Members of Gallery Los Olivos are an enthusiastic group of artists, presenting a diverse mix of media and styles. From left, back row is Lou Goluck, Craig Trapp, Jim Dow. Middle row, Vicki Andersen, Barbara Lago, Wanda Allison, Aury Todd, Dee Stanchfield, Joan Mitchell, Slavka Kovarick, Lindy Kern, Charlotte Valestra,Diana Story, & Martha Inman-Lorch. Front row, Ruth Raymond, Peggy Fletcher, Ilona Rymer, Barbara Nance, Blair Jones & Rebecca Keyko.

Gallery Los Olivos, a mainstay of the local art scene, celebrates its 10th anniversary in October. Located at 2920 Grand Ave in Los Olivos, the gallery has survived and flourished over a decade that has seen other galleries come and go.

Key to its success is the gallery's business model. Incorporated in 1992, Gallery Los Olivos is owned and managed cooperatively by its artist members, who present a diverse mix of media and styles-from jewelry and pottery to photography and sculpture.

The majority of the work however is painting, and here again the range of media, styles and subject matter is wide from the imaginative works of Julie Fish, who studied with renowned Honduran artist Benigno Gomez, to the sensitive watercolors of Martha Inman Lorch and the passionate landscapes of Craig Trapp. The gallery also presents the work of the Artists Guild of the Santa Ynez Valley.

Gallery Los Olivos was the brainchild of five local women - three of whom have moved on or away, and two - Ilona Rhymer and Barbara Jorgen Nance - are still with the gallery. Nance is also the gallery's business manager and believes that incorporating was really a key factor in our success.

Incorporating allowed the artist/owners to share the responsibility of running the gallery, while establishing a structure and bylaws to ensure its smooth operation. Who says artists can't be business people? Nance laughs.

Another key to the gallery's success is that all but a small percentage of sales go directly to the artists. That was the whole point of establishing the gallery, Nance explains to benefit the artists who exhibit their works.

Although many of the gallery's members are successful beyond the Valley and also show their work in other galleries, they keep their membership in Gallery Los Olivos. And, as the member-artists reputations have grown, other renowned artists have sought to join.

We have 42 members right now, says Nance, including 12 of the original members. We have a waiting list of artists who would like to join, but we have no room to accept them unless one of our current members decides to leave.

New co-op members must be juried in unanimously by the gallery's panel of artists. They also must agree to share rent, operating expenses and the responsibility of staffing the gallery.

Although some artists might perceive this responsibility as a burden, in fact it is one of the gallery's main attractions.

People love to come in and see an artist at work, Nance says. And most artists enjoy the positive attention they get from the public.

Artist-ownership also gives the artists the chance to experiment and grow artistically, while giving them a place to show their more experimental works.

Most galleries try to market a particular style of art and only want to accept certain types of work from the artists they represent, Nance explains. Our gallery gives artists a chance to branch out - to try new media and styles and get public feedback on their work. Artists love and need that type of freedom.

Throughout its 10-year history, Gallery Los Olivos has benefited from a core group of wonderful people willing to do the work and to share and grow together as artists, Nance says.

The gallery also has benefited from its Los Olivos location. The art market is different here, Nance continues. People come here to relax and feel good, and they want to take something of that feeling back with them.

Plus I think residents here buy more art than residents of other places. I don't know why. I'm just glad I'm an artist living and working here.

In celebration of its 10-year anniversary, Gallery Los Olivos will mount a special exhibit in October, showcasing the work of all of its 42 members. The anniversary also will be celebrated with a big reception, open to the public, on October 12 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

We'll invite all our visitors, local businesspeople, civic leaders and neighbors, Nance says. We'll have music, great food and fabulous local wines.

Gallery members also hope the celebration will kick-off another 10 years of artistic success.