About My “Arctic Circle” Residency
Arctic Circle 2022 Autumn Expedition
I was fortunate to sail around Svalbard, Norway with twenty-seven artists and writers in October 2022.
Traveling to the Antigua sailing ship and The Arctic Circle Residency was a long process: starting in December 2018 with my discovery of the opportunity, then the application, and several years of delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic, plus packing and preparation, and several flights.
We explorers recorded our experiences using a variety of mediums: paint, photography, words, sound, music, and even dance! I painted in oil and watercolor; and recorded my experiences in photographs and video. Having returned to Minnesota, I have spent much time reflecting on my journey; and I have started planning how I will apply this experience in my studio art.
More to come!
About “Puzzling the Gap”
“Puzzling the Gap” is my newest arts project. Learn about my current work and my Watersheds paintings at Gallery Immagine, #183 Northrup King Building, 1500 Jackson Street NE. My gallery is open every Saturday from 12-4 pm.
“Greg Lecker will study the Minnesota and Red Rivers, often painting on location and offering demonstrations. To learn about Greg’s progress and upcoming painting demonstrations and exhibits, visit http://www.greglecker.com or GregLeckerArts on Facebook or Instagram.” – from my project proposal.
Glaciers and their meltwater rivers shaped the landscape of western and southern Minnesota. Approximately 10,000 years ago, the last glacier retreated, melting into an enormous lake stretching from northern Canada south to the present Lake Traverse in Browns Valley. The lake drained in a massive river flowing to the south and east, forming the Minnesota River Valley. Today, a much smaller Minnesota River flows in the floor of this wide valley. The flat lake bed of Lake Agassiz dried and became the flat prairie and farm land of western Minnesota. Today’s Red River meanders through this land heading north to Lake Winnipeg and Hudson Bay. Without a significant valley to contain it, the Red River can overflow its river banks, flooding the surrounding landscape.
In this painting “Meeting Place”, the Blue Earth River enters our view from the lower left and joins the Minnesota River, which flows left to right (west to east) in the background. At this location, in Mankato, MN; the Minnesota River turns from flowing southeast to flowing northeast. Why?
The historic glacial river encountered hard bedrock; and the water flow sought a path of lesser resistance. Turning northeast, the river cut through softer sandstone and limestone.
At Browns Valley, the “Traverse Gap” identifies the rock and soil deposited by the glacial meltwaters. Here, the Red River begins its northward journey to the Arctic Ocean and the Minnesota River flows towards the Mississippi River which flows to the Gulf of Mexico. A gap of a few thousand feet separates these linkages between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans.
Lake Traverse and its outflowing Red River mark the southernmost tributary of Hudson Bay and the Arctic Ocean. South of Browns Valley, Big Stone Lake and its outflowing river, the Minnesota in turn feed the Mississippi River, the largest tributary for the Gulf of Mexico.
I will explore these rivers and their surrounding landscape in my project “Puzzling the Gap”, for which I was awarded a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board.
Greg Lecker is a fiscal year 2022 recipient of a Creative Support for Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arsets Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature; and by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Northrup King Nights is our special Saturday evening event on September 24 from 6-10 pm. Over 50 studios and galleries will be open for our special Northrup King Nights feature that spans four floors of our multi-building arts complex. There’s plenty of free parking. Here’s a map to my gallery. Click on links below to learn more about us!
“Watersheds 2020” originated from artist residencies in 2017-2018. See my Watersheds work in person this Saturday at Gallery Immagine #183 Northrup King Building, Gallery Immaginé, 1500 Jackson Street NE. My gallery is open every Saturday from 12-4 pm AND especially this Saturday evening from 5-10 pm. Over 40 studios and galleries will be open for our special Northrup King Nights feature that spans four floors of our multi-building arts complex. There’s plenty of free parking. Here’s a map to my gallery. Click on links below to learn more about us!
https://www.facebook.com/events/415617419555481
Listen to a public radio feature of our building (and view a written summary and art) at:
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/02/11/art-hounds-take-your-valentine-to-look-at-art
“Message in a Bottle”: a readymade reward for visitors who stop to watch me paint & engage in conversation about Watersheds, my multi-year project! Reusable, recyclable BPA-free water bottle, stainless steel top & bottom; water not included. From August 30 through September 11, look for me painting along the lake shore, creeks, rivers and in the state parks of Lake Superior – biggest lake in the world (by area). For clues to my next location, follow my posts here and at www.greglecker.com
What would you do if you found a message in a bottle!
For the next two weeks, I’ll be painting in and around Cascade Lodge in Lutsen, Minnesota which will serve as my base camp for the Great Lakes portion of my Watersheds project. I am creating portraits of Minnesota’s three watersheds while engaging viewers in conversation and painting demonstrations offered within each waterscape. If you’ll be up at the North Shore – between Lutsen and Grand Marais, please look for me and signs advertising my demonstrations.
