BERLIN – Main Street is expected to welcome a new art gallery this month.
Artist Dana Helmuth is transforming the space formerly occupied by the Brooklyn Baking Barons, who are now cooking for the Burley Oak Brewers Café, into a gallery and studio. Christened Clear Light Studio, the space will highlight artistic styles not typically found in Berlin.
“I want to bring a different mix of art into the area,” Helmuth said. “The majority of what you see on the (monthly) art walk is Eastern Shore oriented. I’d like to have a mix of more urban artists and different styles.”
Helmuth, who is also a tattoo artist, has been thinking about opening a studio for some time, as he’s often struggled to find room in his home to paint. When he saw the “for rent” sign outside the building at 16 S. Main St., he decided to make the idea a reality.
Though he’s been working on his artwork in the space since he signed the lease, he’s still in the process of setting up the gallery he will open to the public. While he wants to showcase unique art and share it with the Berlin community, creating his own artwork in the studio will remain his priority. He also plans to stay busy tattooing, which he does locally as well as in Baltimore and Manhattan.
“I’m not expecting to have a ton of street traffic,” he said. “That’s not my main purpose.”
Helmuth said his art, which he sells quite a bit of online, is nature-influenced and often features geometric patterns. Many pieces feature trees and birds.
“I’ve spent time in the Himalayas and Asia so it’s infused with Hindu and Buddhist stuff too,” he said.
Helmuth, who graduated from Stephen Decatur High School, attended the Maryland Institute College of Art. After working as an artist and musician, he added tattooing to his resume in 1998. He’s split his time between it and fine art in recent years.
“Sometimes the two cross over,” he said.
While the gallery portion of his space is still under construction, Helmuth expects it to be complete this month.
