- November 7, 2024
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J.J. Graham can think of one good thing about being forced to find a new place to reinvent the gallery after Salvo Art was evicted from Nature Scapes: “At least I get to watch her paint the floor again.”
The floor at Salvo Art was plain gray concrete until co-owner Petra Iston designed it with colorful swirls and splashes of paint, giving Salvo a unique feature. But then, just about everything about Salvo was unique.
The gallery, which will be closing for good on Jan. 7 after the landlord succeeded in evicting Graham and Iston, is located on the grounds of Nature Scapes, at 313 Old Brick Road. It’s on a bumpy dirt road, seemingly a lifetime away from Target, although it’s really only two blocks west of the shopping center at State Road 100 and Belle Terre Parkway.
“I’m hoping we’ll find a new home soon. We’ll recreate the magic, and it’s going to be even better."
PETRA ISTON, co-owner of Salvo Art
As you walk from the small Nature Scapes parking lot to the entrance of Salvo, lawn statues of reclining nudes welcome you, and you’re soon surrounded by lush potted plants. Inside, it’s a hive of artists who rent studio space. The gallery is almost a living thing in itself, always under construction and full of easels with works of art in process, highlighted by the art of Graham and Iston themselves.
“We’re all artists trying to run a business, trying to figure out how to do things on a dime,” Graham said. “Maybe some day we’re entrepreneurs, and it’ll pay off, but right now it’s always a labor of love.”
As Graham describes it, he had a deal with the late Mary Lou Baiata, the previous owner of Nature Scapes. She died not long after Graham and Iston moved the gallery into the building on Baiata’s property in 2014. As Graham remembers it, she wanted the gallery to succeed and was willing to accommodate them with deals on rent.
In the two years since she died, however, the relationship with Baiata’s son, Chris, has dissolved into an eviction notice posted on the front door.
“With Mary Lou, we had a partner,” Graham said. “We had to adjust to the fact that Chris was different, and we had a landlord.”
(You can read details about the eviction process in the story on Flaglerlive.com, which first reported the eviction.)
Graham admits to making mistakes in the past two years, including some improvements to the building that were not to code. But now, he and Iston have accepted that Salvo is over, and they’re considering their options for what’s next.
“I’m not willing to give up on this community,” Iston said. “I’m hoping we’ll find a new home soon. We’ll recreate the magic, and it’s going to be even better. And more solid.”
Graham said he’s going to take a break and paint for a month. But that might be wishful thinking. He’s already hearing from people who are pursuing leads for him and who want to help relaunch the gallery and keep strong the arts community that has grown around Graham.
“We had a great group of people who supported us a Hollingsworth, and they came and supported us here,” Graham said, as artists carried supplies from their studios out to their cars. “Until we find that permanent home, it’s going to be a journey. All the people who are supporting us are on that journey, too. We’re not giving up.”
He added: “At first I was a little downcast, but I’m starting to look at it like a new painting.”
