Showing off the artwork of Wimberley

At your typical art gallery it works something like this: Artists come in trying to show their work. The owner of the gallery says yea or nay. When something sells, the gallery owner keeps 50 percent or more.

The Bent Tree Gallery — which is tucked away in the back corner of the Wimberley Square — is a little different.

It’s run by 14 local artists. When a new artist wants in, he or she must be accepted by a majority of the group. When something sells, the artist gets 75 percent or more of the price.

The Bent Tree Gallery was started by Stan Allen 11 years ago. Stan is still the driving force. The gallery’s lease is in his name. But the only money Stan makes at Bent Tree is when he sells one of his works of art.

“We run it a lot like a coop,” explains Stan. “Not exactly a co-op, but a lot like one.”

Most of the artists at Bent Tree are painters, but there a couple photographers, there’s some pottery and ceramics, woodburning and woodworking as well.

“This gallery has turned out to be exactly what I wanted it to be,” says Stan. “I couldn’t be happier.”

A waiting list

There are 10 artists on a waiting list to get display space at the 1,000-squarefoot gallery. There’s not much turnover at Bent Tree and when an artist does leave it is usually due to a personality conflict of some kind.

The gallery takes in $4,000 to $5,000 a month. The money used to pay the rent and keep the place running comes off the top of a sale. In a good month — when sales are high — the amount the artist is charged decreases. The artists are expected to work a couple days in the gallery each month. “We get wonderful compliments. It’s fun to work here,” Stan says.

The gallery is ever changing with the displays updated regularly. “It’s like we have a new gallery every two months,” says Stan.

The typical sale at Bent Tree is in the $300-$400 range, but some items are priced at more than $1,000. There are some smaller paintings that go for $20 or so. If a customer wants to bargain, the shop may lower the price of a piece 10 percent before having to get permission from the artist.

Stan and his wife Myra Allen have been involved in the local arts scene for years. Stan started the Wimberley Arts Fest in 2009 in the courtyard of his current location at 105 Henson Street and watched it blossom. Arts Fest is now held in the spring at The Waters Point and attracts more than 100 artists from all over.

“I have stepped back from it (Arts Fest),” says Stan, “but it has been a lot of fun over the years, seeing it grow.”

Stan was raised in Oklahoma. He joined the Air Force where he learned computer programming. He started a company that designed software for insurance companies. Stan’s dream was to pack up an RV and travel the country so Myra gave him two years to satisfy his wanderlust. The couple moved to Wimberley from Dallas in 2008, attracted to the beauty of the Hill Country and the vibrant art scene.

Myra is president of the Wimberley Valley Art League, which represents hundreds of local artists.

Many of the featured artists at Bent Tree are retired. “I tell people two things,” says Stan. “One, don’t depend on it to make a living and, two, we all have to get along.”

The most popular artist at Bent Tree is photographer Judith Nichols. “She has expensive equipment and knows how to use it,” says Stan. “I think she’s one of the best photographers in the Hill Country. She really has an eye for detail.”

Computer enhanced

Stan is also a photographer who manipulates his work digitally. He uses a computer to enhance his work. It’s not an uncommon practice. Before the days of computers, famed photographer Ansel Adams used burning and dodging techniques — making parts of his images darker or lighter — in the darkroom.

Stan saw someone digitally enhance photos on TV and, with his computer background, figured he could master that art form. “I had always had that idea (about digitally enhanced art) in my head because I couldn’t draw a straight line with a ruler,” he says. “And, I thought I could do this.”

He uses several programs, including Adobe Photoshop, to alter his photos.

It’s not uncommon to walk into the Bent Tree Gallery and find an artist busy creating. Artist Jessie Kennedy Steinberg has actually had a couple customers buy her work right off her easel as she is finishing up a piece. Jessie is one of the newer members of Bent Tree but her mother Susan Raine has been there for years.

The gallery takes pride that when a customer walks in they are able to speak directly to one of the artists.

Stan is also proud of Bent Tree’s Second Saturday, a city-wide event designed to showcase local art. Customers are welcomed to the gallery with snacks, a glass of wine and jazz music.

“This is something special,” says Stan. “I love it, but I have never made a dime off it.”