Art springs anew

Saratoga has had a reputation for having fine art galleries and when Blackhawk Gallery announced it was closing, the future of art galleries in Saratoga was grim.

Today, just seven month later, two art galleries are open in Saratoga, both with roots from the Blackhawk Gallery.

Laura Morrow, long-time owner of clothing boutique LauraM, just could not fathom Saratoga without an art gallery.

She made a bold move – one that had not been done before in Saratoga. She combined her clothing boutique with an art gallery and moved into the Blackhawk Gallery space.

Morrow had never owned or run a gallery, but the idea of losing prime retail space was scary to her and she felt she had to do something.

"Even one summer of not having retail in the space could impact Saratoga," Morrow said.

With this move, Morrow occupies every space in the building .

Angels came into her life when she was setting up the gallery and store. They couldn't stand not having the building be a guarantee of being a retail space. They offered to help Morrow and within two weeks she went from renting two spaces in the building to owning the building.

Morrow has combined the two businesses – a fashion boutique and an art gallery – using them to complement each other.

Morrow, who offers contemporary choices in a Western town, has changed the gallery from pure western art to a contemporary collection. She kept many of the artists that Blackhawk Gallery had consigned and she went out in search of other artists that appealed to her style.

In the summer months, she hosts an artists' reception the third Thursday of the month. Morrow is known for constantly rearranging her store making it fresh and exciting. She does the same with her art.

Each month, different artists are featured throughout the month giving the different artists the limelight during the month.

As if tripling the size of her business was not enough, Morrow took a look at the community and decided it needed a gift store – LauraM Backroom was born.

Janet Powers, who has been by her side in the boutique for years, helps run the gallery and boutique, while newcomer, Kathi Wallace, runs the gift shop.

The trio make a great team as they all have the excitement and passion to make the business work.

Not even a block away, Studio T has opened its doors to the public. Located in a building that has a long history – it once housed the Platte Valley Lyre – Trisha Kauffman was also contemplating what to do without a gallery in Saratoga.

Kauffman is a stained glass and fused glass artist and had shown her work at Blackhawk Gallery. She also worked at Blackhawk and at Laura M.

Now she was wondering what she was going to do with all her spare time.

When she saw 113 E. Bridge was for sale – it was a sign. Since 11 and 13 are her lucky numbers, she felt confident in buying the building.

She and her husband Daryl worked to remodel the inside, leaving some of the historic walls in place and soon an eclectic gallery was formed.

Fiber art, photographs, oil paintings, fused glass and beveled glass tastefully fill the small gallery.

While the store is one-fourth the size of Laura M Gallery, the talent is just as big. Kauffman showcases local talent and talent of friends in Colorado where she lived for several years before moving to Saratoga.

Kauffman is really pleased to have convinced local photographer Pam Meyer in showing her work. "She is so humble and such and amazing photographer," Kauffman said of Meyer. The latter has lived in Saratoga for many years and depicts the ranching life in her photography.

Located next to Lollypops, she has already been brainstorming with Lollypops owners, the Chitwoods, to come up with an artist evening featuring visual art and music.

Morrow couldn't be happier for Kauffman, and Kauffman in return, supports Morrow.

"Saratoga is such a wonderful place to live," Kauffman said. She is happy that art is coming back to life in Saratoga.