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South Shore Gallery Makes A Move

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By ELAINE MARKOWITZ Tribune correspondent

Published: October 27, 2007

APOLLO BEACH - The South Shore Gallery, which recently moved from Ruskin to Apollo Beach, is all about beauty - but beauty of a particular type.

'The overall concept of the gallery is to have high quality, good design and a wide range of prices,' said furniture craftsman Richard Chill Cott one recent morning.

That range is extensive. Potential buyers might find anything from a $13 bamboo cutting board to a $5,800 credenza, a type of sideboard or buffet, handcrafted from Honduran mahogany and accented with South American snake wood.

Chill Cott owns the gallery in partnership with his niece, Beth Howard, and Howard's father, Melvin Sims. He said the three of them strike a good balance.

'We like functional art with a Zen-like feel,' he said, alluding to Zen Buddhism's emphasis on reflection, simplicity and a minimalist approach to art.

Minimalism is apparent on entering the gallery. The visitor's eye roams freely but finds no clutter. Chill Cott designed and constructed the display areas so that a single bowl, lamp or box occupies its own niche. Objects don't vie for the visitor's attention.

The white, boxlike display cases are functional with simple lines.

'We could take the whole gallery apart and set it up in different shapes,' he said. 'It gives us flexibility as time and products change.'

In its new locale, the gallery gleams with well-placed beauty. Chill Cott's original pieces of furniture are featured, as are the works of more than 100 other artists from North America.

Included are rows of handcrafted jewelry made of glass, beads, stone and other materials and jewelry boxes fashioned from smooth, exotic wood. Blown glass vases and bowls, lamps, clocks and ornamental pieces draw the eye in turn.

Other items are on display as well. From one niche wafts the scent of candles. Originally designed notepads and cards are arrayed on shelves, as are graphite pencils in whimsical shapes - a hand, a nautilus shell and a branch of bamboo.

Chill Cott's work was the impetus for starting the earlier gallery, a studio in Ruskin, in 2003. The professionally trained son and grandson of wood workers, he had recently decided retirement wasn't for him and returned to his craft.

Along with craftsmen Philip Morley and Diego Duran, Chill Cott fashions tables, chairs, curio cabinets, mirrors and whimsical wooden pieces in his workshop in Ruskin. The men use wood of all colors and textures from around the world. Africa, New Zealand, Honduras, Canada, India and Madagascar are among the nations whose trees are transformed into wooden wonders.

Howard pointed out several other favorite artists that morning. Sandra Z. Duran of Ruskin specializes in glass, although she crafts objects from other materials as well. On display at the gallery are numerous glass vases and candle holders, including her triangular-shaped blue glass container with sides that open to create the illusion of a square box. She calls the piece 'Tree Underwater Illusion.'

Chill Cott is an aficionado of her work.

'She's not a typical glassmaker,' he said. 'Her soldering techniques are the finest I've ever seen.'

Kate Hamilton, also a Ruskin resident, makes jewelry from sea glass, smooth glass taken from old bottles and jars that have been tossed about in the ocean.

Howard and Chill Cott search for artists whose work fits in with their preferences.

'We'd never put anything in here that is lacy Victorian or country,' Howard said.

Chill Cott emphasized the need to be flexible within the parameters.

'One of the things Beth and I have learned is that we have to buy outside of our tastes,' he said, 'but it still has to work in the gallery.'

The duo searches for artists that meet their requirements for quality craftsmanship and original designs.

'Most of our artists are not local,' Howard said. 'We do research in magazines and on the Internet and go to shows.'

The two have met numerous artists at shows, including one big show in Baltimore and another in Pennsylvania.

'Sometimes we look at 500 artists and find two we want,' Howard said. 'We make sure the work is of the highest quality and fits in with the look we want.'

Chill Cott said he likes talking to other artists.

'You have an emotional investment when you know the artist whose work you are representing,' he said.

At the end of the day just being in the gallery seems to yield pleasure to Howard and Chill Cott.

Chill Cott said he doesn't think people own art galleries just to make money. Art, he said, is a passion that gives beauty to the world.

'You look at this,' he said, glancing at the dazzling art work in the gallery, 'and you know this is what the world could look like.'

The South Shore Gallery is at 447 Apollo Beach Blvd. in Apollo Beach. For information, call 9813) 645-0483, or go to www.southshoregallery.com.

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