A new gallery opened in downtown Truckee on June 18. The owners—Piper Johnson, of Piper J Gallery, and Douglas DeVore, former co-owner of Alpenglow Gallery—thought about naming it Pecan Pine. But after someone pointed out that it sounded like “pecan pie,” they decided on Ridgeline Gallery.
The gallery showcases Truckee/Lake Tahoe landscape photography by DeVore, and paintings by regional and national artists whose work resonates with collectors, interior designers and homeowners seeking refined, statement-making pieces.
Johnson and DeVore met four years ago in the Truckee gallery community. When DeVore and his partner closed Alpenglow Gallery, which was located on a lightly traveled block of Donner Pass Road, Truckee’s main drag, Johnson asked DeVore if he would stay open if she teamed up with them.
The answer was “no,” but according to Johnson, DeVore added that he might collaborate with her one day on a gallery a few blocks to the west, where there’s more foot traffic.
Two weeks later, Johnson heard a space was becoming available. She and DeVore applied for it. So did 17 other people, DeVore said—but the two ended up leasing it for their new gallery.
According to Johnson, being in the heart of downtown makes a dramatic difference in foot traffic. “Everybody kind of goes to that one block, and they don’t really venture beyond that,” she said.
What drove them to launch this new venture?
“We have so many great artists around here, and so much great talent in the Reno/Tahoe area, and there just aren’t enough galleries,” Johnson said. “I’ve always felt like the more galleries, the better. Most of the towns that have thriving arts districts have multiple galleries.”
DeVore said he and Johnson make a good team.
“I can infuse some cash into the gallery. She can infuse the knowledge of running a more professional-looking gallery than I have in the past,” he said.
DeVore said he admires Johnson’s exhibition design skills, which she said she picked up over the years via trial and error.
“This is, like, my fourth gallery,” Johnson said. “I’ve learned things, like how I want the lighting and how I want the walls. It’s built by artists, for artists.”
DeVore is originally from Chicken, Alaska, a town of 17 people, and has lived in the Tahoe/Truckee area for 10 years. With a background in television, including two Northern California Emmys to his name, DeVore did a lot of camera work and directing, but he wasn’t a professional photographer. He always appreciated the beauty of the area but didn’t start taking photographs immediately upon arrival.
“There were a lot of photographers in the area who I admired,” he said. “So I studied their work. I took some classes from them.”
Johnson, originally from Boston, moved to Tahoe after “one ski season” in 1995. Shortly after, she began painting acrylic still lifes and landscapes before developing her signature plein air oil paintings and textured abstracts. In 2016, she opened Cobalt Artist Studio with a partner in Incline Village.
“My art was just taking over the whole house,” said Johnson. “So I went to the studio space, and then I found a space that was probably bigger than I needed.”
She turned that extra space into a gallery where she could sell her work. Before long, other artists started approaching her about showing their work there, too. As time passed, Johnson started representing other artists and realized she was much better at selling other people’s art than her own.
“It’s just easier to talk other people up than yourself, and since there’s so much great art out there to sell, I guess I don’t even have to make art,” she said.
In 2018, after Johnson’s partner moved away, Cobalt Artist Studio became Piper J Studio, and in 2022, it moved to Truckee and became Piper J Gallery.
The idea with Ridgeline Gallery is to create the feeling of a major-ski-town gallery, with a similar feel to the ones in Park City, Utah, and Jackson Hole, Wyo., with large concentrations of landscape photography. Every month, the gallery will showcase a new artist. There will also be an area with rotating photographers, and monthly receptions will feature local musicians.
In Truckee, the galleries support one another rather than compete, according to the duo.
“We all offer something unique and something different,” said DeVore. “Oh, and we’re all friends, which is great. We’re not, like, competitors. I think that’s really special, and I think it makes Truckee better.”
The new Ridgeline Gallery is now open at 10104 Donner Pass Road, in Truckee. For more information, visit www.ridgelinegallery.com. Co-owner Douglas DeVore’s new book, Truckee & Tahoe: From the Lakes to the Peaks, is available for sale at the gallery. For more information on DeVore’s photographs and the book, visit douglasdevore.com.
Ridgeline Gallery is among the businesses that participate in the Truckee Art Walk, which takes place on the first Saturday of each month from 4 to 7 p.m. The next one is on Saturday, July 5. Learn more at www.instagram.com/truckee.artwalk.
This article was originally published on Double Scoop, Nevada’s source for visual arts news.