Art and the elements blend at new gallery
Eclectic gallery combines the best of the elements
By Shari Kaplan
Earth, water, fire and air--just as all things are composed of or rely upon one or more of the four elements, so, too, does Elemental Arts Gallery, Los Gatos' newest venue for creative souls to buy, sell and appreciate artwork.
Saratogan Tracy Halgren, who opened Elemental Arts two months ago, says her motto is "connecting people to the earth through art." To that end, she arranged her gallery with small display tables, shelves, nooks and cases, each devoted to the craft of a particular artist, most of whom--several dozen in all--reside in the South Bay, Santa Cruz County or up the Peninsula.
Six of Halgren's artists hail from Los Gatos and four reside in Saratoga. A few live out of state, such as her father, Lee, a Colorado resident who fashions wood-turned oil lamps and bud vases. Artists' media and genres vary widely: ceramics, paintings, cards, journals, sculpture, metal, wood, glass, stone, jewelry and photography.
"I don't have a degree in art but I really love it and appreciate it. It's kind of weird how I got started," says Halgren, who holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in engineering psychology with an emphasis in human-computer interaction.
"I was working at Netscape at the time. I loved the people and the product, but there was something missing. There just wasn't a passion there," she says. After some long talks with an artist friend, Halgren decided the gallery business would fill her niche.
That was in the fall of 1997. Within a week of resigning from Netscape, Halgren's boyfriend, Chris Houck, proposed, and soon she found herself planning both a new life and a new career. The wedding came first--in the summer of 1998--after which Halgren devoted almost all of her time to seeking a venue, working with a gallery consultant and recruiting artists by visiting numerous co-op galleries, art and wine festivals, art shows and Open Studios of Santa Clara County.
"I wanted to be this vessel for artists to show their work in a space that reflected what their art meant. I wanted an environment that's comfortable, where people can feel free to look around or touch things. At first I hated the term 'gallery' because it makes me think of a stuffy, fancy place with a bunch of things you can't touch," she says, grinning. "I also wanted the gallery to reflect the Earth or honor it in some way. I like the name Elemental Arts because it really seems to fit--we represent all the elements' aspects here," she says, contemplating her logo of a green leaf, blue water ripples, a red flame and an airy purple-and-white spiral.
Elemental Arts Gallery is at 104 University Ave. The grand opening weekend is Nov. 13-14, with an artists' reception on Nov. 13, 6-10 p.m., and demonstrations and refreshments all day on both days. Regular hours are Mon.-Thurs., 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; and Sun., 11 a.m. -6 p.m. For more information, call 408.354.6608 or visit www.elemental-arts.com on the Internet.
Los Gatos, California Since 1881
