Wikipedia defines a salon as "a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine the taste and increase the knowledge of the participants through conversation." The Free Dictionary says it is a "gathering of people of social or intellectual distinction." In the 1920s, Gertrude Stein held salons in her Paris apartment that were frequented by such artistic and literary luminaries as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Ernest Hemingway and Scott Fitzgerald. That's one kind of salon. Another kind is an art gallery. Olympia's Salon Refu is both.

Salon Refu was named after the notorious Salon des Refusés of 1863, an exhibition of avant-garde artists who had been rejected by the stodgy official salon in Paris. It is Olympia's home for avant-garde artists, and like Gertrude Stein's apartment, it has become a gathering place for Olympia artists. And now, like Stein, Salon Refu owner Susan Christian is expanding into literature as well as visual art. Throughout the month of December, the gallery will be exhibiting hand-woven carpets, wood veneer lamps by John Corzine, and monoprints by Christian. Every Thursday through Saturday at 5:15 p.m., the gallery lights will be turned out and artists and writers will read stories and poems, their own or others', under the soft glow of Corzine's exquisite lamps. Already this month they have hosted writers Steven Hendricks, Patty Kinney and Christian Carvajal. Scheduled for the rest of the month are, among others: Naima Lowe, filmmaker, writer and media arts teacher at The Evergreen State College, Dec. 16; printmaker Lois Beck, Dec. 18; music and poetry by Miguel Perez Gibson, Dec. 23; and poet Don Freas, Christmas Eve. For a change of pace, Dec. 22 will be an evening of holiday music with James Dean, Xander Layden, Mary McCann and John Serembe, with Bruce Whitney on the keyboard. Full disclosure: I am the featured reader Dec. 15.

Another different slant on the gallery scene in Olympia is Allsorts Gallery on Capital Way. It's in a private home, and they do not have shows all the time. But when they do, they are outstanding shows. Showing during the holiday season are paintings by Bill Collins. Collins' paintings are abstract, raw, gritty, typically minimalist, and in most cases look like the paint was slapped on in a few simple strokes and left without any refinement. Despite that, his paintings are deceptively complex.

I've seen this show twice, and I keep revising my idea of which works are my favorites. Initially my vote went to a series of works on corrugated cardboard along one wall that have torn or cut pieces of cardboard glued to the corrugated edges of cardboard squares with very few slashes of color added. They're like more expressive and painterly Bauhaus designs or simplified Kurt Schwitters collages.

Also very interesting are a couple of striped color field paintings in the style of Gene Davis and Morris Louis. Brilliant colors are applied directly on unprimed bed sheets and allowed to soak in. They are quite beautiful.

After seeing the show for the second time, my new favorites are four small paintings with muted colors and a few simple shapes that are deceptively complex with layers of both opaque and transparent paint. You'll recognize these. They're on the north wall in the dining area.

Salon Refu and Allsorts Gallery bring warmth and light to the dark and dreary days of winter and intelligent, exciting art and conversation throughout the year.

Allsorts Gallery, 5-7 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 2-5 p.m. Sunday, through Dec.18, 2306 Capitol Way S., Olympia

Salon Refu, 2-6 p.m. Thursday-Sunday and by appointment through Dec. 24, readings 5:15-6 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, through Dec. 24, 114 N. Capitol Way, Olympia, 360.280.3540, salonrefugallery.com