Editor:

With two view points about galleries and art sales recently — "Artists without Galleries" (April 11) by Gabrielle Gopinath and "More on Galleries" by Alan Sanborn (Mailbox, April 25) — I feel compelled to add my own experience to the mix. Galleries have long struggled to maintain a footing in Humboldt County and I have shown with many since 1979. The late Mike Atlee ran by far the most successful gallery for roughly a three-year period in the early '90s. It's always been hard in a small art-loving community like ours for artists to maintain a relationship with a gallery and at the same time not invite clients to their studio and offer them a lower price without the gallery commission.

With that said, sales in Humboldt still continue, at artists' studios as well at any venue that shows and sells the work. In the broader and larger picture in the country, yes, many galleries have closed but new ones keep opening and long-standing galleries keep selling work. They sell work to renters, home owners, businesses, designers and those who love the work and can afford it. Sales are very brisk all over the country and it's not the 1 percent that are buying. The 1 percent has little or no interest in the work most of us do. I personally find there are more opportunities for artist to show and sell work through galleries, plein air events for landscape painters, juried shows, online competitions and so many ways on the internet to connect with others artist, dealers, clients and art lovers than ever before. Within our community, I know several painters who are making those connections and selling their work. It is true, no matter what, we will keep making art.

Jim McVicker, Loleta