Gateway Gallery in Clayton Features Original Art, Gifts

When several St. Louis-area painters came to the conclusion that Clayton's Saint Louis Art Fair included very few local artists, they decided to do something about it.

The group of 10 artists rented a store right in the thick of the festival. Their choice of location proved serendipitous: Store owner Sheldon Johnson, an art lover, liked what the artists had done with the space so much that he asked them to stay.

Gateway Gallery has been there ever since.

Located at 7921 Forsyth Blvd., Gateway Gallery now has 18 partners and features art in a variety of styles, including Heather Haymart's vivid colors, the swirling complexity of Meg Watson's pieces, the uncanny realism achieved by Greg Matchick and the dream-like photography of John Barhydt. You'll also find elegant pottery, exquisite woodwork and more.

Vic Mastis—one of the original partners—describes the gallery very simply.

“We feature a little of everything, from abstract to traditional," Mastis said. "We're trying to give artists a chance to exhibit their work.”

In addition to the partners' artwork in the main gallery, a second room has exhibit space for three guest artists who must be juried into the gallery. If chosen, a guest artist pays $300 to exhibit at Gateway for six weeks. Only artists who have exhibited are considered for a partnership when one becomes available.

Linda Smith, a partner in the gallery for two years, describes her work as urban contemporary. Smith said Gateway Gallery is different than any other gallery she has been a part of.

“It's the way the artists work together,” Smith said. “There's a phrase, 'Trying to get artists together is like herding cats.' That's not the case here. We all get along so well. More than any other place I've been in, we all have the same goal.”

There are many benefits to being a partner in the gallery. A show and reception is held every six weeks, at which time a different artist is rotated into the front window display for the following six-week period. The chosen artist also picks the theme of the next show and must work an extra day along with the one day each month that all partners must work in the shop.

Gateway Gallery also has smaller items such as cards with original art, and unframed paintings and drawings.

“We have inexpensive items for gifts,” Mastis said. “People don't think of galleries as a place to purchase gifts, but they can here.”

Smith said that the gallery keeps immaculate records and that every bit of data about sales that can be quantified, including the number of people who come through the door and at what times.

The gallery also aims to create a more relaxed, casual atmosphere than many other galleries. "It's a low-key gallery," Smith said. "We're not stuffy. We're all down-to-earth, and our prices are reasonable. None of us thinks we're superstars."

Gateway Gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. For more information, call 314-402-1959 or go to the gallery's website.