The hidden gem of Pioneer Square is the Historic Art District of Seattle. From Mercer Island, it took me less than 15 minutes to get to my destination.
On a Friday afternoon, I easily found parking less than a block away and sauntered into a spacious, warm, and inviting space. Established in 2015, Gray Sky Gallery is a contemporary art gallery located at 320 1st Ave S. This inviting 2500 sq ft space displays art among soaring ceilings and across three levels. The multi-level space is reminiscent of the world’s finest museums and is an elegant framework. You feel it the moment you walk in.
Laura Van Horne is the founder and owner of Gray Sky Gallery. Laura is a mixed-media artist who works in encaustic, acrylic mixed media, ink, resin, and collage. She was born in Winnipeg and moved to Seattle in 1994, where he studied at the Pratt Fine Art Center. Laura is represented by SAM Gallery, and Third and Wall Art Group in Seattle, as well as Summit Gallery in Park City, UT.
The top level and back of Gray Sky is her studio. In this modest-sized space, genius gives birth to creations that grace the walls of many Mercer Islanders. If you visit, you will notice a small kitchen and the creator’s table surrounded by all the accouterments that Laura needs for her creations. Here is where you witness the essence of mixed media. Watching her work from a blank canvas or a canvas modified by vintage photos and matchbook covers is a unique experience.
Laura is a fine artist and lifelong creative. Yet, her imagination and craft are only rivaled by her undeniable support of her fellow artists and her clients.
As you take in all the wonders on the walls, you will notice that most of the artwork is created by other artists. The gallery displays the diverse works of over 30 talented local artists working in a variety of mediums such as acrylic, oil, encaustic, resin, mixed media, wood, ceramics, wire and blown glass. Laura wants her peers to succeed and that means allowing marketing flexibility. They can sell their artwork anyplace.
“I know what it’s like. I’m an artist.”
Laura is also the epitome of customer success. In a world of auctions, galleries, and lots of money, Laura strives to deliver value to her clients. Value is very comprehensive to Laura. She isn’t focused on money, she’s focused on the love of art. i.e., clients loving the art they find at Gray Sky Gallery. Clients love her and many describe a visit to Gray Sky as a one-stop shop.
“I want clients to be happy. They can try it out! Until you see it on the wall, you don’t really know if you’re going to love it. And I want clients to love what they own. If they don’t love it, I just tell them to bring it back.”
Hearing this cast a warm feeling and made me look back on the way I have purchased art in the past. I could only think, “I wish I met Laura a long time ago.”
"I want clients to be happy. They can try it out! Until you see it on the wall, you don’t really know if you’re going to love it. And I want clients to love what they own."
Laura Van Horne