Couple knows the art of the deal
By Steve Ames Special to the Acorn

Two Westlake Village residents have opened a fine art gallery in Moorpark where local artists are invited to display their work.

High Studio’s first show, called “International Affairs,” features works by husbands and wives and will continue through Jan. 4. Paintings by Jorge Lacoste also will be shown throughout the month.

Bill and Jean Amador put the studio next door to their architectural design firm at 11 E. High Street.

The couple purchased the 1920s building, which had housed a bicycle business, in 2005 and did extensive renovating to bring it up to structural standards and make the interior suitable for professional offices.

“We had a while to figure out what to do with this space that would be cohesive with the street and with what we’re doing next door,” Jean Amador said.

“A husband and wife team, when they work well together, can do quite a bit of work,” she said.

Almost everything shown at High Studio is available for purchase. The gallery receives a percentage of the art sales to cover costs.

“We’re hoping because we don’t have a fulltime employee that it will be able to at least sustain itself,” Amador said. “As of now, artists don’t have to pay to hang their art. There’s no cost to the artist at all. We’re paying for the openings and the printing and the advertising and everything now.”

High Studio has scheduled rotating shows, changing once a month. The schedule is set through next November.

“We started with a schedule by subject and wanted to do mostly group shows so that we can bring in the most diversity and see what’s working for Moorpark,” Amador said.

Three events, including a fundraiser for an orphanage in Kenya, already have been hosted at the gallery. The buzz is building.

“We’ve had a huge amount of people coming in to show their art,” Amador said. “We have people walking in to see the gallery, and we’ll come over to talk to anybody who’d like to hear about the different art. Walk-by traffic on High Street is sort of minimal for artists and people looking at art, so we’re really depending on having events once a month.”

Amador said she’s talking to representatives at Cal Lutheran’s gallery. She’s talking to Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena to learn about artists for an upcoming religious arts show. She has also visited Cal State Channel Islands, community colleges and local school districts to build more contacts.

“I hope the city grows up around it, that we have a more vibrant, lively High Street,” Amador said. “We’re working with the the

ater and small restaurants and even have an event on Dec. 8 where the merchants will have their lights on and we’ll do some activities out on the street.”

Shows scheduled for 2007 include Saw Fine, a fiber arts group exhibit, from Jan. 6 to Feb. 8; Jazz and Movement, a Leon Collard solo show, Feb. 15 to 26; Religious Art, a sculpture and paintings group exhibit, March 1 to 28, and Landscapes, a paintings group exhibit, April 4 to 27.

For information about upcoming shows call (805) 523-7957.