Posted: 4/25/06
Capturing a sense of place
 Sara Lubinski painted this scene south of Millerís Corner. |
Brownsville woman paints local scenes
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
When you look at a Sara Lubinski painting, you get the feeling that youíve been to that spot.
And chances are you have.
That rusty railroad bridge along Highway 26.
The Root River looking towards Hokah.
The old farm buildings that are clinging to the landscape.
Lubinski captures them on canvas in a way that can draw you in with a grin on your face.
The Brownsville woman is part of the 6th Annual Bluff Country Studio Art Tour Local artists will open their studios from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on April 29 and 30 for the Bluff Country Studio Art Tour.
She paints with pastels, which she described as pure pigment, bound into a stick with a clay-like binder. Lubinski figures she has more than 600 different pastels.
When she sees a scene she likes, Lubinski will paint it on site, working fairly quickly because the light will change in a couple hours. She attaches her case of pastels onto a tripod, tapes a canvas onto the attached easel. Then she ìblocks inî the major shapes and colors. Sheíll rub the canvas here with the heel of her hand, erase it there with a paper towel. And almost like a magic, the scene will appear.
The color is never exact, she said, but thatís not critical. Getting the ìvalueî is the key, which means how dark or light something is. When she works, she frequently steps back 15 feet or so to get a different perspective. She sometimes squints too. Thatís a little trick of the trade to help her see the relationship between dark and light.
Lubinski take pictures of it too, and writes notes that will help her recapture the emotion of the scene. She usually finishes the painting or paints a new version at her studio at 11542 Hillside Road. Sheíll read her notes then to recall the emotional responses that she had on the scene, like the clouds or the grasses. ìSometimes that will trigger my memories as to why I responded to the scene in the first place.î
A sense of place
Her art is an emotional response, she said. ìUltimately thatís what I want it to be.î
That is closely combined with a sense of place. Anyone with a pulse in Houston County knows about that - the river, the bluffs, the farms, the things that make keep us here or bring us back. Thatís what Lubinski captures.
She saw it often on her drive to La Crosse, where she worked as a botanist for the United States Geological Survey. ìIt was strikingly beautiful,î she said.
Her job was keeping her away from that too much. ìIt was like I was losing part of my life,î she described. ìI feel most alive when Iím outside and experiencing the moment.î
Lubinski never thought she could make a living as a painter, even though it had been a dream since she was a child. Thatís why she pursued the science route. ìBut the painting interest just became stronger and stronger.î
She mulled all this for about five years. Her husband, Ken, encouraged her to follow her dream. In July of 2004, she quit her job to become a full time artist.
ìIt was a huge leap of faith in a sense,î Lubinski said. ìI was basically leaving that paycheck behind.
In 2004 she applied to art fairs, and in 2005 she entered them and approached galleries.
ìHere I am - starving artist,î she said with a laugh.
She and Ken moved to Brownsvile in 2000 after living in Onalaska and rural La Crescent.
How does she decide what to paint? A combination of things, she answered. Things that strike her, like beauty, wonderful composition, patterns and colors.
She can look at Millerís Corner at the intersection of Highways 26 and 44 and not see a painting 80 percent of the time. ìThe other 20 percent I say, ëOh wow,íî she said. ìSomething stimulates my brain to really respond.î
Then her skills come into play, using segues, roads, paths, flowing water. ìSomething that will draw you into the painting, something that will keep you there.î
A center of interest, movement, balance, harmony, pleasantness, a peaceful quality - those are the words that Lubinski uses to describe her art.
They are important things for her in these chaotic times. ìProbably what I do is therapy for myself,î she said. She hopes that is true for others.
Lubinski paints what is familiar and important to her. ìOf course I love the river and I love the bluffs. Old farmsteads really touch me. I can imagine in a sense how difficult it was to live 100 to 150 years ago,î she said. ìSometimes I even think of the Indians that were here and how they would have responded to where Iím standing.î
Two of her biggest influences are pastel artists Mark Hanson of Rochester, Minnesota, and Lorenzo Chavez of Colorado. She has taken workshops from both men, and credits them with improvements that she has seen in her art. She has many other sources, from the art book that lay on the coffee table of her childhood to the drawing classes that she took as a teenager at the Chicago Institute of Art.
Lubinski sells both originals and prints of her work.
To get to Lubinskiís house, turn off County Road 3 west of Brownsville onto Hillside Road and go about a quarter mile. It is on the right hand side.
Brochures with maps and a listing of participating artists are available from Southeastern Minnesota Historic Bluff Country (800-428-2030) or on their web site, www.bluffcountry.com.
Art tour is this weekend
Local artists will open their studios from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, April 29 and 30 for the Bluff Country Studio Art Tour.
The studio art tour consists of more than thirty artists throughout the region of Historic Bluff Country.
Caledonia-area artists include:
ï Hallie and Nate Evans, Allamakee Wood Fired Pottery, New Albin, IA, 563-544-4378;
ï Greta Ingvalson, Ingphoto, Caledonia, 507-498-6455;
ï Roger Meyer, Turn to Wood, Hokah, 5-7-894-4361;
ï Peter and Mary Denzer, Seven Bridges Pottery, Houston, 507-864-2089;
ï Sara Lubinski, pastel landscape painting, Brownsville, 507-482-6252;
ï Linda Riddle, Linda Riddle Enamels, Hokah, 507-894-2676;
ï Mike Knox, Chicken Ridge Studio, La Crescent, 507-895-3370;
Visitors will have the opportunity to witness some of the artists at work and view the studio working space of most of the artists. The studio art tour offers a unique chance to learn about the creative process of local artists and the opportunity to purchase original works.
Brochures with maps and a listing of participating artists are available from Southeastern Minnesota Historic Bluff Country (800-428-2030) or on their web site, www.bluffcountry.com. Lodging and other area information may also be obtained from the Historic Bluff Country office along with information on local detours.
Everyone can find something of interest in this diverse group of artists.
Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com