What pops in your mind when you hear the word 'vessel' - perhaps a cup or a vase?...Maybe a boat, or even blood vessels if you want to stretch the meaning!

By definition, a vessel is technically anything that acts as a container or receptacle for something else. And while this newly curated collection does have artworks that fit into the traditional idea of a vessel, we also included pieces that delve more into its conceptual aspects - whether it holds visual or physical weight.

Exciting new pieces have arrived from Ann Royer, Steve Sinner & Joe Meirhaeghe, and Darrell Wahlstrom.

Be sure to visit the artists' individual pages for more available works!

As we transition from summer to fall, consider adding some fun changes to the art in your homes and offices!

Autumn brings a plethora of brilliantly warm and earthy colours, as well as more muted palettes reminiscent of crisp evenings and gentle rainfall. We invite you to browse through and enjoy this specially curated collection for the new season.

Check out these fresh new works from Nancy Lindsay, David Kupferman, and Ellen Wagener~

Be sure to visit the artists' page for more vibrant landscapes or bold abstracts.

Looking to add more colour and fun geometry to your living space or office? This collection is perfect for anyone who enjoys vibrant colour blocks, bold lines and shapes, and a bit of mathematical rhythm and composition.

Minimalist and minimalist-verging designs allow for the freedom to add elegant simplicity, clean lines, and spaciousness to your life, without foregoing aesthetics.

This collection borrows core concepts of minimalism and includes art and objects that echo similar elements to inspire. We carefully curated these suggested artworks to unify your interior space, or to upgrade your wardrobe with a unique accent piece.

Bring in a bit of nature into your homes or workspace with these new and colourful pieces from Sharon Burns-Knutson, Karen Kurka Jensen, and Elizabeth Rhoads Read!

Our recent new works feature bright and vibrant splashes of colour, that will no doubt be a fun prelude to summertime!

Take some time to treat your dad or the fatherly figures in your life! Browse through our specially curated collection - be it a striking wall piece, a sleek accessory, or even a fun piece for the coffee table - for that perfect Father's Day gift.

It's been great to have all of you visit us, diligently make appointments for projects, and be fantastic about wearing a mask when you were here. We sincerely thank you.

We're all vaccinated now, but we're going to continue to clean high touch surfaces and masking when meeting for our services.

• Drop in to see our exhibitions during regular gallery hours. We're keeping Private Viewing appointments too- just get in touch.
  
• We would love it if you still make appointments for our services. You get the best service possible if we know you're on your way!
  
• We are still encouraging mask wearing for our visitors who are unvaccinated or immunocompromised.

Mother's Day is right around the corner! Celebrate the moms and mother figures in your life by surprising them with something extra special. Check out our unique selection of artworks and wearable art down below for the perfect gift~

A suite, plus 1, of Grateful Dead art posters with a frame package tailored to fit the invested collector. Read more below about the close up details and what we used. Follow our INSTAGRAM for #FramingFriday featured design posts.

A new year, a new season, a new you. Spring is finally here - and as they say, "out with the old and in with the new!"

After a long, roller coaster-like few months of winter, I'm sure that many of us are hoping to restart and open up our lives to the world again. But sometimes creating that well of positive energy comes from a place closer to home - pun very much intended.

If you've been staring at the same walls of your home office or living room, feeling too much monotony, then maybe it's time to freshen up your living space. A unique necklace could be the perfect update to an already-stunning [zoom] outfit. A vibrant vase can add just the right amount of colourful oomph to your mantle. And a vivid painting can bring warm liveliness into your home all year-round.

So however you choose to refresh your lives this springtime, enjoy our featured inspirations below!

Planning forKimberlee Rocca's solo exhibition Picking up the Pieces began in February 2020 when she first invited us in about seeing some new ideas. Her aha! moment of discovery, with her experience in foil imaging for the past 30 years, was exciting and fresh and warranted the culmination of a show.

In this blog post, we collected images of what we'll call Phases 1-3 of the process for the exhibit. Also featured is her wonderfully chaotic studio; marks of a playground for a multidisciplinary artist. Messy, bright, and plenty of vertical space to dream big.

It only seemed like yesterday that the clock turned from 2020 to 2021, and now in the blink of an eye, it's already February! But with everything that has happened insofar, I think it's appropriate to say we all deserve to treat ourselves and our loved ones to something extra special.

So with Valentine's Day fast approaching, we've curated a unique selection of artwork that's sure to bring a bit of euphoria and delight into your lives - be it cheeky with just enough wit, or subtle with the blush of springtime warmth, or even something that will make a bold statement.

New Arrivals by landscape artists: Preston, Mitchell and Stoeffler. Perfect for the snowy season and looking toward what spring might bring.

Our first "studio visit" of the year without a doubt needs to be where bright and colorful works live.  Thanks to the pandemic and for everyone's peace of mind, we 'visited' virtually through 2020 and collected images and video of Mary Zeran's space. We were fortunate enough to see how she created her installation for her 10 year exhibition at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. This was also a great opportunity to see the birth of the new print series featured in Mission Happiness.

HO, HO, HO-ly crap this year's been tough. If you're giving the gift of something handmade, why not go one step more and get it framed? It's like putting the perfect pair of shoes on with the rest of the outfit.  You can always gift something to yourself this year, too, as a special "I made it through 2020," treat. Now's a perfect time get something started.

As we barrel into a season of gift-giving COVID style, here's a few notes on what we offer for you:

• We have designed plenty of frame packages from afar! Email us with your ideas and style and we'll use all of our creative design experience to collaborate with you on your project.
• There's a non-contact pickup and drop off location in the vestibule of the gallery. Call ahead to arrange a time.
• We will gift wrap your project! just ask! ...complementary as per usual
  
• We're offering free local non-contact delivery (we're considering 'local' 30 mile radius in proximity to the gallery)

Check out some of our favorite frame designs below!

Gilded Pear Gallery will be closed until Friday, November 27th, due to staff testing positive for COVID-19.

The staff was exposed to the virus at some point during the week of November 1-7; if you were in the gallery or in contact with us during that week, we recommend that you get tested. We will remain in quarantine until staff fully recovers, per CDC guidance, and it is safe to thoroughly clean and reopen the gallery again. We sincerely apologize for any harm we may have caused as this pandemic spreads throughout our community. When we return from quarantine, our continual efforts to keep our visitors safe by requiring masks, daily gallery cleaning, and keeping appropriate distance from guests will remain in effect- with utmost diligence.