Gallery East

Gallery East sits on a busy street in Loveland, Colorado. Across the street from an ATM, which might come in handy for an impulse buy, sits a one-time cottage that has evolved into an intimate and appealing art gallery. Not only is it successful for gallery owner Solveig Lark, but it has also launched the professional careers of a number of visual artists. Inside, the gallery is approachable. You can imagine having the paintings, the sculpture, the art glass and antiques in your home and a part of your life. From the inexpensive art glass candies in dishes on the shelves to the wearable art in the second story to the more expensive sculptures and paintings, Solveig has chosen well in both price point and artistic beauty. Gallery East is as much an anchor to the arts and people of Loveland as Nordstroms is to an upscale shopping mall. In essence, this gallery is a business that helps to define and enrich its community.

ABC: Where do your artists come from?

Solveig: I have a friend who just returned from the east coast, Vermont and that area, looking for art. And she said, "You know, it's all right here!" (Loveland, Colorado.) I feel that way. I'm very proud of all of our artists.

Most are Colorado painters. Some of our bronze artists come from different places because there is such an abundance of bronze here. There is a lot of wonderful art in this area. What we need are more galleries. I have a number of artists who call and ask me to carry their art. I've had this gallery for 28 years now and a lot of my artists have been with me a very long time. My first obligations are with the artists I've already taken on. They become your family. You just can't keep taking more artists on. …[I recently spoke to a new artist] who just moved to Loveland. She asked me how long I've been here. I told her 28 years. She said, "28 years! Why would you want to do something for 28 years?" I told her it's because I really believe in what I'm doing! [She asked], "Because you enjoy making money?" I said, "Well, I like to pay the bills. But that has never been the main goal." She asked, "Why?" I told her, "It's because I'm a stubborn Swede. I started something that I believe in and I'm sticking to it."

I've always believed that Loveland could become a very special part of the arts. We lived in Loveland for a few years…moved to Japan, [and returned in 1971]. When we came back to Loveland, nothing had changed in three years. Absolutely nothing. There were no galleries anywhere around and I decided that somebody has got to do something. I asked myself who that somebody was going to be and decided that that somebody was going to be me!

I grew up in an artistic family but never did much art myself. I was always interested in art, so it was just a natural. I thought the whole idea of an art community would just take off because we have such a great location. We're located in a beautiful area, the "Gateway to the Rockies." I felt this could be an ideal art center. All art centers of the world are in beautiful locations. I feel that Loveland is like a turtle: It's going in the right direction, but it's going awfully slow! I thought by now we would have a dozen galleries in Loveland. And we will someday…The town is really growing the right direction towards art. What have really helped are the foundries and the sculptures.

When I started in 1971, it was before casting had grown into a form of art. It was used more in industrial work. It wasn't until 1976 that the well-known sculptures moved here and [opened their studios]. Gradually, more and more bronze artists came to town. They formed the Loveland High Plains Art Council…and started sculpture shows. That helped in getting Loveland on the map for [bronze art]. It's interesting to read about the bronze cast war memorials in Washington D.C. and know that they're cast here in Loveland! That's just terrific! It fun to go around the country and see sculptures done by our artists…I've been told…that there are about 100 sculptures in Loveland.

ABC: Do you produce any of your own art?

Solveig: I read somewhere that every gallery owner is a frustrated artist. I think that's true. I think it's very hard to do both. It's hard to devote yourself to studying art and also run a gallery. I've seen many people try it and it never works. You've got to decide to concentrate on one or the other. I decided to concentrate on the gallery. It's worked very well. I keep thinking that someday I'm going to retire and I'm going to paint my heart out. I paint now and then but not very much. I've done sculpting. I've done a little of everything. I've never really had the time to devote to it. If you want to be good at something, you work at it. …

We carry a lot of art glass right now. I love it. Each piece is hand done. It's not massed produced. [They have] gorgeous colors. Some of the artists are from Colorado, some are from Seattle. It's very popular right now.

ABC: Are most of your customers people who come to specifically see you? Do you get any walk-in traffic?

Solveig: We don't get too much walk-in traffic because we [are not in a retail specific area of the city]. When I bought this building in 1971, there was nothing commercial around…so I have always had to depend on people making an effort to come to see me. I don't mind that because the people that come in I know have an interest in seeing the gallery. We get a lot of tourists from all over the country, and we get a lot of return visitors…That's what I really enjoy about this business. People [who are seriously interested in art] are so wonderful.

ABC: How do you advertise?

Solveig: We advertise in National Arts Publications. I do a lot of different shows during the year. When you do shows for an artist, they bring in friends and family to come and see their work. Holding shows is the best advertisement for a gallery.

ABC: When was the first time that you remember experiencing art?

Solveig: There was always a lot of original art around our home and our relative's homes. The first artist I ever met was a woman named Montana, and she lived in my little hometown in northern Sweden. She was born in the state of Montana and had a Swedish mother and Norwegian father…She was our only real artist in town. She would ride her bicycle around with her canvases on the back. I wanted to grow up to be just like Montana. That was my dream!

When I was in high school [Montana's] niece lived with her. We became very close and I was over there a lot. I would walk in, smell the wet canvas, and see what she was doing. She made quite an impression on me. She had some paintings…that I still remember very well.

As far as art that I did: I entered a contest at the junior high school age…I entered a watercolor painting of Noah's Ark…and I got a ribbon! I just thought that was wonderful! I grew up knowing that I was going to be involved in art…My sister and I always did a lot of things like that together. I still enjoy the gallery. It's still a challenge.

ABC: How do you feel when you see an artist that has the talent to see national or international recognition?

Solveig: That's very exciting. I feel that over the years we've had artists like that. [When I see a new artist] I first look at the quality of art. I don't really check their resume and their background. That's not as important as the quality [of the art] and the [artist's] personality. I decided a long time ago that I would only want to deal with artists that I really like. [The artists I deal with] and I have a tremendous rapport. I've seen enough art over the years that I can look at a painting and know if it's good, or if the artist is worth investing in. You end up investing in a lot of artists because you advertise their work, and do shows for them. You want artists that are going to grow. You want them to show at other galleries. That's what gallery owners strive for… Just like my artists, I'm learning every day, too. Art is a constantly growing thing. It's a constant education.

ABC: How do you define success?

Solveig: I think being happy. When things go well and things go smoothly, that's success. I've been very lucky. The people I work with are great; my artists are great…I love coming to work!