AN ARTS HUB. Decadent Gifts & Gallery is now home to six artists and more than 50 artists' work from across the region. The shop and gallery is now open on Water Street in Eau Claire.

Hidden behind a humble brick storefront off Water Street in Eau Claire is a profusion of artistry, a collection of works by more than 50 artists from around the region gathered together as Decadent Gifts & Gallery. The new business, which opened in mid-September, features six in-house artists, including some well-known Chippewa Valley names who work in a variety of mediums, from oil paint to nature photography.

“We’re trying to be a springboard, a hub of knowledge about what’s happening in the art scene,” said artist Patrician Hawkenson, who has a small studio in the back of the gallery. Decadent Gifts & Gallery will celebrate a grand-opening ribbon cutting at 10am on Thursday, Oct. 3.

Decadent Gifts & Gallery is the brainchild of Hawkenson – known for her whimsical artistry, including a series of adult coloring books of local scenes – and her daughter, Trillium Womack, who has an extensive background in retail. “We want it to be a fun, lively place,” with artistic demonstrations, talks, and after-hours classes and lessons, Hawkenson said.

In addition to Hawkenson, the other in-house artists and mentors are Jim Backus, a nature photographer whose work has taken him from Yellowstone to African to the Himalayas; multimedia artist Beth Creekmore, who works with acrylics, fiber arts, and even steampunk jewelry; husband-and-wife painters Kevin D. Miles and Wendy Schaefer-Miles, who collaborate on the same canvases; acrylic painter Holli Jacobson, known for her colorful abstractions; and 2D and 3D artist Renee Ewer, who sculpts, makes jewelry, and more.

These artists expressed a variety of hopes for what the new space can do for their art and the local creative community.

Wendy Schaefer-Miles said that she and her husband look forward to showcasing their work and being part of the local art scene, as well as “teaching art classes and entertaining art collectors while educating the public on the value of art in the community and fostering students in their careers in art.”

Backus appreciates the opportunity to display his work without having to sell it himself, as he’s done at art shows. “For me, it’s nice because I don’t have to be here,” he said. “I spend about three months of the year in the woods someplace, and it’s hard to make money when you’re in the woods.”

Ewer echoed those sentiments. “I do a lot of little weekend shows, and it’s nice to have a venue where I don’t have to set up and tear down the same day,” she said. “Drive there, drive back. Unload, offload, reload. It’s nice to have a permanent location that I can direct people to.”

In addition to these artists, the gallery features the work of scores of other regional creatives on a consignment basis. Among them is Frank Nowak of Weyerhaeuser, whose work includes landscape photography, acrylic abstract painting, and woodworking. “Having art on consignment … is an opportunity for me to showcase my art in a professional place and in front of people that I wouldn’t normally be in front of,” he said.

Creekmore added that some who might not otherwise seek out an art gallery may step in to shop for gifts, “and they are exposed to all this beautiful art, and hopefully that will enlighten people.”

The gallery also includes space for a featured Artist of the Month – for October, that’s watercolorist Julianne Johnson of Altoona – and hopes to add an artist mentoring program to provide UW-Eau Claire students with practical training on the business aspects of being an artist.

Hawkenson said the gallery is cultivating an intentionally diverse group of artists when it comes to technique, philosophy, and lifestyle.

“Our local people don’t realize the talent that we have right here,” she said, emphasizing the outreach aspect that’s central to the gallery. “Some of us are internationally known artists who have had their work sold in other countries, and the local people haven’t seen it here. What we want to do is to help elevate our fine art and let the local people be much more aware of the talents that they have here.”

Decadent Gifts & Gallery • 329 Water St., Eau Claire • (715) 514-0444 • Tuesday-Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday 10am-4pm • decadentgift.com • @decadentgifts_ec on Instagram • @DecadentGifts on Facebook