Photograph by Josh Monken
When it comes to the politics of a big-city cultural scene, many artists just don’t have a say. Beneath the roar of the in-crowd, their voice—collectively—can be like a whimper from the peanut gallery. Artist Sandra Marchewa wants to change all that.
“I don’t think there’s really anything wrong with a little quality-control elitism,” she admits, “but I also don’t think it can be the only mentality that exists.” As co-owner of Pace Framing, Marchewa is able to provide St. Louis artists with, literally, a window of opportunity.
“When we moved into our current space in Grand Center, we had this odd little spot we weren’t sure what to do with,” she explains. “A friend of mine convinced me to open a little window gallery.” Marchewa established what’s come to be known as the PSTL (“Pistol”) Window Gallery. She admits the space is tight—but that’s the beauty of it. It forces an artist to push a big idea through the filter of a little imagination. “I like to get people to utilize the space,” she says. “To do more installation kind of work. We didn’t want just a couple of paintings on the walls.” Though the gallery can be viewed from outside—which is the whole idea—it can be accessed only through a quaint doorway in the shop.
The first step for any creative person is getting a foot in the door. Marchewa understands the plight of struggling artists—how they’re up against a wall whenever their paintings are not. She sees the window gallery as “a nonbiased venue to celebrate art for just being art—there is no politics involved. I think the commercial galleries seem to cater to the academic artists more than anyone else.”
Marchewa, who works in several mediums, is self-taught. Judging by the breadth of her creations, she had a great teacher. Her paintings are expressive, with distorted angles and curvaceous lines. Some show tormented, exaggerated faces that could have come straight from a Fellini movie. Rock bands appear in some of her paintings as well, and she can transform a still-life setting of houseplants into a botanical jungle, making the vines appear nearly serpentine.
“When I started painting, I was influenced by Bruegel, Bosch, the surrealists, punk rock, fairy tales and heaven and hell,” she says. “Mainly the hell part. Hell always seemed more visually romantic.”
While Marchewa laughed with the sinners, she decried with the paints. “I was raised really heavy-duty Catholic,” she confesses. “So I got a lot of my inspiration from the visual icons in churches and things like that. Then I got into the punk rock scene, and most of those people were artistic.”
And Marchewa knows where to hang. Though humble to a fault, when pressed, she reveals the great walls she’s climbed. “I worked at the Saint Louis Art Museum and the Contemporary Art Museum as an installer,” she says. “I also did framing for the Sheldon Art Galleries and served as a curatorial assistant for the corporate art collection at A.G. Edwards.” And though Marchewa may be overqualified to run a gallery the size of a luxury closet, this time it’s art for art’s sake. She takes no cut from anything sold in PSTL.
That’s a rare display of altruism (artruism?) in the chichi wine-and-cheese world of openings. Early next year, Pace Framing will be moving from its current location, but Marchewa hopes to stay in Grand Center and continue the PSTL window. She feels the show must go on. In the meantime, she’ll be working on her own mixed-media painting, while giving local artists a little space. Right now, she says, “I’m working with layers of resin.” And even when she’s tending to the store specialty, it’s more than framing art—it’s getting around a great idea.
PSTL (632 N. Grand, 314-531-4304, paceframing.com) shows the work of B.j. Vogt through December 12. “Sandra Marchewa: Work” opens December 5 at Bruno David Gallery, 3721 Washington, and runs through January 10. For more information, call 314-531-3030 or go to brunodavidgallery.com.
