I have been in Gaslight Gallery many, many times, but it is that first time that always comes to mind when I think of the gallery. I wasn’t planning on visiting it that day, and yet, somehow I had found my way in. I crossed the threshold into a cheery gallery filled with local artists that had chosen to call our community home.

“What were you doing out there?” were the first words that greeted me.

I bit my lip, feeling that I had been caught in something. “I was trying to get a picture of your flag. I like it.” I liked it, but no matter how I tried, I couldn’t capture why I liked it.

Then a laugh. “There’s no getting a good picture of that today.” Redemption. It wasn’t my fault that I couldn’t capture it.

What is great about Gaslight Gallery is that the local artists themselves actually staff the gallery. On this day, a photographer was running the show, and she let me in on why I just wasn’t going to get what I desired. She then took me on a tour of the store.

I learned that every month an artist is picked as the artist of the month and is featured in the gallery. That particular month, one of her favorite artists was featured, and we both marveled over the work that went into his wood masterpieces.

She then told me about the jewelry that the gallery carried. This is when the price tags caught my eye. There were some beautiful creations here, and all were priced below what I would expect to pay for them. This was actually a gallery where I could afford to buy something. Wow, that has never happened before.

And that’s when she modestly directed me to her own creations. She pointed to one framed piece, and I commented about how I loved the colors. She then told me about the process she had used to get it to look like that. In this case, metallic paper. I was drawn in.

“I also realized that when I made my pictures into something useful, people were more likely to buy one.” She pointed to her selection of tiles and cutting boards. This was art that had a sense of business. That is not something that you come across every day.

“So where are you going next?” I mentioned lunch. “Well, you have to go to Main Street Deli.” And then she proceeded to name off many other places that I had to see. This gallery sticks to its roots. It is supported by our community and throws that support back out to it whenever possible.

Why do I love Gaslight Gallery? With the artists running the gallery, you can be assured that you are talking to someone that has created what you are looking at. You are not only buying something that is beautiful, but something that has a story that you actually know. There is something remarkable about that. And it has me coming back again and again for another taste of the beauty of Gaslight Gallery and our community.