I have had the privilege of knowing Weather Monroe for 10 years, since my son and I moved into the house across the street from her and her son. Our boys are the same age, and they remain friends to this day. As you might guess, life happens in a dramatic fashion in 10 years' time, so between the 2 of us we had breakup-heartaches(or not), 2 divorces, several house changes/moves, change of jobs, raising boys into the teenage years, and both of us eventually making the switch to following our passion in the art field. I consider Weatherly a very good friend, even if there are long stints when we don't see each other. In my view, she is an extraordinary business-lady and a fabulous human being.

Weatherly opened Wild Oats and Billy Goats Gallery in Decatur, GA, and has subsequently and more recently opened a second location in Roswell, GA. Both of the gallery spaces are packed with art of all types from artists from all over the area. I caught up with Weatherly as she was in the midst of her son's graduation from high school and the opening of the Roswell location. Visit their website at http://www.wildoatsandbillygoats.com/ or better yet, make a visit to the gallery!

L: Please give me an introduction of who you are.

W: I'm Weatherly Munroe, Owner – Wild Oats & Billy Goats.

L: Why did you open a gallery?

W: I have always adored art, especially folk art and been a collector for years. After visiting several folk art galleries in the southeast and talking to many artists, I decided to take a leap of faith, during a really bad economy, and open my open space. I had a lot of support from the artist community as well
as the city of Decatur (the location of the first gallery).

L:  What is the vision of WOBG? What sort of work do you represent?

W: While we carried primarily folk art when we first opened, and have continued to carry contemporary folk art, we have branched out to a variety of work, based on the desires of the markets we are in. We carry paintings (oil, acrylic, encaustic, mixed media), hand turned wood,
pottery, ceramics, hand blown glass, hand sewn/fabric, reclaimed wood products, jewelry, body products and candles, leather goods, paper creations....all hand crafted and many from local artists.

L:  What other things has the gallery been involved in within the community?

W: As galley owner, I am a 5 year member of the Board of Tourism for the City. I am involved in working with the city to bring tourism into Decatur. The annual Decatur Holiday Ornament project is one of the fun things we take on as part of my board duties, We find, and work with the artist selected to create the annual holiday ornament that is offered to the community each year. I have juried the Decatur Arts Festival in the past and work closely with the Decatur Arts Alliance. We host the annual City Schools of Decatur’s elementary level art show, where we show selected pieces from the local school students for a week in the gallery, inviting the community to see the work of our young artists. We support other local events such as the annual Christmas Tree Lighting and Halloween Parade projects put on by other retailers in the area.

L: Wow, that's a lot! You must keep really busy! Traditionally, artists have been told to approach galleries with informational packets and portfolios, but of course the internet and sheer number of artists out there has changed things. How do you find most of the artists that you represent?

W: When we first opened, we sought after artists that we were interested in carrying. After awhile, we began to have artists find us. Now, we receive hundreds of submissions annually. While we can't take all submissions, as some don’t fit our markets, we love receiving submissions by email (including a bio and photos) so we can keep changing up our galleries and sharing new work with our customers. We do have people stop in often, but it is difficult to chat with everyone and see work in person without an appointment. We want to give all artwork submitted our attention, so email is a good start.

L:  What is the biggest mistake you see emerging artists make when approaching you? Is there anything in particular that screams "don't take me!"?

W: We have a lot of people stop in and ask about getting their work in the gallery. I always ask what type of work they do, and tell them about the submission process found on our website. If the answer is “I do a little bit of everything” that raises a big red flag. We find that artist that have already “found themselves” and know their own work do the best in the gallery. If an artist is all over the place with their style, and people can’t figure out what their style is, we don’t have much luck displaying or selling their work. That is usually the sign of someone who isn’t quite ready for a gallery. Also, it’s important that an artist have a website, blog, or something showing that they are established and serious about their craft.

L:  On the flip side, what makes an artist attractive to a gallery?

W: An artist who had continuity in their work, one who is organized (ok, artists aren’t really that organized, so we try to do this for them), one who can share their inspirations for their work with us so we can pass along to interested buyers, can produce inventory timely, who offers custom work... Most importantly, one who is easy to work with. We don’t really do uptight or cranky for ourselves, our artists, or our customers.

L:  Describe your perfect artist. How many pieces, what sort of style, what sort of behavior they exhibit – what does this perfect artist do to make your life as a gallery owner easier?

W: For the most part, we need a variety of size and subject from an artist until we can find the sweet spot of what will sell. Once we have an artist for a little while and can determine what our market wants, we will narrow down what we carry from them. We don’t want to unnecessarily keep an artist’s work that may sell better somewhere else, so we like to figure out what is best for our customers for each artist we represent. This seems to work best for everyone.

L: Sometimes a gallery has a huge painting that I love but I can't afford it all at once. I'm afraid to ask the owner about layaway or financing ­ do galleries do that sort of thing?

W: All galleries are different, but we offer both a layaway plan, and an art approval plan. For art approval, customers can take work home for 48 hours before they fully commit, as long as we know this in advance. We process the customers card in case they decide to keep it, but if not, we refund in full. This allows our customers to be sure they love what they are buying, and the size is perfect. If not, there is always the option of having the artist do a custom piece for them.

L: What sort of work (style, subject matter, etc) appeal to your clients the most?

W: We sell a lot of animal based work. Because we are contemporary folk art, most of our work is colorful, happy, and fun. A lot of farm creatures, dogs and cats....and landscapes. We try to have a wide variety to offer our customers. Art is wonderfully subjective, so we have to cover a lot of needs, but still stay true to who we are and what people expect to see when they visit Wild Oats and Billy Goats Gallery.

L: Thank you for your time, Weatherly.

W: Thank you!

Migration Stories and Other Curious Lore is up and running! It took a good 6 hours to put up, but I loved every minute of it. I never really thought that curating would be something that I would be interested in doing, but working on that show made me reconsider. It took about a year to put the works together, and now that it's up, I am taking pause. A major goal, realized. The 100 birds, finished. Within my pause, however, I'm already thinking about what's next.

When I moved to Massachusetts, my goal was to become a full-time artist. I wanted to establish myself here, get involved with the arts community. Being the list-maker that I am, I wrote long-term goals for the year, and short-term goals for each month (baby steps to reach the long-term ones). Here we are in mid-August, and most of those long-term goals have come a long way in the process.

My art goals for 2016 are:
1. Get gallery representation
2. Establish myself as an art teacher
3. Implement an art business plan
4. Have a solo show and commit to another future show.

Obviously, #4 has been accomplished. I have applied to another place for a future show as well and I am waiting to hear back to solidify that goal as "finished".  It feels really good to say that I have made progress in the year that I have been here, and that momentum propels me.

More on the other 3 goals' progress on future blogs. And be on the lookout for an upcoming blog about my interview with Weatherly Monroe, owner of Wild Oats and Billy Goats Gallery in Decatur, GA.