Just an impression is a new show at the Green Drake Gallery and Arts Center! View a new collection of large impressionistic oils by Resident Artist Karl Eric Leitzel, shown for the first time. Artist's reception Friday evening, April 6th.
Support local artists today. Call us at the Green Drake with any questions or to set an appointment - 814.349.2486.
Our standard hours:
Friday 4:00 - 8:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 to 6:00 pm
Sunday Closed
Artist Interview with Karl Eric Leitzel
When would you say you started making art?
Creating things has been an essential part of who I am from the time I was little. Whether fine art, building things, writing music and learning to play different instruments or cooking, they are all different expressions of the same driving desire to create something new and unique.
How has your art developed over time?
As with many painters, my work has generally progressed from more realistic, literal work to a looser and sometimes very impressionistic approach. If you look at work by many of the famous artists who are best known for their impressionistic or expressionistic work, you can see that they first worked to master realistic representations.
Tell us about this collection and where you found your inspiration?
This whole new collection is done in a fairly similar style, using oil paints, bold strokes, and sometimes a thick application of paint. The scenes are all close to home, too, right here in the Penns Valley area (the waterlilies were at the Penn State Arboretum, still nearby)
Tell us about your experience as an artist in residence at the Green Drake.
As both the managing partner and artist-in-residence at the Green Drake, with my studio upstairs, I'm afforded the convenience of more easily juggling both hats as well as being inspired by the work of other artists who are involved in the gallery and in some cases also work in the studio areas.
What are you working on these days and what should we look forward to seeing you create this year?
I'm still adding to this collection right now. I'm also starting to get busy with my warm season work creating hand painted signs.
What have you learned from your art?
As I create my art, any of my art in various outlets, I am often moved to a philosophical examination of life in general and my own life in particular. Learning to see things differently in order to paint them may spark a different way of seeing and appreciating the people around you. Writing a song that is more than shallow cliches requires thinking about feelings, relationships, and situations. I would like to think that artists are also among the more important philosophers of a society, without wearing the name tag.
Is there anything you'd like to add or say about this collection?
These paintings are best viewed in person. Seeing them from fifteen feet away and then fifteen inches gives an entirely different experience, which is one of my joys in painting this way.
