Inside the Santa Ynez Valley Magazine Spring 2003 Edition

Art For Living Gallery
By Leslee Goodwin

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When unknowing tourists step into Art for Living Gallery, they sometimes wonder if they re still in Solvang.

The entire three-floor, split-level gallery is filled with paintings by nationally renowned artists such as Gerald Brommer, Beverly Carrick, James Collender, William George, Joseph Mendez, Jane Nussbaum and many others.

An international offering of sculptures from artists like Dwight Dreyer, JR Eason, Sergey Eylanbekov, and Sergio Furnari complement the gallery and pleases art collectors, as does their collection of unique art glass pieces.

One-of-a-kind home furnishings by Osvaldo Asgreti, Luna Bella, Edward Jorgensen and Sally Yount fill the large gallery, alongside handmade Kilim rugs, urns and pottery, lamps and chandeliers and other home decor accessories. A huge case of fine handmade jewelry stops visitors in their tracks.

Local people are always surprised, admits Apo Aydin, originally from Turkey, who opened the gallery with his wife, Judy, in 1999 and moved it to its present location a year ago. They don t anticipate this kind of art in Solvang. Many tell me they haven t been to Solvang in 10 to 12 years. They re just in town to accompany friends, who are visiting from elsewhere.

But once they visit, they plan to come again. When people sign the guest book they ask to be invited to our artist receptions, Apo says.

The Aydins are happy to oblige. Last July we had a reception for artist Gerald Brommer, who has influenced many local painters, and more than 300 attended. The reception was a huge success.

Then in September, Art for Living hosted a Jazz Night with Ian Bernard. That, too, was well-attended, leading to a two-day reception in November honoring 20 artists.

Mission Meadow Winery participated with us in all three events, which helped to show local residents the creativity in their own backyard, Judy says, with pride.

Locals are now enjoying art along with pastry and the farmer s market. We re changing local residents minds about Solvang, starting with the artists themselves, who have begun to recognize our presence here, Apo says. Our other clients mostly come from Santa Barbara, Orange County, San Diego and Carmel.

Apo himself is a formally trained artist, who comes from a family of artists. He graduated from Ankara University in Turkey before coming to the U.S. in 1977 to study archaeology at Temple University, in Philadelphia. His three sisters, still in Turkey, are all successful painters.

I came to the U.S. to study, Apo says, but I quit to go into business.

Apo and Judy met at a New Jersey restaurant in 1980 when friends introduced the two. Judy was in nursing, but they found shared interests in art, dancing, movies and each other.

Apo owned a successful jewelry gallery in New Jersey, which featured many of his own designs. It was the Aydins love of horses, though and Judy s family that brought them to California in 1999.

We were looking for a place to move our business and raise our horses, says Apo. We searched from the Mexican border to Monterey, but when we got to the Valley and saw the horse farms, the beautiful country, and the wonderful climate we decided to stay. This is horse country good for horses and for horsemen.

Apo had read Monty Roberts bestseller, The Man Who Listens to Horses, and knew that Roberts himself considers the Valley ideal for horses. After all, he lives here too.

The Aydins found a ranch on Campbell Road, between Buellton and Lompoc, where they, and their 12 horses enjoy the country life.

Thrilled to be here, the Aydins called their original Solvang art gallery (located on Copenhagen Drive in the former Mole Hole) Dream of the West, because this was my dream, Apo says, to have an art gallery in California. Also, many of the artists he represents specialize in Western art.

Customers, however, thought the name meant it served as a country-western store, with boots and cowboy hats, he says. When the Aydins moved the gallery to its present location, in March 2002, they changed the name and Art for Living was born.

We have beautiful things, from $50 sculptures to paintings priced at $30,000 or more, Judy says. We have a wonderful line of leather furniture, with solid oak frames, made by California craftsmen. We also have one-of-a-kind decorative pieces, beautiful woodwork from Solvang s own Bud Tullis, lighting from Luna Bella and classical pieces from master cabinetmaker Edward Jorgensen.

Many of Art for Living s artists are represented in the private collections of celebrities such as Cher, Denzel Washington, the late Versace, the late Anthony Quinn, and even England s Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Apo often designs and creates some of the gallery s pieces himself. A favorite was created when he purchased historic wrought iron, in a graceful butterfly design, from the Philadelphia Strawberry Mansion bridge railing and combined it with aged walnut, creating a handsome console table. Most of the store s jewelry designs are Apo s, as well. We have something beautiful for nearly everyone. Contemporary art and furnishings in Old World Solvang.