Whether it’s an established Auburn business such as Nicholson Blown Glass or members of the co-operative Auburn Old Town Gallery or Placer Arts, you can be sure artists are creatively adjusting due to the slumping economy.

Nicholson Blown Glass has been in Auburn for 28 years and has sent out blown glass wall hangings, vases and other artistic glasswork to more than 200 galleries nationally. Owners Rick and Janet Nicholson fire up the furnaces to shape the glass at their business on 5555 Bell Road.

The furnace stays on 24 hours a day and the temperature stays at 2,200 degrees. Two 500-gallon tanks fuel the furnace.

“Glass blowing has a very expensive overhead with the cost of propane fuel,” Janet Nicholson said. “It went up but the price is lower now.”

In order to deal with rising costs, the Nicholsons have installed a more fuel-efficient furnace. They are also utilizing glass that they already have in stock. Despite the economic times, some folks are still buying artistic glass works.

The Nicholson’s are proud of an $8,000, six-piece wall installation they recently sent to a gallery owner in Washington, D.C., who wanted it in time for the presidential inauguration. However, by the time the gallery received its 50 percent commission, that left the Nicholsons with half the revenue.

“We’re working on larger commissions that help us stay afloat,” Janet Nicholson said.

Despite the national and international flavor of Nicholson Blown Glass, which sold a wall hanging to the Ritz Carlton in China, the Nicholsons have exhibits in Auburn Old Town Gallery, the High Hand Gallery in Loomis, the Mowen Solinsky Gallery in Nevada city and the Bennett Gallery in Placerville.

“You’ve got to spread out and diversify, but we’ve had more local work than ever,” Janet Nicholson said. “There are people fixing up their homes who want to make it special with art.”

For 58-member artists at the Auburn Old Town Gallery, saving overhead costs means taking your turn tending the gallery, said Keith Smith, gallery president.

“We all take turns working there,” Smith said. “We turn the inventory regularly so if you come in a month from today the place looks different and is fresh all the time.”

The gallery includes a wide assortment of fine artwork at reasonable prices.

“We have ceramics and all kinds of paintings, including acrylics and water colors and silk paintings,” Smith said. “There are jewelry and metal work. We try to keep a wide variety.”

Like most Auburn businesses, the Auburn Old Town Gallery has seen a drop in sales due to folks holding more tightly to the purse strings.

“We have seen reduced sales,” Smith said. “We are down 20 to 30 percent. The good thing is that we don’t have a hired staff, so we don’t have to reduce payroll. Each member contributes to rent of the space. The profits go to electricity and heating.

“We’ve had to squeeze back on advertising and incidental expenses. We have a very strong local base with a lot of repeat customers.”

Tourists from the Bay Area and those returning from Tahoe find the gallery to be a convenient stopping spot on the way home, Smith said.

Over on 808 Lincoln Way, The Arts Building has an artist-in-residence program. Some weekday afternoon, you might find artist Terrie Rockwell working on an acrylic canvas at her studio there. The former middle school teacher at Highlands Academy now enjoys doing what she loves. The newlywed Rockwell has made art her full-time profession.

“It’s great to have this art space to work in,” Rockwell said. “I’m having fun.”

She works in the mediums of acrylics, oils and silkscreen prints. In fact, those silkscreen prints help her save some dollars during these low-budget times.

“If you have low-cost reproductions such as silkscreens, it’s one way for artists to make it,” Rockwell said.

The Placer Arts organization runs the building where different artists can exhibit their work. In order to generate more interest, Placer Arts plans to open the building on Fridays from 6-9 p.m. and feature events such as live music or poetry jams. No admission will be charged.