SOUTH BEND, Wash. — When former Seattleite Paula Murakami discussed with her husband, Dai, about moving back to the West Coast after years living in Japan, she had two stipulations.

Their home had to be a town with an art gallery — ideally with a view of water.

South Bend proved their dream retirement destination.

And the Riverside Gallery proved the perfect place for displaying her art and making new friends.

“We have no ‘owner,’” said Murakami, the art cooperative’s president. “No one does all the things that are associated with a single owner. Our goal is to make rent and earn money and have a community. Everything we do is a bridge to friendship. It’s the No. 1 thing, to make friends — no one gets rich with a co-op!”

Their gallery is on Robert Bush Drive East, amid a cluster of retail outlets that includes Elixir Coffee and Boondocks Marketplace.

The location overlooks the Willapa River and is a stopping point for travelers. “Our business is predominantly (U.S. Highway) 101 traffic, but we are eager to get more local people to come in,” said Murakami, whose own work consists of circular weaving wall hangings and sewn art dolls.

A dozen artists are represented. They take turns as “sitters,” taking gallery visitors on a tour of their own and their colleagues’ creations while handling each day’s sales. Because of their kinship, other members will stop by even when it’s not their turn. “It’s like a gathering place,” said Murakami, who times her errands so she can drop in to chat.

The cooperative has existed for four years. While some of its founders have moved on, Murakami said the core values haven’t changed: affordable art by local artists. “People are delighted to buy original art at a price they can afford,” she said.

‘Big draw’

Murakami is especially complimentary of the support of Lisa Barile, which goes beyond exhibiting her flame-worked glass jewelry and sitting four times a month. “She is really devoted to making this happen,” Murakami said.

Barile savors that involvement. Like Murakami, she delights that when people come into the retail area they are greeted by that day’s “sitter” — who has their own creations on display.

“People love to meet the artists. I think that is a big draw.” she said. She hopes collaborations with Elixir, Boondocks and other businesses will cement their corner as a must-see hub.

“We want to make the area fun, a nice place to get off the highway. We are by the river, and we have the German store (Jayden’s) down the street. We want South Bend to be a nice, walkable area.”

She joined the group just after it started and exhibits handcrafted jewelry items suspended on silk ribbons. All are fashioned using molten glass and sterling silver in a process called lamp working.

Barile grew up in the California art colony of Laguna Beach. As a girl, she enjoyed stringing beads to make necklaces. When she moved north some years ago, she was exposed to glassmaking art at M&D Designs in Chinook. “I took a class with them and I was hooked,” she recalled, later enhancing her skills by taking classes with nationally known bead artists.

For Barile, creating detailed art is a stress release from her job as a 23-year veteran special education paraeducator in South Bend schools, where she is president of the local Public School Employees union.

Away from her vocation, she embraces a different intensity, working with the fluidity of warm glass to create tiny details that she shapes into attractive jewelry. “It is really relaxing for me,” she said.

The gallery’s membership is as fluid as Barile’s glass, but all embrace the idea that a gallery shouldn’t scare away potential visitors by using terms like fine art or having high prices. “We always welcome new artists,” she said. “We have all sorts of artistic levels and skills. We are not ‘uppity.’ It’s all different kinds of art. We have some unique art in there.”

A step inside reveals wild horses, lighthouses, tasteful hunting shots and other artistic framed or matted photography by Cathy Russ, plus a book highlighting her images of barns. Russ was a president of the cooperative, and even though she recently moved to Morro Bay, California, she still supports the gallery financially, said Murakami. “She had business experience and brought discipline to the early years,” she added.

In another corner, pressed dried flowers by the oldest exhibitor, Mariko Maita, features in art displays and on cards. Murakami remarked that the Japanese-style work with muted colors and delicate images does not appear static. “She captures the movement that makes you stop and think about it. It’s interesting. And she makes sure her work is affordable,” she said, noting Maita is the top seller. “Her works disappear.”

In contrasting style nearby is bold colorful art by Sandra Wires, who uses chalk pastel to capture the personalities of live models, including some nudes. “I particularly love the portrait and make my impression carefully observing the unique face of each model,” she stated in the cooperative’s Facebook page.

Bay Center art added

The gallery has recently added the scenic paintings of Ron Pulliam, the Bay Center artist whose landscapes of the Palix River and other local views were featured in the Chinook Observer in December.

Barile said Pulliam sometimes brings his easel so gallery visitors can watch him work. “We are really happy to have him as part of the gallery,” she said.

Artists JoDean Jordan, Kate O’Neil, Rebecca Barrymore, Bob Herrera, Linda Brummel and another newcomer, Maddison Dyer, who just moved from Arizona, complete the roster.

Murakami’s delight in the artists’ camaraderie is echoed by Barile.

“The gallery is like a little family,” she said. “The people become part of that ‘family’ and pop in and visit the person who is sitting. You might walk in and there might be three of the artists there.”