NEAR & FARM: An Artist’s Infatuation With Eau Claire, On Display
Heidi Schreiner’s first solo oil painting show is a sight for sore eyes – particularly if you've been dreaming of warm farmer’s market days
McKenna Scherer, photos by Andrea Paulseth |
If a picture is worth one thousand words, area artist Heidi Schreiner’s paintings are weaving and writing the ongoing chapters of Eau Claire’s story through singular moments in time. Her first solo show in this medium – vibrant, rich oil paint – “Eau Claire, Near & Farm” is currently hanging at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library, not too far from the incident that sparked the exhibit’s creation.
In answering a handful of questions about her art process and specifically “Eau Claire, Near & Farm,” it became clear Schreiner is not just capturing the moments that play out in front of her – she is chasing the beautiful things in life. She continues to do so, even if she needs to white-knuckle the steering wheel on the way to the Pablo Center to do it, which was the very scene that inspired the show.
“I remember when the Pablo Center was being built. It was right about when I started to seriously dedicate myself to my art,” Schreiner recalled. After painting a few other contractors and the sites they worked on – a not uncommon experience, considering construction sites are where her husband often works – Schreiner had a thought: “I got this huge, scary idea to go to the Pablo to see if I could take any photos of the contractors working there. … I walked into the contractors’ office area at the site and introduced myself as a local artist (and asked if they would) let me take some pictures.”
To her surprise, Schreiner was met with a “yes,” and given a walk-through of the space. “They gave me a personal tour! ME! Like, I am not famous or important, and they were so gracious and nice,” Schreiner said. “That experience helped me to feel more brave about my art and my ideas.”
Schreiner’s artwork aims to capture the magic in everyday moments, and she has a particular interest in painting people. Both sentiments are on display through “Eau Claire, Near & Farm” though the show stretches beyond people as well: a flash of red on the wall is, upon walking closer, a pair of cardinals; a mid-flight owl soaring toward the viewer with piercing eyes; a doorway on Graham Avenue; the iconic Woo’s Pagoda entrance, and more.
With the array of subjects bouncing from one corner of downtown Eau Claire, down to the riverfront, and across a couple of the city’s bridges, one common scene is threaded throughout: the farmer's market in Phoenix Park.
“When I decided to start going for local scenes and color, I thought ‘What is the most colorful thing I can paint, especially if I want to paint people?’ The farmer’s market kept springing to mind,” Schreiner said. “I am proud that my first solo show is about one of my favorite things in Eau Claire – our farmer’s market. It’s a diverse group of hard-working people. It’s somewhere I go when I want to relish life.”
“If a painting has people in it (or the suggestion of people), there always seems to be a story. In that way, I am infatuated with Eau Claire,” she said.
Throughout her day-to-day, she experiences life through the lens of paintings. “It’s a fun and beautiful way to live and think. It’s challenging, too,” Schreiner said. “One day on my way to church, I looked down and was entranced with the scattering of leaves on a part of the sidewalk. The yellow leaves were tiny freckles over the yellow detectable warning field of the sidewalk. … I’m surprised that I don’t have collisions with people the way that I am distracted with different scenes!”
Those potential sidewalk collisions and surprise moments on construction sites are perhaps key moments that go unseen in “Eau Claire, Near & Farm.” But the magic of the everyday is there – literally on display – for all to see.
Schreiner admits her art is for herself – and others, and maybe something else entirely, too. She also acknowledges the importance of carving out time to practice even though life gets busy – “like most of us, right?” she said – but the surprising moments through that concerted effort have resulted in joy.
“The joy that I have found is when I have connected with others through my art. This is the unexpected part that I love,” she said.
Schreiner’s next adventure is not clear yet, she said, but she is excited to experiment along the way. Until then, satiate yourselves by drinking in the vibrancy and magic of “Eau Claire, Near & Farm” now through March 3.
The L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library art gallery is located on the third floor at 400 Eau Claire St., Eau Claire • Learn more about Heidi Schreiner and inquire about her artwork at heidischreiner.com