Greg Lecker is a fiscal year 2020 recipient of an Artist Initiative grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature; and by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
“Watersheds” Awarded State Arts Board Grant!
I am very excited that my proposal has been awarded a Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant for 2020:
“Greg Lecker will create portraits of our state’s three watersheds while engaging Minnesotans in conversation and painting demonstrations offered within each waterscape. “
This project and the coming year will take me farther than ever before – both artistically and physically.
Considering the caliber of the applicants, I’m humbled to be counted among the award recipients.
http://www.arts.state.mn.us/grants/2020/2020-awarded-ai.htm
Greg Lecker will create portraits of Minnesota’s three watersheds, often painting on location and offering demonstrations or lectures.
The state of Minnesota cradles a drainage “triple point” (located near Virginia, MN). There, continental divides separate water flowing into three North American and global watersheds:
– The Great Lakes watershed flows east via the St. Lawrence Seaway to the North Atlantic Ocean;
– The Mississippi River drains a vast area including all or parts of 32 states and two Canadian provinces, and funnels this water to the Gulf of Mexico;
-The Red River, bordering North Dakota & Minnesota, flows north to Hudson Bay & the Arctic Ocean.
To learn more, visit:
Watersheds of North America – Wikipedia
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watersheds_of_North_America
To learn about Greg’s progress and upcoming painting demonstrations and exhibits, please visit http://www.greglecker.com or GregLeckerArts on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
This November, Tettegouche State Park Visitor Center hosts an exhibition of my work – both new and old favorites. Opening reception on Friday, November 1, 7-8:30 pm features music by North Shore resident Briand Morrison, food and drink, and a brief talk by the artist. Continuing through November 30, the exhibit “Watershed” explores themes of water and the north woods.
Tettegouche State Park Visitor Center
5702 Highway 61, 4-1/2 miles northeast of Silver Bay on the North Shore of Lake Superior.
Open daily 9 am to 4 pm.
PROFILE of Greg Lecker
What a pleasant surprise to have been interviewed by the StarTribune newspaper for their Outdoors feature called “Currents”. I especially like the title because of its connection to water – the subject and content of many of my paintings. You can read the feature below, in today’s print edition (May 31, 2019, page OW2), in the online edition:
http://www.startribune.com/currents-greg-lecker-plein-air-artist-and-naturalist/510628012/
Currents: Greg Lecker, plein air artist and naturalist
By Bob Timmons Star Tribune
May 30, 2019 — 3:22pm
Greg Lecker of Minneapolis is a plein air (or open air) painter. He also is a master naturalist, and regularly writes on Minnesota Landscape Arboretum’s Nature Notes blog.
Reading
“Painting as a Language: Material, Technique, Form & Content.” It’s a textbook recommended by my mentor, painter and arts administrator Jeffrey Ebeling. I’ve been taught much about painting materials and techniques but less about other aspects of what defines art. There is a difference between subject and content, and it requires the in-depth probing of a book such as this one to understand the difference.
Following
Artists Annie Hejny (annie-hejny.com) and Lindsy Halleckson (lindsyhalleckson.com) are two northeast Minneapolis artists I admire because of their artistic processes and environmental themes. Both painters travel to nature — waters and skies — to gather inspiration and, in the case of Hejny, art materials themselves.
Watching
“Arctic Epiphany, Svalbard” — words, music, photography and video from Leslie Leong’s Arctic Circle residency. See a related talk on YouTube (bit.ly/leongARCTIC) Her words, images, and musical selections are enlightening to anyone concerned about the impact of climate change in the Arctic.
Listening
Soundtrack segments from the new movie “Rocketman,” a biopic of Elton John, as well as original recordings from the singer-songwriter. Growing up as an artist is sometimes challenging. Stories from another’s life offer advice and encouragement. Plus, the music is timeless and the words offer endless poetry.
Doing
My current exhibition at Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery in Grand Marais (closes Sunday) is an opportunity for me to spend time in this North Shore community offering outdoor painting demonstrations and an artist talk — and to learn from fellow nature lovers.
Greg Lecker is a plein artist. An exhibit of his work closes this weekend in Grand Marais.
Bob Timmons, editor of the Star Tribune’s Outdoors Weekend section, worked previously editing, planning and designing the Sports section. He worked in news at the St. Paul Pioneer Press before joining the Star Tribune in 2005.
rtimmons@startribune.com 612-673-7899
Art Opening – this Friday, May 10, 5-7 pm
Grand Marais, MN
Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery hosts an exhibition of oil paintings by Greg Lecker, naturalist plein air artist. Works are centered on the theme of water, the north woods and the natural and human environment. Exhibit runs through June 2. Come meet the artist, see his work and attend a brief Q & A “walk and talk” within the gallery.
