Downtown art gallery a family affair.

Byline: Retail notebook by ED RUSSO The Register-Guard

A TRIP TO ITALY last spring inspired Karin Clarke to act on a longtime family dream.

Clarke, the 33-year-old daughter of artists Mark Clarke and Margaret Coe, last month opened an art gallery in downtown Eugene to sell her parents' art and the works of other artists.

Karin Clarke Gallery is on Willamette Street, between Seventh and Eighth avenues in the space formerly occupied by the Robert Canaga Gallery, which closed in May.

An art galley is "something our family has talked about for quite a few years," Karin Clarke said. "Growing up with parents who are very talented artists, I thought, `Wouldn't it be great to open up a space downtown. ' '

Margaret Coe, Clarke's mother, said: "We would have never done it without Karin's gutsiness."

An aspiring artist herself, Clarke and her mother spent March through May in Italy, visiting cities and countrysides to find landscapes and other painting subjects.

During the trip, Clarke became inspired by the culture of family owned businesses in Italy, where she saw generations of relatives working together.

"I really clicked into the feeling of how I love art and how much my family means to me," she said.

Clarke returned to Eugene and learned the Canaga Gallery had closed on the first floor of the Parcade parking garage. Due Fine Art, located next door, had previously closed, leaving another former gallery space.

Clarke discussed the basics of running a business with volunteers from the Service Corps of Retired Executives, and counselors at Lane Community College's Business Development Center.

After the research, she signed a one-year lease with the city of Eugene, which owns Parcade and the ground-floor retail spaces.

The 988-square-foot space didn't need much remodeling because it was last used as gallery. Clarke said it cost less than $5,000 for her to start the business.

Clarke and her parents also talked with the owners of White Lotus Gallery, which is in the Smeede Hotel building across the street from the former Canaga Gallery. With the closings of the Canaga and Due Fine galleries, Dick Easley, partner in White Lotus, was eager to see another gallery open on the block.

A cluster of galleries draws people interested in art to a particular area, which makes it easier for them to see and compare a greater selection of pieces, he said.

"I don't view them as competitors," Easley said of the Clarkes. "If we could get a concentration of galleries in this area, we would all be better off. The more the better."

Criterion Galley, which had been in a Parcade storefront around the corner on Eighth Avenue, in June moved to the former Due Fine space.

Criterion Manager Nancy Stelfox said the Clarke Gallery is a welcome addition. "The more art galleries that there are, the more people will come down and view this area as a gallery district," she said.

Clarke's gallery presents her with a chance to start a career. She has degrees in theater arts and graphic design, and previously worked for several years as a restaurant server.

Besides painting for a living, Mark Clarke had a 23-year career at the University of Oregon's Museum of Art. His jobs ranged from curator to museum technician, someone who builds exhibits and hangs paintings. He retired eight years ago. The gallery gives him a place to use those skills, said Coe, who taught art at UO and LCC for several years before retiring in 1998.

"He felt like something was missing, not installing shows," Coe said.

Mark Clarke and Coe said galleries usually take a 40 percent to 50 percent commission to sell art. Karin Clarke, who won't give her parents any special deals, will take a similar share.

While some galleries are subsidized by the wealth of their owners, Clarke and her parents say they cannot afford to keep the business going if it loses money. Her parents, who sell their work in 10 galleries throughout the Northwest, said their daughter's business will have to sell enough of their paintings to make it worthwhile.

"We are not independently wealthy," Coe said. "There are some people who get into the business as a plaything, who look at it as a tax loss. But there is a certain amount of money we would like to make."

The gallery opened Sept. 6 with paintings by all three members of the family, mostly landscapes, including some painted in Italy. On Tuesday, the exhibit changed to art by Coe and Mark Clarke depicting human figures.

Karin Clarke intends to sell other artists' works.

Easley, of White Lotus Gallery, said Clarke's gallery has a good shot at success. "They are hanging good art, and they know how to treat the customers," he said.

Retail Notebook runs Thursdays. Contact reporter Ed Russo at 338-2359, or e-mail [e-mail].

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