Activities : Sturgeon Bay

AMO GALLERY AND FRAMERY
AUDREY M. OFF
RESIDENT ARTIST
40 N. 3RD AVE.
STURGEON BAY
FAX 1 920 746 8719
PHONE 1 920 743 2259
audreyoff@amogallery.com

The AMO Gallery and Framery is located in Sturgeon Bay on historic and beautiful Third Avenue.  For those of you who are not familiar with Sturgeon Bay, we would like to point out it is an integral part of DOOR COUNTY! As a matter of fact, we love Sturgeon Bay! It is located on two sides of a canal that connects the waters of Green Bay and Lake Michigan.

We stopped in this gallery sort of by accident and fell in love with not only the artwork, but the people that run this fine gallery as well. If you’re visiting Door County and you are an art lover, the AMO Gallery is a place you must check out. We actually visited the gallery three times while meeting with the owners and staff and taking pictures and so on. Read on to find out our discoveries!

AUDREY M. OFF, Resident Artist/Owner
Getting to know Audrey is worth visiting this gallery alone. Audrey grew up in Door County and makes her home on the family farm just steps away from the canal. We had a blast talking with her and Dave, her longtime friend and business advisor. And we can’t forget Lorie, Audrey’s “right hand woman” who does a fabulous job waiting on the customers. Audrey has been living and pursuing her dreams as an artist since the sixth grade. Audrey’s own work includes pieces done in oil, acrylic and watercolor. Drawing inspiration from the landscapes and various landmarks of Door County, Audrey sold her first painting, “moonrise”, to well known naturalist Roy Lukes.

After working for nearly thirty years at various galleries and framing studios, Audrey is proud to finally own her own business. The AMO Gallery and Framery specializes in custom framing, hand painted mats (by Audrey herself), and specialty mats that incorporate various materials like rope, stones, military medals and memorabilia that are inlaid into the framework. Audrey’s hand painted mats are beautiful - this is where she copies the artist technique and extends the original artwork onto the mat allowing the artwork to “break the confines of the mat”. It gives the piece a wonderful 3D effect. At the AMO Gallery, a lot of thought and care goes into framing a particular piece of artwork. Audrey believes that you never know what artwork will be priceless in the future so she treats every piece as if it where priceless. The AMO Gallery uses only the finest quality glass and mating board that will not deteriorate, therefore helping to preserve your artwork. Great effort is put into choosing the proper framing so that the artwork itself stands out, not the framing. As Audrey explains, “we are not interior decorators, we us our intuition to help reflect your personality. The frame must not over power the art but rather compliment it.”

There are literally thousands of frames to choose from and consultation is free. You can count on experienced, friendly service. You will find the entire staff willing to lend their ideas for what you wish to accomplish, and quotes are free. You will find the prices for custom framing to be reasonable, and they are always mindful to work within the customer’s budget. Got some old needlework that you would like to preserve? Stop in and talk to the gang at AMO and let them help you with some framing ideas. As a matter of fact, they can frame and mat just about anything! Jersey’s, baptismal gowns, deeds and other important documents, certificate’s - all items that the friendly staff and AMO has done in the past and can do for you too!

THE GALLERY/ART WORK
Wow! There are so many great national and local artists represented here it’s hard to know where to begin. Here are just a couple of Audrey’s favorites, (and ours too). You will find a fine selection of Terry Redlin prints as well as other artist’s represented by the Hadley House Collection, a nationally known publishing house out of Bloomington Minnesota. Terry Redlin prints are number one in sales in the United States.

Hometown favorite Charles Peterson is our favorite artist and must be the favorite of many others because they sell a ton of these prints at AMO Gallery. Peterson is well known for his memory collection. This is a form of double imagery, a technique in which Peterson puts images from the past on to present scenes. Typically the images are of people and the present scenes that Peterson uses are drawn from his memories of growing up in Door County.

Other national artist includes Darrell Bush, who does very tranquil scenes of camping and the outdoors in general. Much of his work is inspired from the boundary waters near upper Minnesota and Canada. G. Harvey does very interesting works of federal buildings in Washington D.C. Jean Accola is a botanical artist drawing inspiration from western Wisconsin. Steve Hanks, who is popular for his using family figures and nudes in his artwork; the nude portrait we looked at was very beautiful and tastefully done.

You will also find plenty of local artist’s work at AMO Gallery including works by Kari Anderson, a watercolorist; Dave Hackett who has a great series of posters showcasing lighthouses; and Pete Bosman who doses beautiful woodcarvings. The AMO Gallery also carries the ever-popular Harbour Lights collection of lighthouse figurines including lighthouses of Sherwood Point, Eagle Bluff and the Sturgeon Bay shipping canal.

If are looking for a great place that sells awesome prints and some originals too, and does custom framing, check out the AMO Gallery and Framery in Sturgeon Bay. You’ll love the upbeat and casual atmosphere and the staff loves to have fun. You can be sure that you are dealing with experienced professionals who know how to get the job done. Live out of town but happen to be in Sturgeon Bay? Not to worry, they will try their very best to satisfy your framing needs within three days; and if they can’t, a local, fully insured shipper may be used. Always ask the staff for details please!

So definitely make Sturgeon Bay a stop.