Open House

You have to wonder what's going on at Fort Worth's Yellow House Gallery, a recently expanded art space tucked into the light industrial no-man's-land between West Lancaster Avenue and West 7th Street. Michaele Ann Harper opened Yellow House in 1996, but before the expansion it was hard to believe she was very serious about art. Sure, she named her space after Van Gogh's famous abode and refers to the art legend simply as "Vincent," but the gallery and studios where Harper teaches used to be a study in clutter. Every wall, pedestal, and corner, plus much of the floor space, is covered with all kinds of art.

Yellow House is a far cry from the pristine white spaces with carefully configured exhibitions that local gallerygoers are used to. It's a big mess, but it's more approachable and less intimidating than more well-known Dallas or Fort Worth galleries, and so is its owner. She's chosen to be serious about art in her own way, and her unique venue welcomes browsers, collectors, and people walking the streets of the cultural district. She showcases artists of all levels--untried wannabes, her own painting and drawing students, and established professionals alike--and she sells work at very reasonable prices. There's absolutely no telling what you'll find here. Appearances can be deceiving.

Yellow House has been closed for a couple of months while Harper added a new classroom, where a new slate of art classes for every level of student begins in February. On view during the upcoming reopening are paintings and photographs by artists from Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Maryland, and Harper's highlighted artist for the event is George Greeves, a British photographer who is showing images of the fishing fleet based in his native Hastings, England. If it's too tidy, which we doubt, ask Harper to mess it up again real soon. Tell her you appreciate what she's trying to do for local art lovers.