The Birdcage Fine Art Gallery & Studio - Eureka Springs, Arkansas

The Birdcage Fine Art Gallery & Studio
Featuring Local Artists from Eureka Springs and Northwest Arkansas
By Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong
Eureka Springs, Arkansas is truly an artists’ community. This old fashioned city has over 48 galleries, more than 350 working artists, the Eureka Springs School of the Arts, Opera in the Ozarks, Melonlight Dance Theater, Eureka Springs Plein Air Festival, the Eureka Springs Artist Studio Tour and more!
Mayor Butch Berry told us that Eureka Springs “is a vibrant, authentic and historic cultural ‘island’ in Northwest Arkansas known for its arts, architecture and culinary uniqueness.”
We visited The Birdcage Fine Art Gallery & Studio owner / artist R.P. Irvin. This is what he told us about Eureka Springs and The Birdcage Fine Art Gallery & Studio.
What do you like about Eureka Springs?
My mother was an artist. I came to Eureka Springs when I was 11 and I knew it was the place I would be. I find my inspiration here in Eureka and at my home on six acres. I love this town. It is like one big, happy family.
In one sentence, please describe The Birdcage Fine Art Gallery & Studio:
The Birdcage Art Gallery is the only gallery in Eureka Springs that exclusively carries local art.
How many artists are represented at The Birdcage Fine Art Gallery & Studio?
The Birdcage is host to over 40 local artists who work in a wide variety of styles and mediums. This includes painters, jewelers, wood craftsmen, sculptors, fused glass artists and photographers.
What do you try to express or say through your art?
My work is a reflection of a feeling or idea I want to express. When approaching a new piece I begin with what's on my mind; whether that is something joyful going on in my world or something that is weighing heavy on my heart.
The ultimate goal is provoke thought or inspire an emotional connection to each piece.
Why is art important to our lives?
Art has been around since the beginning of mankind. I believe there is a drive within all of us to create and express ourselves through art. I believe that drive comes from a need to achieve a balance within ourselves. That balance is felt when you are creating something exactly as you wish it to be.
Sometimes other forms of communication may fail to allow us to express ourselves completely, and this is when we turn to art. Art gives us meaning.
There are things that cannot be understood with pure reason like love and beauty, to name two. Art helps us understand our world, past and present. It is integral in our culture because it provides us with a deeper understanding of emotions, self-awareness and more.
From a historical standpoint, art shows us how those events impacted the people living them. Through art we learn the joy felt during times of happiness and we see the pain and despair during times of suffering. We see the hopes and the dreams, or the fears and regrets of the past.
Through art we gain a better understanding of how the events throughout history have shaped us into what we are today.
Why is Eureka Springs a good fit for you and The Birdcage Fine Art Gallery & Studio?
The Birdcage and Eureka Springs are a marriage made in Heaven. In a town of a little over 2,000 people, there are over 400 artisans.
People come to Eureka as an arts destination and specifically for the local artists.
I modeled the Birdcage after the funky, eclectic galleries I used to visit as a child in the late 70's. I wanted to recreate that kind of atmosphere in the gallery. I knew the only way to achieve that was to represent the work of local artists exclusively.
The Birdcage can't help but be eclectic and funky with all the different styles and mediums we have available. The fact that I don't know on a regular basis what the artists will bring to me also keeps the inventory fresh and interesting. I'm at the mercy of what the artists create and what I myself produce.
I'm just as surprised as the customers who come to see us and say, "Wow this place looks different every time I come in.”
The art patrons have told me they don't come to Eureka looking for things brought in at wholesale and then retailed out. They want the experience of being a part of the local art scene. They like the idea of running into their artists at the local hangouts or knowing their artist is just a phone call away and I can run them by their studio or have them pop in to meet their patrons. It's the reason I fell in love with being a part of this Eureka Springs family in the first place.
What are your plans for the future of The Birdcage Fine Art Gallery & Studio?
Looking to the future, I want to continue to build up our customer base and make The Birdcage Local Art Gallery a destination for art lovers around the world. I am putting most of my marketing efforts into getting the word out that we are here and that we are a must see to believe arts destination.
I will continue to maintain our reputation for carrying top quality, local art that is affordable for all art lovers and not just for the elite. To me as the owner, nothing has greater intrinsic value than when one of our customers buys their first piece of original art. They are so full of joy and excitement; the euphoria they feel purchasing their new art piece is tangible. Their happiness fills the gallery and I just love it!
For more information about The Birdcage and R.P. Irvin, visit http://thebirdcageartgallery.weebly.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html or https://www.facebook.com/thebirdcageeurekasprings/
For more information about Eureka Springs, Arkansas, visit http://www.cityofeurekasprings.us/ or www.arkansas.com/Eureka-Springs
Check our USA Spotlight for more of our articles about Eureka Springs, the Ozarks, and Branson, Missouri.
