Make no mistake, the work promoted by the Austin Art Garage, is no amature collection. These are artists who will no doubt be making a great impact on the cultural world with their bold and defiantly inspirational statements. The work is absolutely stunning and of a fascinating array of media and styles that is breathtaking. No doubt, there is something there for every taste from the extreme abstract to pop culture graphic to masterfully executed classical landscapes. Currently, nearly forty artists are represented by the gallery, all local emerging Austin talents, and the gallery is constantly adding to their portfolio of work.



Unitqm.Blogspot.com | January 31, 2009

"I went to a local art show the other day. I did a writeup of the show last Thursday. The show was fantastic. There was free beer, the atmosphere was great, and the artists were there to talk shop. I got to meet the owner's/artist's of the Austin Art Garage as well. They were good people for sure."

"If you are on a small budget like me and are looking to spice up your place with some original art then you may want to check out the Art Garage. Jake Bryer, Co-founder of the Austin Art Garage, had some wonderful pieces for sale starting at $10. I purchased a piece from Mr. Bryer. It should be arriving in a couple of days. I have always been a huge fan of Jimmy Cliff and now I got something to show my love for Ivanhoe Martin."



BlantonDesignBlog.com | January 07, 2009

"This weekend my friend Thomas Walker and I ventured into a gallery around the corner called Austin Art Garage. I had heard about this once or twice before but was afraid it was going to be another one of those “junk” galleries with lots of passion but not a lot of - dare I say, talent, or appeal (to me). Believe me, I love the low-brow and underground art more than just about any other but just because it is in a gallery doesn’t mean it’s good. We were delighted to discover that the vast majority of the art in A.A.G was good. Actual skill was apparently involved and most even had a message or meaning that conveyed to even the two major art snobs who had just darkened their doorway. The heart of A.A.G is their aim to showcase only local talent – and a lot of it at once so everyone gets some exposure - but also at reasonable prices, keeping it accessible to all levels of collectors. This is the kind of gallery where buyers truly love the work for just what it is, without any lame aspirations of its value down the line."

"The walls are covered top to bottom in small to mid-size pieces that can be easily worked in to all sorts of locations in the home or office. Some of our favorites in the current exhibition are Graham Franciose, with an illustrators eye he reminded me of my friend Gris Grimly and his imaginative work. www.MadCreator.com (more on Gris in a future blog). Mario Jimenez Diaz and his amazing paintings that look like slightly blurred photographs, one with a bit of additional embellishment, which adds to the magic and fantasy of The Orange Patio. I have to say, my personal favorite in the entire collection was the work of Dan Grissom. His acrylic and Xerox transfers on wood panel kept grabbing me over and over again as I circled the space. I am sure we will end up with a Grissom in our collection before long. Joel Ganucheau also had some great graphic pieces, many of which had been reproduced in a charming 5” x 5” format, which could have great strength alone on a wall or several in a group, of course. I like the idea of a solitary piece though, as I feel it gives it more power and the image doesn’t get diluted. Thomas kept going back to the work of Justin Preston and Julie Isaacson, both skilled abstract painters who draw some influences from geometry and nature. Isaacson had more in the current show so I found myself returning to her work as well. I found the work of Adam Rader a real stand out. It was very similar in style to Grissom’s but instead of Xerox transfers, Rader sketches his subjects in charcoal and/or graphite. I found Grissom’s work more eye-catching but Rader’s work spoke to my soul. His images are ghostlike figures on an icy background. I could review and ramble about his work for several paragraphs I’m sure, but in the interest of holding your attention I will leave it at that for now. Check out Austin Art Garage’s site and get a preview, but if you’re in Austin please drop in and see these works in person."



Yelp.com | December 19, 2008

"It's true... Big things come in small packages! This place is a sweet little piece of Austin that everyone must see. I absolutely loved it and will be back for more and more. Within the walls of this lovely "garage" you will find some of the best artwork from Austinites ever. I fell in love with so many pieces it killed me to walk away. I want more!"



Yelp.com | November 30, 2008

"Slightly addictive and possibly the best kept secret in Austin. Very affordable pieces and extremely helpful owners. Take a few minutes to stop by and see for yourself - I've bought a few pieces for my friends and for my own walls. Love their website too!"



Community Impact Newspaper | November 14, 2008

Arriving at Austin Art Garage feels strikingly similar to pulling in the back driveway of someone’s house, right up until the doors to the studio swing open and reveal a collection of colors and patterns splattered across original pieces of art. Then you realize this is no ordinary garage."

“If we see any white space, we attack it,” co-owner Jake Bryer said. “We want you to be assaulted by colors when you walk in the door.”

Bryer and co-owner Joel Ganucheau founded Austin Art Garage in 2007 with two goals in mind: to provide a place for local, talented, emerging artists to display their art and to give art collectors a gallery with lots of accessible art at no-hassle, affordable prices.

