As fall turns to winter, we all note the seasonal transitions differently. Sports fans pack away the pigskins and bring out the basketballs, children brace for the flu-season boosters and flip-flops begin their nine-month hibernation until Memorial Day.
But in the Arts Center of St. Peter, one artist is giving autumn a last hurrah. In her exhibit Landscape Impressions, painter Sara Leadholm elegantly captures rural Minnesota landscapes and the Pacific coast at various times of the year, with late summer and fall striking the most memorable images.
“The Arts Center of St. Peter encourages emerging artists as well as artists in the mature stages of their careers,” said Arts Center Executive Director David Goldstein. “We try to support local artists as well as bring in artists from around the country in hopes to inspire and engage community members.”
Leadholm certainly qualifies as a local artist. The twenty-year resident of St. Peter has also taught art classes in Le Center, MN.
What makes this designer unique is her use of the plein air technique. The technique, popularized by nineteenth century impressionist painters such as Monet and Renoir, literally means to paint outdoors in the open air. Such a method is unique and often allows the environment to affect the artist, such as rain, wind or in the case of her piece “Superior Shore,” actual spray from the waves.
“The color scheme is that of bright, faux-earthy tones; colors that are not naturally occurring in nature, and yet can represent it,” said Sophomore Art History Major Emma Squire.
Plein air painting also places severe time constraints on the artist; shadows and hues shift dramatically throughout the day. (For example, a shadow looms much more menacingly at 5:30 p.m. than at noon.) Leadholm faces this challenge and uses the beauty of change to her advantage.
“She paints each painting in one sitting,” said Goldstein. Her races against the clock provide her with beautiful explications. When describing her collection “Winterscapes,” Leadholm said, “The cold seems to accentuate the surface color as the low sun’s rays hit the snow and brighten to a soft cadmium scarlet.”
Such prose-like descriptions are found in many of the artist’s other works. The description of her dilapidated barn painting “Abandoned” reads more like a poem than an explication: “It is possible to see these old barns collapse before one’s very eye. While the thistle chokes the life from what once was the small farmer’s job of tending the land [sic].”
“Her work appeals to all, and yet carries a special significance to those who live in the area due to the content of the painting,” said Squire.
Although the exhibit primarily showcases Minnesotan rural landscapes, Leadholm boasts a variety of subjects, from the Kasota Prairie to the St. Croix River, desert cactuses to northern waterfalls and grapevines to palm trees.
Leadholm has worked as an art director for the New York City advertising industry and has taught art in Minnesota public schools. She is now retired and a full-time painter.
“Art should start locally, and Sara Leadholm is a fantastic example of this,” said Squire.
The exhibit Landscape Impressions will be on display at the Arts Center of St. Peter until Dec. 1. Museum hours are 1-5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and 1-8 p.m. on Thursdays.