Smith-Klein Gallery

Was about to buy a painting here that I saw in Q’s restaurant. I saw the piece on a Saturday night and called them right then and there because my girlfriend and I loved it. They were open, took my phone call, and I arranged a time on the following Monday to come in and pay for the painting after I got out of my Monday meetings. I was looking forward to it with great anticipation. I changed my mind quickly after getting several phone calls over the following 48 hours of them asking me to come in. This was after I had told them Monday evening was the soonest I had available because my Sundays are sacred and I had back to back meetings on Mondays. Nothing pushes me away from a sale like nagging sales people. Too bad for the artist because I am an avid collector and would have done wonders endorsing him. Unfortunate for the gallery too as they would have had $ 8k of my money. Ease up people and you might make a sale.

Strolling through Boulder casually walking into Art Galleries and window shopping down Pearl Street. The Smith-​Klein Gallery caught both our eyes and we decided to go in and take a look around.
The layout really works here, the walls are covered with photographs, paintings, and water colors. Mixed throughout are unique sculptures that make you think, if I move money around in my accounts could I take this home today? I give it a little thought, I admit to it. Some of the landscape paintings really caught our eye with the uses of vibrant colors and textures.
The bonus for me was the jewelry offerings. I truly fell in love with some gorgeous metal twisty earrings that should have a place in my collection. One day I’ll wear those and rock them like no other.
I hear the works here change often so I can keep coming back to a completely new experience. The owner of the shop was easy to talk to and was eager to share her love of the some of the artists she was showing. It’s a pleasure to have an owner so in love with what she does, it makes the experience much better.

Smith-​Klein is one of those wonderful galleries that inspire «ooohs and aaaahs» around every corner. Sculpture, jewelry, paintings and Zuni fetishes somehow mix and match in inviting, interesting and well-​considered ways. They seem to select artists that tell a story. Animals with unusual expressions, street scenes that draw you in, stone sculptures that leave you staring. There is whimsy here, but not the kind that maes you smile for a moment and then think «I’d NEVER put that in my house». It is whimsy with a mix of humor, curiosity and deep engagement with the subject that made me want to scrape up some money to take home a statue of a sweet turtle or a painting of a raven amongst cherry blossoms.
Even if you are a person who gets bored in museums, come here to see what artists are doing that is edgy but accessible, sometimes adorable, sometimes serious but always interesting.
PS, the jewelry is amazing. Bring your partner here to get a hint of what kinds of unique pieces strike their fancy.

The great thing about Boulder is that we’re low on chain stores and high on culture, and it’s easy to put together your own ArtCrawl on any given night. Pearl Street is a great place to start, and Smith-​Klein is one of the Mall’s most fancy and exciting galleries.
Painting. Jewelery. Sculpture. They’ve got a bit of everything, right on the West End of the Mall, where they’ve held shop for more than two decades. They even have their own Pod Cast, «Art Talk in Boulder.»

The news last night reported a *family* used a stroller to hijack and steal a bronze sculpture from this gallery. Everyone from Grandma down to Junior was involved. People are crazy.
Anyhow, Smith-​Klein is a fav place to ogle art on the Pearl Street Mall. The collections frequently change and are always of the highest quality. Besides paintings, photographs, and sculptures, Smith-​Klein has a great collection of art glass, one-​of-​a-​kind jewelry, and an amazing collection on totems.
There are some great metal rabbit sculptures in the front of the store these days that I’d love to take home with me. I’ve seldom purchased original art, but the prices seem reasonable to me.
I hope they get the sculpture back from the kleptomaniac family. Weirdos.