Fargo artist Meg Spielman Peldo has opened an art studio and gallery in downtown Fargo.
A window box at the front of the building showcases some of her work.
A tiled sculpture of a pregnant Eve stands in the center of the display.
On one of the walls, a simple, yet elegant portrait of her mother wrapped in gauze and holding a paintbrush hangs near a 10-photo collage of her 11-year-old daughter that vividly depicts the girl's vibrant personality.
The gallery predominantly features Spielman Peldo's work.
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She plans to use the studio to work on artistic portraits.
She has a home studio, but said it can be too invasive bringing people there for portraits.
The studio and gallery is at 222 Broadway, behind Atomic Coffee.
"I just love the feeling I get when I walk in here," Spielman Peldo said. "I wanted a very urban kind of location that could have different kinds of backgrounds. I love the bricks and the exposed steel and the location is great."
When one artist opens a gallery, it often spurs others to do the same because they see that there is a market for it, said Martha Olsen, executive director of the Lake Agassiz Arts Council.
"I think it speaks to the interest the community has in purchasing art, and that the artists realize that there's a market there for their work," Olsen said. "I think it's a good sign for everybody concerned."
Spielman Peldo has worked as an artist for 26 years and a photographer for 14 years. She started getting into portrait work three years ago.
She approaches portraits with an artistic edge.
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"I look a little more at composition and light, not so much trying to get that smiling face looking at the camera," Spielman Peldo said. "It's more about capturing who the person is."
It's that artistic flair that caught the attention of Sara Gullickson McGrane of Minneapolis. Gullickson McGrane has not only been using Spielman Peldo to create artistic portraits of her children for several years, but she has also recommended her to about 20 friends and acquaintances.
"She really captures the kid," Gullickson McGrane said. "They don't look like these perfect pictures of the child. They look like your kids look and they've got the expressions that they have, whether they're pouting or happy or they're being mischievous, she kind of captures it all."
Spielman Peldo also tries to capture relationships between family members.
In one photograph displayed in her window box, a mother and father lightly kiss each other while they hold between them their baby, whose bright eyes gaze intently at the camera.
Spielman Peldo said the new space will allow her more variety in her portraits. She plans to display more examples of how she has used family portraits to create art.
Some will be collages of photos sewn together with fabrics and pieces of paper. Others are collages of a series of photos printed on canvas.
When she shoots family portraits, she likes to focus on individuals or smaller groups.
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"It's like one big piece that hangs on the wall but it's got a lot of individual images in it that captures their lifestyle and their relationships," she said.
Spielman Peldo also rents out the gallery for events.
If you go
- What: Meg Spielman Peldo Studio and Gallery grand opening reception
- When: 5 to 8 p.m. March 14
- Where: 222 Broadway, Suite 101, Fargo
- Info: The Viotti String Quartet will play from 5 to 7 p.m.
Contact number: (701) 238-4264
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E-mail: megsp@cableone.net
Readers can reach Forum reporter Tracy Frank at (701) 241-5526
