Gene Dalton | The Roanoke Times

Joanne and William Bell opened their gallery earlier this year; a pedestrian (below) stops to look at some of the glass ornaments hanging in the window of their downtown Floyd shop.

FLOYD -- One way that Joanne Bell describes the art shop that she and her husband, William Bell, recently opened in Floyd is "art inspired by nature."

From the large-format photographs of surrounding mountain and water landscapes that William Bell specializes in to the homegrown flowers that Joanne Bell presses into glass to create unique beveled panels, it is unmistakable that the small shop next to Oddfella's Cantina exudes natural energy.

The Bell Gallery & Garden building itself, erected in 1899, is made of solid wood. When the couple purchased it five years ago from a commercial print shop, they had to do a lot of renovation work but still managed to keep the character of the building. The floors, walls and many desks and counters are made of glossy hardwood.

"Many of the art galleries we have visited are decorated in white on the inside," Joanne Bell said. "We wanted a different style."

The shop opened in late April. The Bells, who have lived in Floyd for 30 years, were inspired to open the shop after spending 25 years on the road exhibiting their work at 20 art shows a year.

"We were ready for a change," William Bell said. "We love Floyd and thought there would be room in the New River Valley for a store like this. It was also a good time as far as where we're at for this kind of project. Our fourth and youngest child recently graduated from college, and things are starting to slow down a little bit."

In addition to the inside gallery, the Bells are continuing with their nature-inspired theme by adding a garden at the rear of the shop.

As of now, the gallery ends with a covered porch, but the owners hope to add steps down into the garden next year. The garden will be another portion of the shop, where sculptures and plants will be on exhibit for sale. It will also just a place for customers and visitors to relax.

Though the Bells get visitors from near and far, most of the art work in the gallery is local.

"About half of the artists are regional -- within a day's drive -- and the other half are strictly from Floyd," William Bell said.

Floyd artists exhibited include glass blower Tim Burke, potter Tom Phelps, sculptor Michael Castello, jeweler Maureen Hearn and artist Michael Johnson, who specializes in "bench beds" and walking canes.

The shop's specialties are landscape photography, custom printing and framing, fine art and crafts and garden art and gifts. Although the price of the items can range from $5 to $1,600, the Bells estimate that a great deal of the work is within the $20 to $40 range.

The gallery is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to later in the evening Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

"We stay open late on Friday to accommodate the Friday night crowd in Floyd -- many people come to hear the Friday Night Jamboree down the street, and to eat and shop," Joanne Bell said.

David St. Lawrence, executive director of The Jacksonville Center for the Arts, another arts facility in Floyd, is happy with the business the Bells are bringing to town.

"I am pleased by their success because it strengthens the local economy and gives our members another outlet for their wares," St. Lawrence said. "The Bell Gallery is a vital link for connecting Floyd artisans to the tourist market and the local marketplace."

For the Bells, it just seemed like the next natural step.

"Because of doing the art shows and becoming a part of the artistic community, we've gotten to know a lot of talented people," William Bell said.

"We already had a good idea of what we would want in a gallery, so it only seemed natural for us to open one."

Unsure of how the gallery would go, the Bells kept up their regular art show schedule and will attend 20 art shows this fall, including the Craftsmen's Classic in Roanoke and the annual Blacksburg YMCA Crafts Fair in the New River Valley Mall.

"Everything has gone really well. We are now confident that the gallery will be successful," William Bell said.