“We are constantly fighting to maintain our mission,” Ganucheau said. “Artists from around the state have submitted pieces, and we have to say, ‘Sorry, as much as we like it, we’re 100 percent local.’”

The idea for the business venture came to Bryer when he set out to buy his first piece of art. After three weeks of visiting stuffy galleries with limited pieces on display at exorbitant prices, Bryer hatched the idea for the art garage.

Ganucheau was working for an art reproduction company when he received the call from Bryer. The two were childhood friends who used to skateboard together and had run into each other intermittently ever since.

“I have big ideas, but I’m not good at the details. Joel is great at that stuff. I knew I needed somebody like Joel in order for this to be successful,” Bryer said.

When the partners originally bought the space for their gallery, they figured if the art studio didn’t work out they could use it as a hangout to get away from their girlfriends. Both of them have since quit their full-time jobs, Ganucheau has married and the art garage is open to the public 40 hours a week.

“We had no idea how many people collected original, local art,” Ganucheau said. “This is Austin’s art at its raw core.”

Austin Art Garage has provided a stage for many artists to sell their first painting, an exhilarating experience for an emerging artist.

The gallery has even had a few artists outgrow them, something Ganucheau and Bryer are glad to see happen.

“We work really hard for the artists, and we expect them to work hard for us,” Bryer said. “We’re trying to have an ego-less gallery with ego-less artists.”



Rare Magazine | November 2008

Click HERE to read the article.



Yelp.com | October 09, 2008

"If you've been wondering lately why it is you love this city so much (and if you haven't already answered that question for yourself), pop on over to the Austin Art Garage. Cause these guys have a hidden secret: some of the coolest art in our city is totally accessible."

"Austin Art Garage sits in an enclave of businesses that used to be an area of town called Freetown, a community of freedmen that lived in Austin in the ensuing years after the Civil War. As such, there's a city-protected graveyard that lives in the shadow of these businesses, and what's popped up here are a spate of really cool industrial and artistic experiments. Case in point, the Art Garage is a floor-to-ceiling ongoing Austin-centric art collection, and the proprietors themselves are full participants in the creativity, one showing his paintings here, and the other his photo work. "

"I'm a sucker for the idea that I could own an original and help a local artist at once, and that's likely reason enough for me to give these guys a whirl again. And maybe a few duckets in the offing."



Tribeza Magazine | Featured Gallery | March 2008

"Austin Art Garage got its start after Jake Bryer’s own frustrating search for affordable art. “I had $600, and I couldn’t find anything that I liked,” recalls the former Austin Business Journal advertising executive. “At galleries, I didn’t like not seeing the price. It’s kind of like asking the market price for lobster—if you need to ask, you probably can’t afford it.” At the same time, Bryer’s good friend Joel Ganucheau, an artist, had a garage full of paintings that he had never sold. “He had talent, but he didn’t understand the business side,” Bryer recalls. It was a problem Bryer imagined many artists had."

"Enlisting Ganucheau as his partner, Bryer decided to open a gallery. But in contrast to the galleries he had visited, he wanted the place to be “ego-less” and to specialize in “affordable art from emerging local artists.” The goal would be to keep 80 percent of the works priced at less than $500. The Austin Art Garage opened last fall in a garage-like room in a former South Austin lumberyard. About 250 pieces adorn every inch of the space, ranging from highly varnished mixedmedia pop art by Jessie Strub to the colorful, whimsical social commentaries of Cuban painter Luis Abreux."



Blog by Thom Singer | January 22, 2008

Do You Have A Dream? Go For It. Jake Did!!! I love to see people follow their entrepreneurial dreams. Yesterday I got an email from my friend, Jake Bryer, announcing that he is leaving his job of six years to follow his dream and run his part-time art gallery full time.

About six months ago Jake and his friend, Joel Ganucheau, and started a weekend art gallery to expose local emerging artists and offer affordable original art work to the Austin community.

During this process they discovered how much Austinites love affordable original art from local artists. Consequently, what had started out as a fun weekend project has now evolved into a thriving business.

If you’re interested in their project, or finding affordable original art by Austin's hottest artists, please check out their 200+ art inventory (with full descriptions and pricing) at www.austinartgarage.com or stop by the Art Garage at 2200 S. Lamar Blvd (map & hours).

If you will be visiting Austin for sxsw....you should plan to visit the gallery.

Congratulations to Jake. We should all find ways to turn our dreams into reality.



AustinTidBits.com | September 2008

Collecting art sounds like an out-of-reach pastime reserved for those that also hoard cars, houses and priceless jewels. For most of us, our wall decor consists of framed candids of friends and maybe a finger painting from an artiste of a niece.

Austin Art Garage believes that art connoisseurs come from all economic backgrounds and should be able to start their own collection no matter the depth of their pockets. Spotlighting local artists, this gallery space connects buyers to the Austin art world and keeps at least 80% of its inventory below $500.

Pull into the garage to peruse current inventory and start your own priceless acquisition.