Chic? Of course. Inspiring? Certainly. But galleries are also a little intimidating.
For one thing, we don't usually know what we're getting when we visit one. And for another, we tend to assume the art is unaffordable.
That's why Elouise Rusk, owner of Obsidian Gallery for 20 years, says that when it comes to price, people should ask.
"I encourage it, because people assume they can't afford things. And we're liberal in our layaway policy. We want young people and students to be able to pay for their art," she says.
Rusk should know, having been a weaver when she first opened the gallery in St. Philip's Plaza, at East River Road and North Campbell Avenue. But she soon found she preferred promoting other people's work.
"I support a lot of wonderful artists who make their living making the stuff they do, and I really love it. They're growing and changing as they go."
Obsidian changes too, every six weeks, with the front-of-gallery exhibition space and the glass display cases altering, sometimes according to a certain theme dreamed up by Rusk.
Sculptor Curt Brill and Scottsdale artist Nicholas Bernard are taking center stage right now. Brill has branched out into Japanese-influenced figure drawings, and Bernard makes highly textured ceramic pots.
Obsidian's attraction, and presumably part of its success, is in the quirky — the art that's not just art but utensil or interior design feature or piece of jewelry, too.
Worth a mention are the hanging rows of glass tile inlaid with beads and mica, and connected with wire and rusty metal hinges. They're by artist Melissa Haid, and they cost $400 each.
And there's the witty, show-off jewelry of SisterBloc, made up of Tucson sisters Wendy and Cindy Sumner ($50 and up). They take apart old signs and soda cans, and vintage tea boxes and beer trays, and reassemble them into one-of-a-kind sets of earrings, necklaces and bracelets, usually with clever slogans.
"I have to like it," Rusk says of her handpicked collections, which she spots at art shows and on her travels. But she likes to stick with the same artists, largely so she knows what she's getting.
"The selection process is important. I want things I know we can work with for a decent period of time so we can give it a chance."
Ellie Schorr, who lives in central Tucson, shops at Obsidian regularly, often to buy small items — and very often nothing at all.
"It's a feast for the eyes. And they don't mind me coming and looking," Schorr says.
To call the 100 or so artists Rusk exhibits innovative would be an understatement. Sure, there's simple and classic: enameled copper pots in bright barrio colors and delicate sterling-silver jewelry.
But by and large, this is funky stuff. They're doing everything from rusting metal and wrapping wire to painting pictures on polymer clay (Cynthia Toops' line of far-out jewelry) and covering kimono fabric with clear plastic.
We'll stop there, because we don't want to spoil the surprises. Intrigued? You should be. Just don't be intimidated.
Quick Take
Obsidian Gallery
4320 N. Campbell Ave., at St. Philip's Plaza, 577-3598
What: Art and gifts
Price range: $20 to $5,000
Hours: 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays (open Sundays until April 30 only)
Information: www. obsidian-gallery. com