gallery represents 14 artists who all contribute to the success of the gallery, says founder Stan Allen.

“Bent Tree was created to provide a place for local artists to show their art. It is designed to provide that space at a low out-of-pocket cost to the artist,” Allen explains.

A professional photographer, Allen is also one of the artists featured at the gallery.

Other artists include Jack Krietzburg, an acrylic painter from San Antonio, Norma Green, a watercolor and oil artist who lives in nearby Woodcreek and d.r. jones, also of Woodcreek.

d.r.jones (and, yes, he prefers his artist’s name as all one word and in lower case), works in acrylic in a style that he says “reflects early Expressionism combined with American Southwest style.” He is currently working on what he calls his “Legends” series.

“These paintings are large-size, mostly 36 inches by 36 inches, portraits of iconic creatives from the art, film, and music fields,” he says. “Several have been sold to collectors as close as Wimberley and as far away as San Francisco.”

While Bent Tree visitors will get to see jones’ and the other artists’ work during the April Second Saturday Gallery Trail, the feature wall will showcase a series of photos by Allen. Titled “Colors of Wimberley,” the images were captured in the fall of 2013, before the devastating floods two years later that forever changed the landscape along the Blanco River.

In addition to the art, guests can enjoy live jazz music along with free food and wine until 7 p.m. during every Second Saturday Gallery Trail event.

“We are known for our fine art and fun-loving artists,” Allen says with a smile.

You can find more information about this gallery at www.benttreegallery.com

ART ON 12

In business since November 2014 and with artwork on display from roughly 50 artists on any given day, Art on 12 can easily claim its title of “largest gallery in the area.”

The gallery fills a 5000-square-foot stone building located near the Square at 13811 Ranch Road 12.

Jan Fitzhugh, co-owner and an accomplished metal jewelry artist herself, knew that Wimberley was a special place even before she moved here.

“I visited from Houston for years and found the art and gallery scene here to be very appealing,” Fitzhugh says. “There are very few towns the size of Wimberley with such a concentration of high quality artists and galleries.”

With so many artists under one roof, it’s difficult to point out only a few to mention in a short article like this. But when asked, Fitzhugh was quick to list several names.

One of those is Maxine Price, a well-known abstract painter who works primarily in oils. Fitzhugh points out that Price is “nationally acclaimed” and shows in galleries in other cities.

In addition to painters, Art on 12 represents artists who work in a wide range of materials, both two-dimensional and three-dimensional. One of these is Ronnie Weeks, who creates large, unique pieces of assemblage art using reclaimed objects of all kinds.

Art on 12 also features the work of Gary and Kathy Arnold, local metalsmith jewelers who’ve been creating handcrafted jewelry together as a team for over 40 years.

Frequently, Art on 12 will host special exhibits. The current show features artwork in black and white. The opening reception will be held during Saturday’s Second Saturday Gallery Trail event.

While some art buyers find Art on 12, as well as other local galleries, through internet searches or from seeing advertisements, many times they simply walk in. That was the case recently when two large paintings by Soon Warren went home with a collector from Dallas.

The first-time visitor to Wimberley took home Warren’s 40 inch by 60 inch oil title “Appealing Orange” and “Cherries in Crystal,” a 24 inch by 36 inch watercolor.

But you don’t have to be a big-time collector to feel welcome at Art on 12.

“I love meeting all the ‘art-lovers’ who walk through our doors,” Fitzhugh says. “There are serious collectors as well as those who have just begun to appreciate the pleasure of purchasing original art. We have visitors from all over the world. It’s always interesting to find out their stories and their various interests in art.”

Find more information at www.arton12.com.

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