Art Galleries: Helping You Find Your Style Inside & Out, Spring/Summer 2004: April 1, 2004 By Pam Jung Growing up in the world of art helped two women make their careers in art – Julie Baker of Julie Baker Fine Art and sierra Sparks of the Louvre – and they gladly pass on their expertise to their customers. Baker's knowledge of fine art came from growing up in the New York art scene – total immersion from childhood, listening to art talk around the dinner table, to graduate studies in art administration and business, to stints at the famous Christie's and her family's 50-year-old business in arts marketing and graphic design – all pretty heady stuff. Now, she's living in Nevada City, her husband's home town, and doing what she does best: curationg her owncontemporary art gallery, specializing in painting, photographs, works on paper, and sculpture. For all this high-powered background, Baker is surprisingly easy to talk to about art, full of ideas and suggestions on the ins and outs of both buying and displaying artworks. What's the number one consideration when buying at? "You have to love it," Baker says without hesitation. "If it haunts you, it's meant to be." She tells a story illustration that: A woman came into the gallery after stumbling on the website while trying to find a good place in the county to buy a couch. Never having bought art before, the woman sat in front of a particular painting for 45 minutes, clearly experiencing a tug of war between practicality and emotion. Finally, the woman said, 'I'm going to do this. I'll just have to sit on the floor (instead of having a couch) so I can look at it.' That purchase began her interest in buying subsequent pieces, and all because she was true to her feelings. Leading people to these discoveries is what gives Baker joy. She's also a pragmatist who knows how difficult it is to see a piece in the perfect surroundings of her gallery and make that jump to how it will look at home. So, she brings the art to the home. "We'll bring the piece a customer likes, and even add other pices we think will work, and walk around the house to find the right space," she says. "People tell us this is real helpful, and we're the only fine art gallery around here that does this." The gallery also has classes for the pulic, delivered by art educators, critics, collectors, and curators to help art lovers further their education in bite-size bits. Julie's suggestions on buying art for the home: • Ask to see what of your favorite artist is being stored in the back; a gallery can only show a small portion of the art it has. • Ask the gallery bout the artist, including what (s)he was thinking whan creating the piece; that could make an interesting story to tell your guests. • Display: Wall color shouldn'y compete with the art but rather show it to best effect. • Lighting: whether it's track or goose neck light, make sure your art is well lit. • Height: The rule of thumb is the middle of the piece should be at eye level, although hang it higher if you have young children. • Sometimes an abstract painting can be rotated to look better in a particular spot(the gallery will be happy to rewire it for the new orientation). • Preservation: Avoid direct sunlight, which will fade many works of art. • Lifestyle: If you have young children and big dogs, ask the gallery how fragile the piece is. Ask about payment plans. Baker's gallery charges no interest on their 6-month plan.