Gallery 10

From Saloon to Gallery — A Building With Stories to Tell

The building at 15 Eureka Street has lived several lives. Dating back to the 1890s, it operated as a saloon and bordello — a rough-edged fixture of Sutter Creek’s mining-era nightlife, and the structure itself stands as an example of the commercial architecture of the mid-1800s Gold Rush era. The gallery’s roots trace back to 1989, when artist Brent Parsons and his wife Leslie founded Alexander’s Fine Art on Main Street, running it as a gallery and picture framing service. In 2011, they donated the business to a collective of local artists who relocated it across the street to its current Eureka Street home and renamed it Gallery 10. That spirit of generosity set the tone for everything the gallery has become — a cooperative space where working artists manage every aspect of the operation themselves, from hanging the work to greeting visitors at the door.

The Collection

Gallery 10 covers serious range. Pastels, watercolors, oils, acrylics, mixed media, and pencil drawings line the walls. Sculptural work in welded aluminum, bronze, ceramics, and hand-blown glass occupies the floor and display cases. Woodwork, fine jewelry, and artist-made cards fill in the gaps. Because the member artists rotate and consignor artists are carefully vetted, the gallery never feels static — there is always something new alongside the familiar. The emphasis is always on original work, and three-dimensional pieces share equal billing with the paintings, giving the space a layered, museum-like quality that rewards a slow visit.

Featured Artist Receptions

The monthly receptions are a highlight. Each month a featured artist takes the spotlight with their work displayed prominently at the front of the gallery, and the afternoon doubles as an informal meet-and-greet where visitors can ask about technique, inspiration, and process over refreshments. Past featured artists have included etching specialist Brent Parsons — the gallery’s original founder — whose detailed copper plate etchings, pastels, and watercolors capture familiar turns of Gold Country roads and vineyards ripe with grapes. Parsons changed his college major from science to art back in 1971 and was introduced early to etching, inking, and copper plate printing, spending decades in the framing trade before returning full-time to his primary artistic passion. His work is the kind of deeply local subject matter that defines the gallery’s character.

Visiting

Seasonal hours apply: Thursday through Monday from March through November (11 AM to 5 PM), shorter hours January and February (11 AM to 4 PM), and daily hours throughout December.