Photo By Cameron Knight

designsmith gallery

Simply put, DESIGNSMITHGALLERY is stylish and cool. It's unassuming, airy and absorbed with a kind of vintage vivacity that makes you feel like making a martini and chilling in your '60s New York apartment. Art mingles with vintage furniture for a retro, hip feel with interesting form, shape and color throughout the space. The gallery is unusual yet classy, and the art is complemented with a sophisticated mix of eclectic items. There's much to look at and admire -- everything has a sense of fun and flair. The more you look, the more you notice.

Exhibits at the designsmithgallery run for two months. Ranging from painting to sculpture to photography, the gallery has hosted between 60 and 70 artists during the last six years. Owner David G. Smith says, "I like to exhibit anything that is non-traditional. I usually try to find art that coordinates well with the furniture so that there is a synergy between the two."

Past shows like Meditative which included five large paintings by Jim Pendery, was anything but traditional, bursting with bold colors, symbols, Buddha figures and intricate designs. The gallery will be one of many showing Bare Witness images beginning Friday (see related story, page 43.)

Larger-than-life art, funky furniture, shag rugs, mushroom lamps, shapely chairs and the overall simple elegance of the space itself make the designsmithgallery a cool place to hang out and soak in the scene.

designsmithgallery
Address: 1342 Main St., Downtown

First opened: February 1998

Hours: Final Fridays 7-10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday afternoons by appointment

Next exhibit: Bare Witness, photography; opens Friday

Contact: 513-421-1397 or www.designsmithgallery.com