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In September, galleries in Bethesda's Arts District will be buzzing. Spaces like Orchard Gallery on Norfolk Avenue often welcome dozens of guests during the monthly Bethesda Art Walk. But this, the second week in July, is a time when collectors are on vacation and gallery owners are gearing up for fall shows. Although the crowds may be small, the owners know what to expect.

Inside Gallery Neptune, at the corner of Wilson Lane and Old Georgetown Road, Elyse Harrison is all smiles. The gallery owner says she doesn't change her approach when the weather heats up and the crowds thin out.

"You should be ready for anything. You can't schedule anything that makes sense. I've had everything, so I expect anything," she observes.

If there is a theme, it's different art for different budgets. In one corner, clocks made of paper cubes by Hsin-Hsi Chen sell for $50. Other pieces are priced at close to $3,000. For the most part, the 30 or so artists Neptune represents enjoy taking part in summer group shows.

"Anything I ask them to do, they're thrilled," says Harrison. "I feel like we always have beautiful exhibits. It's not an ego thing. I just hang the pieces well and space them out."

The ego comment isn't hard to believe. The owner has forfeited wall space to other artists, leaving her own paintings on the concrete floor. The strategy works. A couple buys work by Marco DiChiro for their beach house. Paintings of fish on wood are a very summery purchase.

When Harrison isn't welcoming guests, she is teaching art classes for children. The sessions are much more than drawing sports cars or fingerpainting. She encourages abstract thought. A recent project included a trip to Bethesda Magazine and a 3D recreation of an issue using cardboard boxes.

"You have to see the world as a mysterious place," she says. "This is the beauty of art. It gets you to stretch your mind."

Around the corner, Catriona Fraser isn't so optimistic. After she refills pitchers of sangria, the Fraser Gallery owner speaks candidly about her situation. Asked if she is in danger of losing her Wisconsin Avenue space, she replies, "We all are."

Times may be tough, but Fraser doesn't depend on the gallery for all her income. When she's not in Bethesda, she is hitting art fairs up and down the East Coast. In Bethesda, June was no different from September or March.

"The last 18 months have been like one long summer," she admits. "No one has been buying art. This market has never been good, but it's never been this bad."

It's not like the work on the walls isn't good — far from it. The artists in this year's summer group show represent a Fraser Gallery all-star team. Maxwell MacKenzie is one of the Washington area's most accomplished architectural photographers, having produced work for the Smithsonian Institution and George Washington University. Painter Michael Fitts' quirky renditions of found objects have sold well at the gallery and at Red Dot in Miami.

One artist is present. Sharply dressed in a suit with no tie, Jinchul Kim offers a painter's perspective on the season.

"Summertime is a really important time to produce work," he says. "The galleries aren't open, and it's a good time for artists to think about where they are. You're planning for September and spring. A lot of artists prefer summertime more than any other time."

Kim's paintings dominate the main wall opposite the gallery's entrance. The figures of young women are celebrations of contemporary realism, their striking expressions set off by abstract backgrounds.

"I think sometimes there is this isolation. This is not that way," he remarks. "There is a connection between the photography, the landscapes and my paintings. I think the variety covers what's happening is contemporary realism. I think she [Fraser] did an amazing job. I feel very comfortable."

The market is rough, but Fraser plans to keep displaying new work by emerging and established artists.

"It's a tough business to be in, but I like a challenge," she says. "I have to work extra hard to keep the gallery going."

Closer to the Bethesda Metro Station on East-West Highway, Waverly Street Gallery artists Jan Maddox and Grace Peterson hover around a spread of fruit, crackers and cheeses. The snack table is outside because the air-conditioning is on the fritz.

"It happened two years ago, so we're kind of used to it," says jewelry maker Maddox.

She and Peterson discuss how much they love the Washington area — except for the midsummer. Fellow artist David Yano joins the conversation.

"If you're an artist, you have to suffer," he jokes.

The Waverly Street artists' story is similar to that of Neptune and Fraser with one big difference. The gallery is a co-op, which means it's owned collectively by several sculptors, painters and photographers. When the space closes for the entire month of August, members will clean the floors, paint the pedestals and make minor repairs.

And like Jinchul Kim, Peterson is using the extra time to let her ideas grow into works of art.

"Always," she says. "Never quit. And if I'm not in the studio, I'm up here."

"Summer Artist Marketplace" runs through Aug. 21 at Gallery Neptune, 5001 Wilson Lane, Bethesda. "Summer Group Exhibit" runs through Sept. 4 at Fraser Gallery, 7700 Wisconsin Ave., Suite E, Bethesda. "Exploration" runs through July 31 at Waverly Street Gallery, 4600 East-West Highway, Bethesda. Visit www.galleryneptune.com, www.thefrasergallery.com and www.waverlystreetgallery.com for gallery hours.