Barry Gross’s art pens have sat on the desk in the Oval Office. They’ve won prestigious awards. They’ve been used by politicians, surgeons, filmmakers, a concert pianist and a self-proclaimed “pirate.” All of these folks would agree with Gross’s motto: “Life’s too short to carry an ugly pen.”

Gross, a sales manager for a medical supply company by day, discovered pen making about eight years ago, practically on a dare. He was teaching a class on sculpting with a scroll saw, and a colleague (and a pen maker) jeered, “Only real men use lathes.” “I’ll show you,” Gross thought, and he immediately went to work fashioning a pen with his saw.

His first creation was rather lopsided, but Gross was determined. Little did he know that eight years later, BG Artforms pens would be sought after by the likes of Steven Spielberg, former Vice President Dick Cheney and Jimmy Buffett.

Although he still crafts many pens from fine woods, Gross’s signature pieces are fashioned from acrylic with tiny objects embedded within. Flattened watch parts, surgical scalpels and beer bottle caps give each pen an “I spy” quality. They demand that you look twice.

“I’m always looking at different things with an inquisitive eye,” Gross says, “asking myself, ‘Can I use that?’ “

There doesn’t appear to be much that Gross can’t use. He’s incorporated coffee beans, split peas and pasta into his pens. A trip to the Southwest inspired pieces made with cholla cactus and turquoise. He’s made casts of coins he found while scuba diving, working the silver replicas into pens with historical allure.

Commissioned pieces have incorporated heirloom watches that no longer run (a recent pen used a customer’s grandfather’s 1932 bar mitzvah watch). Gross will even set the faceplate’s hands to reflect personally significant times and dates. The miniscule gears are artistically set in the acrylic.

The pens, says Gross, are the ultimate “Honey, look at this!” pieces. You have to wonder how he put each tiny object into the pen, and what he’ll use next. Rest assured, it won’t be boring. After all, he exuberantly exclaims, “The crazier the idea, the better the art.”

Owning a gallery is a powerful fantasy. Newly minted art school graduates and young entrepreneurs daydream about expansive, carefully lit retail spaces filled with handcrafted objects that eager customers will immediately whip out their credit cards to buy.

The realities of operating a craft gallery, of course, are quite different. Negotiating leases, hiring employees, ordering products, cultivating both artists and repeat customers, marketing, advertising, and now a host of untested social media platforms to explore can make—or break—the most willing entrepreneurial spirits.
It’s a wonder how anyone stays in business over the long haul. How do long-time gallery owners do it? That’s the question NICHE asked of four gallery owners around the country who together have a combined 100 years of retail experience under their belts.

Mary Bonney, owner of the William & Joseph Gallery in Santa Fe, has just cut the cake in celebration of her gallery’s 10th anniversary. Sandra Randolph, of Good Goods in Saugatuck, Mich., has just passed the 20-year mark. Don and Cynthia Hoskins opened the first Earthenworks Gallery in a tiny space in Oak Harbor, Wash., in 1978, making them 30-plus-year veterans. And Audrey Parent, who runs Left Bank Gallery’s three locations in Wellfleet and Orleans, Mass., has been going strong for 40 years.

All four have had retail ups and downs, experienced at least one or more economic recessions, and dealt with natural disasters and personal crises, yet they have managed to create and continue successful businesses that have withstood the test of time.

For more of “Going the Distance” pick up a copy of the Summer 2011 issue of NICHE magazine.

Funky, eye-catching colors and irregular shapes are staples of artist Karine Demers’ whimsical glass and enamel designs. Pleasing to both the eye and the heart, many of her pieces feature an engaging cast of characters. “I want people to take away a feeling of happiness and human warmth from my work,” she explains.

After earning a diploma in visual arts from Cégep du Vieux Montreal in Quebec, Demers explored working with different types of materials, including stone and metal. But it was with glass that she truly found inspiration. “As soon as I came into contact with molten glass, I knew it was going to be my favorite material,” she explains. “It offers endless possibilities and constantly sets new challenges due to its technical complexity.”

She worked for five years as a stained glass technician, then in 2002 signed up for training in glass art at Espace Verre in Montreal. In 2007, she had her first solo exhibition at Boreart Visual Art Centre in her hometown of Granby, Quebec. The following year, she created her own studio adjacent to her home and set her sights on glass blowing full time. Her unique pieces can be seen in galleries across the U.S. and Canada, as well as in the gift shop of the international traveling show Cirque du Soleil.

Demers’ current work combines blown glass, solid glass and fusion with handpainted enamel. Using enamel evokes her love of painting and two-dimensional work; she enamels the surface of her paintings using an airbrush or scratch the images by subtraction. “Working in the painting studio is very different from working in the hot shop,” Demers explains. “I scratch my drawings one by one, creating small families, or I paint directly on the glass and let myself be guided by the form I have in my hands.”

Demers’ future work will introduce her to a new challenge: metalworking. Using found and scrap iron, she plans on combining it with glass to create a cast of characters and one-of-a-kind pieces. Ultimately her goal as an artist is simple: “I would just like to add a touch of beauty and originality to people’s lives.”

Steeped in rich tradition, the art of Judaica provides a powerful sense of history and culture. No one knows this better than metal artist Joy Stember. “With my Judaica, I want people to have a renewed sense of spirituality and see my work as a contemporary heirloom for their family.”

As the daughter of a jewelry designer, art has always been a part of Stember’s life. She began taking art classes at age 5, won numerous art competitions, and worked in ceramics and metal studios throughout her teenage years. Originally interested in clay, she attended Temple University’s Tyler School of Art because of its renowned ceramics department. While there, however, she realized that metal was her true calling—“With metal, the possibilities are endless,” she says. She spent her summers supplementing her education with courses at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine, where she was a teacher’s assistant in the metals department.

She completed her degree in 2006 and established the Joy Stember Metal Arts Studio, then took a trip to Israel. While exploring the ancient country, she visited Tzfat, Israel’s art capital, and Ein Hood, an artists community near Mt. Carmel. The experience gave her an incredible reference point for Israeli crafts. “After returning, I realized it was my life’s calling to make Judaica.,” she explains.

Inspired by urban landscapes, Stember’s unique designs push the boundaries of traditional Jewish pieces. She begins her process by creating a working drawing, then tracing the pattern onto pewter, brass, bronze, silver or copper. By adding different textures, the pieces take on a contemporary look. After scoring, folding and soldering the metal, each piece is cleaned and tumble finished to give it a polished look.

A 2011 and 2011 finalist in the NICHE Awards, as well as the Rio Grande Saul Bell Design Awards in 2008, Stember’s future is bright. She just opened a new studio and shop in Abington, Pa., and plans on expanding her line to include non-Judaica items for the home, as well as jewelry she will create with her father, whom she considers her inspiration. As things change, the one constant is her love of metal. “Simply put,” she says, “metal is my life.”