Featuring Local Artists from Eureka Springs and Northwest Arkansas
By Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong
Eureka Springs, Arkansas is truly an artists’ community. This old fashioned city has over 48 galleries, more than 350 working artists, the Eureka Springs School of the Arts, Opera in the Ozarks, Melonlight Dance Theater, Eureka Springs Plein Air Festival, the Eureka Springs Artist Studio Tour and more!
Mayor Butch Berry told us that Eureka Springs “is a vibrant, authentic and historic cultural ‘island’ in Northwest Arkansas known for its arts, architecture and culinary uniqueness.”
We visited The Birdcage Fine Art Gallery & Studio owner / artist R.P. Irvin. This is what he told us about Eureka Springs and The Birdcage Fine Art Gallery & Studio.
What do you like about Eureka Springs?
My mother was an artist. I came to Eureka Springs when I was 11 and I knew it was the place I would be. I find my inspiration here in Eureka and at my home on six acres. I love this town. It is like one big, happy family.
In one sentence, please describe The Birdcage Fine Art Gallery & Studio:
The Birdcage Art Gallery is the only gallery in Eureka Springs that exclusively carries local art.
How many artists are represented at The Birdcage Fine Art Gallery & Studio?
The Birdcage is host to over 40 local artists who work in a wide variety of styles and mediums. This includes painters, jewelers, wood craftsmen, sculptors, fused glass artists and photographers.
What do you try to express or say through your art?
My work is a reflection of a feeling or idea I want to express. When approaching a new piece I begin with what's on my mind; whether that is something joyful going on in my world or something that is weighing heavy on my heart.
The ultimate goal is provoke thought or inspire an emotional connection to each piece.
Why is art important to our lives?
Art has been around since the beginning of mankind. I believe there is a drive within all of us to create and express ourselves through art. I believe that drive comes from a need to achieve a balance within ourselves. That balance is felt when you are creating something exactly as you wish it to be.
Sometimes other forms of communication may fail to allow us to express ourselves completely, and this is when we turn to art. Art gives us meaning.
There are things that cannot be understood with pure reason like love and beauty, to name two. Art helps us understand our world, past and present. It is integral in our culture because it provides us with a deeper understanding of emotions, self-awareness and more.
From a historical standpoint, art shows us how those events impacted the people living them. Through art we learn the joy felt during times of happiness and we see the pain and despair during times of suffering. We see the hopes and the dreams, or the fears and regrets of the past.
Through art we gain a better understanding of how the events throughout history have shaped us into what we are today.
Why is Eureka Springs a good fit for you and The Birdcage Fine Art Gallery & Studio?
The Birdcage and Eureka Springs are a marriage made in Heaven. In a town of a little over 2,000 people, there are over 400 artisans.
People come to Eureka as an arts destination and specifically for the local artists.
I modeled the Birdcage after the funky, eclectic galleries I used to visit as a child in the late 70's. I wanted to recreate that kind of atmosphere in the gallery. I knew the only way to achieve that was to represent the work of local artists exclusively.
The Birdcage can't help but be eclectic and funky with all the different styles and mediums we have available. The fact that I don't know on a regular basis what the artists will bring to me also keeps the inventory fresh and interesting. I'm at the mercy of what the artists create and what I myself produce.
I'm just as surprised as the customers who come to see us and say, "Wow this place looks different every time I come in.”
The art patrons have told me they don't come to Eureka looking for things brought in at wholesale and then retailed out. They want the experience of being a part of the local art scene. They like the idea of running into their artists at the local hangouts or knowing their artist is just a phone call away and I can run them by their studio or have them pop in to meet their patrons. It's the reason I fell in love with being a part of this Eureka Springs family in the first place.
What are your plans for the future of The Birdcage Fine Art Gallery & Studio?
Looking to the future, I want to continue to build up our customer base and make The Birdcage Local Art Gallery a destination for art lovers around the world. I am putting most of my marketing efforts into getting the word out that we are here and that we are a must see to believe arts destination.
I will continue to maintain our reputation for carrying top quality, local art that is affordable for all art lovers and not just for the elite. To me as the owner, nothing has greater intrinsic value than when one of our customers buys their first piece of original art. They are so full of joy and excitement; the euphoria they feel purchasing their new art piece is tangible. Their happiness fills the gallery and I just love it!
For more information about The Birdcage and R.P. Irvin, visit http://thebirdcageartgallery.weebly.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html or https://www.facebook.com/thebirdcageeurekasprings/
For more information about Eureka Springs, Arkansas, visit http://www.cityofeurekasprings.us/ or www.arkansas.com/Eureka-Springs
Check our USA Spotlight for more of our articles about Eureka Springs, the Ozarks, and Branson, Missouri.

Article and photos by Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong
Copyright 2016 Sunny Harbor Publishing
Sunny Harbor Publishing
PO Box 560318, Rockledge, FL 32956
Phone: 321-446-7552
[email protected]
www.SunnyHarborPublishing.org
Copyright 2016 Sunny Harbor Publishing
Sunny Harbor Publishing
PO Box 560318, Rockledge, FL 32956
Phone: 321-446-7552
[email protected]
www.SunnyHarborPublishing.org
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