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Historic gallery features personal touch Mail Tribune photos / Roy Musitelli Dan Sheret, above, features primarily local artists in his new gallery in Jacksonville, Rogue River Studios. Below, the gallery is located in one of Jacksonville's few stand-alone brick buildings. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Structures. Rogue River Studios carries work by local artists the owner knows By MEG LANDERS JACKSONVILLE - Daniel Sheret says people often buy art more for the artists than their creations. "I think the artists' stories are sometimes more interesting than the art itself," says Sheret, 39, owner of the new Rogue River Studios in Jacksonville. Sheret and his wife, Mary Ames Sheret, recently renovated the Kahler Law Building in downtown Jacksonville for their gallery. Built in 1886 and listed on the National Register of Historic Structures, the building is one of the few stand-alone brick buildings in downtown Jacksonville. The Sherets bought it in July and invested $30,000 in the restoration, replacing brick mortar, shoring up the understructure, replacing wiring, restoring the Douglas fir floor and installing a heating and air conditioning system. What: Christmas Open House at Rogue River Studios. When: 3 to 7 p.m. Dec 6. Where: 155 N. Third St., Jacksonville. Features: Fine art and crafts, primarily from local artists with interesting stories to tell. Also free refreshments and chocolate. For more information: Phone Daniel or Mary Ames Sheret, 899-3796. Regular hours : 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Sheret has been a weaver, spinner, furniture maker and woodworking instructor. His wife is curator of collections and exhibits at the Southern Oregon Historical Society. From madrone burl bowl turnings and sculptural vessel pottery to silver jewelry and chocolate, the gallery features primarily local artists. Sheret says he was drawn to each artist personally. James Robinson is one of them. Robinson, a potter featured in galleries in San Francisco, Santa Fe and New York, says he has certain wildlife he's attracted to that he uses on his pottery. "I've always tried to simply and graphically use these animals so they kind of have a home on the pot," says Robinson. "They're in context." Robinson says he incorporates polar bears, loons, salmon and horned creatures in his pottery. He says that the evolution of a piece is a spiritual experience. "You do find animals that kind of speak to you," he says. "They give you instructions. The animals will tell you how they need to be used." Robinson, a potter for 30 years, says he thinks the gallery will be a big hit. "It's mostly because of Dan's good eye," he says. "It's the fact that he's a historian and also a craftsman himself." Sheret says the gallery, with art priced from $10 to $3,000, will attract locals and tourists alike because it's an unusual collection of soulful pieces. "It's fun, it's exciting," says Sheret. "There's more talent here than you can imagine." Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.