Heidi, this is an interesting thread and I wanted to offer you some more words of encouragement (though I don't know much about galleries).
I think you should think of yourself as having a national presence and get out of the whole local art mentality altogether. I encourage you to search the web for public art grants and other funding opportunities, with perhaps a goal toward making something about your art unique to you (other than your extremely good skills and intelligence).
In other words, can you make yourself, say, "fountain-specific"? I think the "person sitting on a bench" thing is taken already.
Or, perhaps, "hanging from things by steel rods?" or "moblies" (I like those, I couldn't resist saying that. If fyou make a wind sculpture I'll buy that one for sure.)
I don't mean to sound "gimmicky" but it might help to have some kind of "hook".
Think of yourself as a huge, unstoppable, creative force rolling downhill! I don't want you to stop.