Around the Short North, Riley Hawk Gallery is best known for its large selection of contemporary glass art and wonderful customer relations.
“Riley Hawk has brought a whole level of education to the Columbus public about glass art, and Columbus has been very receptive to it,” said Deane Richardson of Columbus.
In addition to glass art, Riley Hawk also features some ceramic and wood pieces. The previous show featured work by Steve Jensen, known for his wood sculptures.
Riley Hawk is featuring a show by Bennett Bean that will run through Feb. 28. Bean’s show consists of ceramic vessels, some of which were cut and pieced together to form new shapes.
Richardson thought Bean’s ceramics parallel the glass art that was being featured at the gallery. He said he liked how the space could be changed to suit the buyer’s taste.
“His medium is different from what we normally do,” said Tom Riley, co-owner of Riley Hawk. “He has good form, so the medium is not important. We are a gallery that offers a wide range.”
Bean has a very interesting style that concentrates on the form and surface of the work. His joined pieces create a flow of space that makes the inside and outside surfaces almost discernible.
“It has real gesture that moves in and out like a thrown thing cannot do,” Bean said.
Bean focuses on surface decoration that uses many motifs and colors. After glazing and firing his pieces, Bean said he would go back and paint the ceramic. He saw this technique as a way to gain some control over the finished piece, which is unattainable with glaze.
“Paint is a way to gain control, because you have so little control in this world,” Bean said. “Paint is the way to control the universe. If these are beautiful and change your day, then that’s it.”
Other national artists being featured include Lino Tagliapietra, Sonja Blomdahl, Dale Chihuly, Christopher Ries and William Morris.
Tagliapietra is known worldwide for his innovative use of glass sculpture and experimental style.
Blomdahl’s large, brightly colored blown-glass pieces are displayed in many galleries and museums across the country.
The gallery features an ongoing display of Chihuly. Cindy Riley, co-owner, said he was one of the first contemporary glass artists in this country.
Chihuly has created a variety of blown-glass forms. Especially impressive are his compilation pieces that consist of many individual glass sculptures wired together to form one large sculpture.
“Ries is the type of artist who makes you want to reach out and touch the work,” said John Lampros of Riley Hawk Galley. “It’s amazing.”
Morris’ work seems culturally influenced. His blown glass pieces are very in tune with nature and have a hint of ritual significance.
Ries creates reductive optical crystal sculptures that are ground, cut and polished to a smooth surface. Lighting and angles play a large part in the effect of Ries’ work. Depending on how one looks at the sculpture, different optical patterns seem to magically appear inside the glass.
Tom Riley said the gallery works to recognize the up and coming artists, such as Dante Marconi, Martin Black, Duncan McClellan, Paul Schweider, Pohl Manknowles and Petrovic-Russell Pool.
“We sell great art by living artists that customers can afford,” Tom Riley said. “We offer good form with museum quality at attainable prices.”
“The collectors began to see the advice we have given them is valid,” Tom Riley said. “It’s very gratifying to connect with people who want to improve the beauty of their environment.”
Strong customer relationships have developed from the trust between the gallery and its customers.
“You feel welcome. It makes you want to come back,” said JoAnn Scanlon of Upper Arlington. ” They are always so nice. It’s great for gallery lovers like us.
“I think it’s beautiful, the space is great,” Scanlon said. “They have more and more interesting artists and mediums. It gets better every year.”
Tom Riley said his customers can go to museums and see work by an artist that they have in their homes. This is a fairly new concept in art collection. Most people cannot go out and buy a Picasso or a Monet. The art that Riley Hawk sells can be affordable.
“New art is attainable,” Cindy Riley said. “Old masterpieces are too expensive and far away.”
Cindy Riley said she often becomes close friends with frequent customers because of close customer interaction. These close relationships also help when the owners make selections for their shows. Tom Riley said he knows his collectors and what they want.
Tom Riley said continuity of representation is also important. The gallery features annual shows by certain artists. This allows the collector to grow along with the artist.
Riley Hawk first opened in Columbus 15 years ago. Originally, Tom Riley opened the gallery for his daughter and her husband, Tom and Sherrie Hawk, to run.
When Riley Hawk first opened, Short North was just beginning to develop into the cultural area it is today. The Rileys have since also opened galleries in Cleveland and Washington.
Tom and Cindy Riley run the gallery in Washington, and Tom Riley said they have a very good person managing the Cleveland store.
Cindy Riley said the gallery’s longevity has helped in its success. In the beginning, Tom Riley had to go to artists and convince them to be represented by Riley Hawk.
As the gallery built up a reputation, artists began to come to the gallery instead and ask to be featured. Riley Hawk now has a reputation of having a large selection of contemporary glass by artists nationwide.
Unfortunately all good things must come to an end.
Last week it was made public that the Hawks and Rileys would no longer be working together. The Hawks are hoping to open a separate gallery downtown.
Tom and Cindy Riley will relocate from Washington to Columbus to run the Short North gallery. For now the gallery name will remain the same, but it will eventually be changed.
Riley Hawk Gallery encourages art enthusiasts of all kinds to visit the gallery and check out the latest in contemporary glass art. It is located at 642 N. High St.
