Odd Little Gallery moves to LeClaire

The Odd Little Gallery and Studio, 123 1/2 N. Cody is upstairs from one of the ``older'' shops, the Green Tree Emporium.

Ken Prestley, a local artist who has been around a long time, and who painted LeClaire's new welcome sign, had several reasons for opening the Odd Little Gallery.

``As an artist, with a gallery, I can show some of my own stuff,'' said Mr. Prestley. "It's not easy for artists to show in the Quad-Cities, because there aren't many venues."

He said he's always had a studio that wasn't available to the public, and when he needed a new studio, he found the space in LeClaire.

"It overlooks the river, and it's just a cool place," Mr. Prestley said. "It needed a lot of work, but I could see that it had potential."

The Odd Little Gallery also offers a place for other artists to show their work. "All the people I show are local artists I already know. I solicit through ads, then people show me their work," said the new gallery owner.

"I'm not locked into any preconceived idea about what I accept. I look for things that are interesting without being too out there.

"I decide whether I think it fits, or if it might sell. After all, it is a business,'' said Mr. Prestley.

The Odd Little Gallery tends to have a mix of art pieces in a mix of styles and media.

As to his own art, Mr. Prestley said, "I paint for me. If someone wants to buy it, fine, but I don't paint to sell."

The Odd Little Gallery opened in late fall, when tourists were still trickling in, and their reactions to his efforts were positive.

"A gallery ought to reflect the taste of the person who owns it to a certain extent," Mr. Prestley said. "Otherwise, you may as well just call it a showroom."

He said price is a big factor in how well art sells. The Odd Little Gallery offers pieces in a wide range of prices.

"Some of my own paintings framed are under $30. I've had pieces to $800 or $900," he said.

Mr. Prestley is the only shop in town to offer framing.

He rounds out the Odd Little Gallery's art-related inventory of services with art lessons.

"I teach everything from airbrush to drawing or cartooning. I started as an airbrush artist, and I've been a magazine illustrator for Better Homes and Gardens magazines. I give private lessons now, but I'd like to offer some group lessons, eventually."

Like many newcomers to town, Mr. Prestley said he thinks there's potential for lots to happen in LeClaire.

"Right now, it's more of an antique place, but how it will grow, nobody knows. I'm the only artist here at this point, but I think there's a woman in town who is a full-time potter. Functional pottery could do something here.

"Lots of people are looking into how LeClaire can grow. It was never what the other little towns were. LeClaire wasn't a farm town. It was a port, with shipbuilders and related businesses, and it still has that flavor."

The name, by the way, is not a comment on the character of the gallery. It comes from the fact that the building where it's located originally was the Odd Fellows Hall.

"I didn't want a real conservative name, and since I sell lots of different types of things, Odd Little Gallery just seemed to fit."

For more information on the Odd Little Gallery, call 292-1348 or 736-7465.

-- By Catherine Guy