Inside Blue Heron Gallery

Thousands of pieces of art under one roof in Elk Rapids

Several pieces of Dan Reszka’s art adorn the walls of Blue Heron Gallery in Elk Rapids. He enjoys making it. He likes selling it. He loves knowing that he has pieces across the country and around the world, and that people seem to appreciate his style.

But that’s not what really does it for Reszka or his co-owner and wife Pat Curran. To them, it’s all about the other 90-plus artists in the sprawling (as far as galleries go) space along Ames Street.

“When we got started at this, it was—and still is—about giving artists a chance to show their stuff somewhere,” Reszka says. “When I was younger and tried to get my stuff at places, it was a hard thing to do.”

To this day, Reszka and Curran feel honored to give people a place to showcase their hard work, particularly those looking to get started in the business. It’s a big jump from having something at home where only friends and family can see it to putting it on public display, they say.

“An artist will come into the gallery, and they’re nervous, and they’ll ask what it actually takes to get started doing this,” Reszka says. “And I always tell them the hardest thing is just being brave enough to ask in the first place—that’s a tough thing. And so if they’re brave enough to ask, then I say, ‘The next thing is to bring some stuff in to show us.’”

But don’t mistake Blue Heron Gallery as a place solely for beginners. Over 25 years, it’s established itself as one of the best galleries in the Grand Traverse region, offering hundreds of paintings, sculptures, and other works from well-established and reputable artists, mostly from Michigan. Just don’t ask Reszka to pick his favorite.

“I really like everybody’s stuff,” he says. “It’s really hard to single people out.”

Diversity and Affordability

Reszka and Curran opened the gallery after Curran retired as a nurse and Reskza, a property manager, wanted a change of pace. They had always loved art and had purchased a bunch before, and their experiences helped make what Blue Heron is today.

“One of the things that we didn’t like about going to galleries in bigger cities is everything looked the same, there were only a few things, and they were all $10,000 paintings. So after a few minutes, if you didn’t like that stuff, you were done,” Reszka says. “Here, you can come in, and hopefully you like something, but even if you don’t buy stuff, it’s really fun to come in and look around. We have a very wide variety.”

Part of that is because Reszka and Curran have the room to display many works at once, and they take full advantage. Every wall is covered from floor to ceiling with a dizzying variety of pieces, coupled with plenty of tables with tiles, sculptures, and more.

“This isn’t a downtown shop where there’s only so much space. We’ve got a pretty big building with a lot of things in it, and we squeeze things in all over the place in here,” Reszka says. “And that’s kind of nice when people are always looking for new things to look at.”

Affordability is key, and most pieces in the gallery are under $400. The owners let the artists set the prices themselves.

“We actually have to fight with some artists to increase prices sometimes,” Reszka says. “There’s a girl who paints big and small oil paintings, which are more complicated to paint and take longer to dry and all that stuff. She paints these cards, and she only wanted to charge $6 for them! I made her go up to $10.”

Profits are tight, but it’s all good.

“We don’t make a lot of money, but that’s never been the point for us,” Reszka says. “We never expected to make a fortune. We just want to make sure we're paying our bills, paying our artists, and maybe making a few bucks here and there.”

Part of the reward is just being constantly immersed in art. Just don’t get too attached to it.

“One of the things that’s interesting about having artwork in here from other artists is it feels like it belongs to us until it’s gone. Sometimes it comes in and it’s gone in a day or two,” Reszka says. “And when that happens I’m disappointed that it goes so quickly, because I didn’t get to look at it for long enough. It’s a weird feeling.”

Near and Far

Customers are an even balance between local residents and summer visitors, Curran and Reszka say. They come for Christmas gifts or wedding presents (one retired Elk Rapids teacher has bought at least 30 pottery pieces as wedding gifts for former students). They come for themselves or others. They come for that one special piece or to decorate a whole floor.

“There are some people that can’t stand abstract and then some people that don’t want anything but. There’s a lot of people on vacation who are looking for ‘northern Michigan’-looking pieces, but then other people that don’t want to look at that at all. Some people only buy oil paintings, some only buy originals,” Reszka says. “Some people come in with pieces of fabric and say, ‘Have you got anything in burgundy?’ so they can get something to match their couch.”

Some come just to look, and that’s perfectly fine, too. In fact, Reszka and Curran have been specifically told that people appreciate that about their gallery.

“In some galleries, people follow you around or they expect you to buy something, and we really don’t expect anybody to buy anything. I’d rather have them come in and just take the time,” Curran says. “A lot of older ladies will come in and just look around because they like art and it’s something for them to do and it’s quiet. We don’t pressure people to do anything, and I think that’s what brings a lot of people in.”

Less pressure is probably a good thing. Reszka tells of a couple from Texas who bought a $1,200 painting three years ago, a $200 painting two years ago, and a coffee cup last year.

“The economy is having a big effect on the art world right now; people are really watching the pocketbook and deciding what to spend their money on, especially with discretionary funds,” he says.

Browse or shop Blue Heron Gallery at 131 Ames St. in Elk Rapids.

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