PRIZED POSSESSIONS. Nearly every wall of Marlene Reppert’s apartment in Eau Claire is adorned with paintings she’s done in recent years. The same goes for the homes of other family members.

‘The thing about art or painting is if you are at it long enough, it consumes you. I don’t think of anything when I paint except what I’m doing.”

Marlene Reppert is an amateur painter.

Her artwork isn’t hanging in galleries all over world or renowned by the snooty art elite. Rather, most of her paintings hang in the houses and spaces of those she loves.

Yet her paintings are stricken with vivid color and imbued with emotional vibrancy – something a seasoned artist would spend a lifetime struggling to capture and might not ever fully achieve.

“I have my ‘Marlene’ framed and proudly displayed in my house. I tell all my people my grandma painted it. ... It’s something very special to have. I’ll always have a piece of my grandma with me.” – Marlene’s granddaughter Erin

Marlene and her husband, Earl, live in an independent senior living apartment in Oakwood Hills in Eau Claire, and if you’re walking through the long hallway, their door is immediately recognizable. One of Marlene’s early paintings – on a full canvas nearly the width of the door itself – hangs on it. It’s a painting of a foot in a sandal, one of Marlene’s absolute favorites.

The painting is simple. And striking. Her colors are bold and bright. It’s the kind of work that takes a while.

“The hardest thing to do is color,” Marlene said. “I don’t buy paint. I mix it myself. And if you get the right shade that you want, you can do anything.”

Inside, there’s even more paintings on nearly every wall, kind of like an art gallery. Maybe 20 or 25 total. Marlene said she’s only done about 40 paintings in all. The ones that aren’t hanging in her own apartment are in the homes of her extended family spanning generations.

“I can tell when mom paints a picture,” said Sharon Volkman, one of Marlene’s daughters. “I can see her in the picture. I don’t know what it is, but I can tell that she painted it. It doesn’t even need a signature.”

“But now, I’ve gotten so shaky, I can’t really do it anymore,” Marlene said. “If I can’t even draw a straight line, then I better give it up.”

In recent years, due to the passage of time, Marlene hasn’t quite been able to keep up with her younger workflow. After all, she used to travel all over Europe, taking photographs of scenes that spoke to her and painting them upon her return. A city corner populated by people going about their business, a blooming lily, unique people, breathtaking places … all captured with energy, movement, and her undeniable color pop.

You can tell she looks at her work with pride and reverence – “I started painting for myself and if I liked it, that’s all that mattered,” she said – and her family ecstatically beams at them. To them, a “Marlene” is a priceless treasure, an heirloom.

For Marlene, painting gives her comfort and release. For her family, it gives them a priceless little piece of Marlene to have forever.

“I think it’s amazing,” said Marlene’s granddaughter, Erin. “I have my ‘Marlene’ framed and proudly displayed in my house. I tell all my people my grandma painted it, all my friends and visitors. It’s something very special to have. Forever, I’ll always have a piece of my grandma with me.”