Cellos become art at new Rehoboth gallery

Most see cellos as string instruments. Julie Borden sees a canvas.

“There’s just something about the shape that just pulls you in,” she said, perched above her latest project, an unstrung cello body covered in swirls of red. She and partner Guy Peluso recently opened Juleez, a gallery at 20 Baltimore Ave. in Rehoboth Beach, where painted cellos, violins and other works of art are for sale.

Borden said she’s not a musician, though she has a deep appreciation of music. She’s painted string instruments for eight years, falling in love with the art in Philadelphia before transporting it to Rehoboth.

“There’s quite a bit of prep work,” she said. First she must unstring the instrument, then sand and prime the surface for acrylic paint. Recently, Borden started painting small, decorative cello facsimiles, each about the size of a coffee pot.

Each instrument is unique, she said – no single design is replicated.

Borden said passersby will often pause to watch her paint. People will return several times over the course of a week, she said, to watch an instrument’s progress. It’s helped jumpstart their business, she said.

“We’ve been here only two weeks, and it’s been fantastic,” she said.

Borden said she’d never heard of Rehoboth until recently, when she traveled to the beach for the first time. She fell in love immediately, and with Peluso organized a swift relocation to Baltimore Avenue.

“All signs pointed to Delaware,” she said. “We packed up, moved and opened in a matter of three weeks.”

She said the town has been incredibly welcoming. “It’s amazing how people will take time out of their day to talk to us about Rehoboth,” she said.

While painted instruments fill Juleez, Borden also has an extensive portfolio of commercial art; she’s licensed designs for everything from dinnerware to soap dispensers to hairbrushes for young girls.

“My feeling is that art should be for everyone – in all price ranges,” she said. Peluso said they’re happy to work out payment plans for customers interested in pricier items like the painted cellos, which sell for $1,000 on average.

“We definitely work with the people who come in,” he said.

Ultimately, Borden said, the joy of creation overwhelms the hazards of opening an art gallery in an economic slump. Everyone that comes in Juleez has one thing in common, she said – a smile. “That’s a great payday for me,” she said.

The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Wednesday through Monday.

Call Juleez at: 302-227-3792 or visit juleez.com