Most people Frank Thomas' age are slowing down. But Thomas, who is 82, is kicking into high gear.

Tonight, his art gallery, New Beginnings, has its official opening in the Hager Building.

"I like to be busy," says Thomas with a smile. "I keep going to keep going."

The gallery will feature one area devoted to an up-and-coming artist from the region.

For the next two months, the photography, painting and sculpture of James Mario, of Cedars, will be featured.

His work is wonderfully eclectic. His photography features paintings within it (or is it painting in the photography?) resulting in images of heightened reality.

The other side of the gallery is devoted to Asian art, including prints of old Japanese masters, scholar's rocks or gongshi, bonsai trees and shodo, which is Japanese calligraphy.

Thomas had been a long-time admirer and collector of Asian art, with most, though not all, of his collection coming from Japan. He also cultivates bonsai trees, some of which he's owned for 25 or 30 years.

What's the appeal?

"I'm a minimalist, I like things not overworked, sparse, spontaneous," he says.

Asian art certainly has that distinct style. There's an air of serenity at the gallery, which is located across the hallway from the Chestnut Gallery, which Thomas and his wife, Lola, who died in 2004, owned for many years.

Thomas owns the first floor of the Hager Building (the upper floors are condominiums) and when the space became open, he interviewed a number of potential prospects, but nobody had ideas that he thought suited the space.

He also was missing his routine. For several years, Thomas showed his bonsai trees in the upper area of Carr's Restaurant.

"I saw people everyday. I need to see people, touch base. It's my therapy," he says with a laugh.

But several months ago, the space was turned into a wine bar and Thomas could no longer show his bonsai.

The idea to open a gallery was not a tough one for Thomas, who has been involved in art as a sculptor and freelance illustrator for many years.

But he didn't want to open a gallery that was similar to others.

"I wanted to feature things you can't see anywhere else, that you'd have to go to a museum to see," he says.

The gallery is a good introduction to fundamental aspects of Asian art.

Shodo -- calligraphy -- has long been a highly respected art form in Japan.

Calligrapher Dan Pott will be demonstrating how it is done during the opening reception. Mario will be there as well.

Each piece Pott does is of a word, such as harmony, spirit or faith, or a simple phrase or poem.

Thomas has a lovely collection of prints, which were long seen as nothing more than commercial products.

"(Prints) were used to sell art, to tell a story, like a comic strip," he says. "They got very little respect. Here today, gone tomorrow. There was little point in keeping it."

European artists got introduced to Eastern prints when they'd find it wrapped around pottery they had ordered. Thomas notes that Van Gogh was heavily influenced by them.

Scholar's Rocks have a deeper, more profound place in Asian culture and have been collected since around 200.

They look like abstract sculptures, but are rocks, petrified and driftwood created by nature, with no or very subtle help from a person.

"Water, sand, wind formed them," Thomas says. "Scholars in China had great reverence for them."

Gallery Grand Opening