Since opening its doors in November of 2024, 110 Gallery has become a staple destination for art lovers in the Phoebus area. Owner and featured watercolorist Karen Spaulding has turned a once worn-down 1940s building into a lively, enriching venue for artists and art lovers alike. “We had to completely gut it,” Spaulding recounts. “I bought the building and created this place. It’s a pottery studio in the back with nine wheels, plenty of hand building space, and a welding corner. Then up front it’s an art gallery, with 15 different Virginia artists whom I represent.”
Spaulding, who moved to Hampton in 1983 with her husband, Rick, built a career as a creative long before 110 Gallery was born. She has worked as a copywriter and graphic designer, getting her start in the area with what used to be called Waters Advertising Agency (now WB Marketing). It was during this time that she met Oyster Pointer publisher and editor Sylvia Weinstein Craft. “In fact, I freelanced for Oyster Pointer a little bit,” Spaulding shares. In 2008, she, Rick and their children moved to Alabama. “When I got to the Gulf Coast, all that graphic design went away, and I was able to really focus on my painting,” she says. “I took a lot of workshops with really amazing teachers who came to the area, from oil painting to watercolor. I learned all about plein air painting, and by going to different conferences and events, I learned about botanical watercolors. I really grew as an artist there.”
The couple returned in 2019 to the Hampton area with the knowledge that they’d have to reorient themselves to the area after such a long stint away. Spaulding explains how the Suffolk Plein Air Artists, the Virginia Watercolor Society and the Charles H. Taylor Visual Arts Center in Hampton were instrumental in helping her build such a robust community of artists. “But, you know, I kind of felt like there could be more. There could be more opportunities to make art, and to give artists opportunities to show their art,” she says. From there, with the help of a friend and store owner in the Phoebus area showing her the potential of the historic art scene, 110 Gallery went from a dream to a reality. “I want this area to be an arts mecca,” she shares. “I’ve always felt like we just need to try a bit harder to incorporate the arts into our lives. It’s good for our mental health. And not just the visual arts, but all the arts. I’m a big proponent of what a difference they make in your lifestyle; you have to have that other side of the brain engaged to get balance in your whole self.”
With well respected featured artists such as Ken Wright and Andre Lucero, and plenty more artists worthy of widespread recognition, 110 Gallery is a must-see for those who appreciate a place dedicated to curating beauty. Spaulding shares that they participate in monthly First Friday art walks, and have plans to host special events regularly in 2026. And for the everyday visitor, she encourages people of all
skill levels to have a seat in the gallery to draw their own masterpieces.
“I have paper, crayons and pencils here. People always say ‘I can’t draw a stick figure,’ and that drives me crazy because I feel like they have just forgotten. Everybody knows how to draw when they’re in kindergarten,” she says. “Someone told them once, ‘you can’t draw,’ you know? It’s just a stigma.” Spaulding wants people to feel comfortable enough to relax and let the creative juices flow, whether that be up front with the crayons or in the back during one of their pottery classes.
TO THE POINT:
110 Gallery
Address: 110 E. Mellen Street, Hampton, VA 23362
Contact: Karen Spaulding, owner
Phone: 757-847-8505
Website: 110gallery.com
