Dave Taylor, owner of The Blue Pearl, appreciates art in all its forms from sculpture, glass, paintings, vintage jewelry and carved wooden figures, along with ornate and whimsical furniture. He is shown in his store. Photo provided by Darla McCammon.

By DARLA MCCAMMON
and DARLENE ROMANO
Guest Columnist

WARSAW — We have shown you some fascinating art museums and galleries in this series. We hope you have an opportunity to visit many of the museums we have reviewed to see and appreciate the wealth of good art available within our local community.

This week we are reviewing an establishment in our community where you can see quality art and interesting antiques which have intriguing histories. Do not expect the pristine marble columns like those in many of the museums we have featured.

Instead, expect to hear anecdotes from Dave Taylor, owner of The Blue Pearl, who appreciates art in all its forms from sculpture, glass, paintings, vintage jewelry and carved wooden figures, along with ornate and whimsical furniture.

You will have to wend your way through three rooms filled with fascinating objects and Taylor will regale you with the stories behind the acquisitions he has on display.

Have you ever wanted to find an unusual gift for someone special in your life? What about a three-piece aboriginal totem pole set in miniature? Or have you always wanted to purchase and display a stereopticon or magic lantern? These are the types of unique artworks available at The Blue Pearl that piqued Taylor’s interest, and he will share their history with you.

The store has paintings displayed from floor to ceiling, from wonderful original work to Jackson Pollock look-alikes.

Taylor is an entrepreneur, first building and running his successful Blue Lion Coffee shop, which he recently sold, and now running The Blue Pearl where his choice Blue Lion coffee is available for purchase along with a myriad of artworks. Taylor is involved in the local art community and participates in the Lakeland Art Association.

Taylor is excellent at appraising the value of any type of art and for a small fee you can ask him to value your garage sale treasures. If you have a canvas painting or other artworks that need to be repaired, Taylor can arrange the repairs for you. Speak with Taylor directly for the pricing for appraisals and repairs.

If Taylor happens to see the work of an emerging artist he appreciates, he will step up and invest in their artwork and then give them great exposure by taking it to the large and prestigious art shows he participates in, such as the annual art exhibition held in Miami each year which offers approximately $3.5 million dollars of art for purchase. He often purchases art for his own collection at the exhibitions he attends.

His antique store/gallery has an inventory of 200 to 300 paintings, with some in storage, but most on display. His quaint and chock-full shop has a lot to offer, even though it does not look like a traditional art gallery.

The Blue Pearl is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. You can find the yellow building with green trim at 112 N. 1st St. in Pierceton. For more information, contact Dave Taylor at (574) 551-4275.

Events

• Lakeland Art Center & Gallery: The gallery reopened to artists Samara Dulik and Kim Marcadis. Dulik has created her own brand of painting highlighting color through the introduction of graffitism, using acrylics, spray paints, inks, Posca pens and at times, finger painting. Marcadis creates functional pottery with lots of color and texture using many different processes, techniques and materials. The interesting and beautiful work of both artists will be on display through March 26 at the gallery located at 302 E. Winona Ave., Warsaw. Gallery hours are 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. For more information call (574) 267-5568 or (574) 457-6085 or email [email protected]

• Warsaw City Hall Art Gallery: Local artist Deana Harvey will be displaying her artwork through March 28.

To exhibit at Warsaw City Hall Art Gallery, contact Darla McCammon, curator, at (574) 527-4044 (leave a message) or [email protected] If you would like to offer someone a free email subscription to this weekly column, send a request including the email address to [email protected]