115 West Wisconsin Street, Grand Marais, MN (next to the Gunflint Tavern)
Thursday – Saturday 10 am – 4 pm; Sunday 1-4 pm
Up North for Memorial Day Weekend 2019? So is Greg – please look for him at these special events at Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery during Cook County Art Along the Lake Spring Gallery Tour
https://www.visitcookcounty.com/event/art-along-lake/
Friday, May 24; 10 am – 4 pm Greg Lecker demonstrates outdoor painting and answers your questions on his exhibition paintings
5-7 pm Greg Lecker reception and Artist Q & A
Saturday, May 25; 10 am – 4 pm Greg Lecker demonstrates outdoor painting and answers your questions on his exhibition paintings
2 pm Greg Lecker Artist Talk
3-4 pm Quick Paint Outdoor painting
Sunday, May 26; 1-4 pm Greg Lecker demonstrates outdoor painting and answers your questions on his exhibition paintings
Art-A-Whirl® Weekend – May 17, 18, & 19
Art-A-Whirl® Weekend is a great time to buy art for home & business. Over 300 artists make their creative home at Northrup King Building, and offer a wide selection of art. Visit Greg this Art-A-Whirl®:
Fri, May 17, 5-10pm; Sat, May 18, 12-8pm; Sun, May 19, 12-5pm
https://www.northrupkingbuilding.com/events/art-a-whirl
What is Art-A-Whirl®? For this open studio tour, over 300 Northrup King Building artists open their studio doors, showcasing art from glass to graphic design, painting to pottery. Food trucks and art demonstrations too! Park for free; then tour our “art factory and warehouse” that is three blocks long and four stories tall. Our colorful and thought-provoking work will energize your spring.
You’ll find my paintings in #183 AND #391 (first floor and third floor).
Northrup King Building, 1500 Jackson Street NE, Minneapolis.
You can get an early start this Saturday, May 11 at an exclusive preview party, 6-9 pm. A select few first floor galleries will be open, among them Gallery Immaginé (#183) and Dock 5 (across the hall). Stop by if you want to avoid the crowds.
“ART-A-WHIRL® is an open studio tour in Northeast Minneapolis showcasing the work of NEMAA members. ART-A-WHIRL® is a federally-registered trademark of NEMAA.”
North Shore Art Opening on Friday
My first solo show on the North Shore opens at the Tettegouche State Park Visitor Center, 7-8:30 pm Friday Dec 1. Briand Morrison will provide entertainment, playing guitar and singing. Enjoy food, drink, and conversation. I will offer a landscape painting demonstration that day from 2:30-4 pm. Visiting relatives or touring Lake Superior’s North Shore? Please stop by the center on Highway 61; it doubles as a MN/DOT rest stop. Show runs through the end of December. Tettegouche State Park Visitor Center, 5702 Highway 61, 4-1/2 miles northeast of Silver Bay, MN on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Open Daily 9 am – 4 pm. Exhibit and its events is free and open to all; no state park fees apply to visitor center.
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/tettegouche/index.html
Art-Attack®!
Art-Attack® Weekend is a great time to buy art for your home & business; for a graduation or wedding gift. Over 300 artists make their creative home at Northrup King Building, and offer a wide selection of art. Visit Greg Lecker this Art-Attack® Weekend November 3, 4, and 5, #183 Northrup King Building, 1500 Jackson Ave, NE Mpls Fri 5-10pm, Sat 12-8pm, Sun 12-5pm http://www.northrupkingbuilding.com
Enter to win the painting of your choice from among three works. Drawing is Sunday, November 5th at 6 pm. Winners announced here and on GregLeckerArts social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Tumblr!
Artist-in-Residence, Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts
Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts (BLCA) is a nonprofit community art center. Greg Lecker began his residency in March of 2017 and it will continue through August 2018. Greg looks forward to sharing his love of nature and art with Banfill-Locke visitors and students, and especially residents and workers of Fridley and the northern metropolitan Twin Cities. His residency will finish with an exhibit of his work created while at BLCA. The exhibit is scheduled for July 28 to August 25, 2018.
Save the Date!
“Greetings from the North Woods: Works by Greg Lecker” opens Friday, December 1 at Tettegouche State Park Visitor Center, Highway 61, just north of Silver Bay, Minnesota on the beautiful North Shore of Lake Superior — and Greg invites you to celebrate with him from 7-8:30 pm! Enjoy art, food, conversation and the music of Brian Morrison!
Stay Connected
Look, wonder, enjoy, thank, create, share, learn, teach…every day! That has been the stated mission of GregLeckerArts since posts began more than a year ago. Over 200 followers turn to this Facebook page for their daily arts news and inspiration. Content includes notices of art openings, nature blog postings, opportunities to make art, art techniques and demonstrations…. and yes, work by Greg Lecker and his artist friends. Posts are brief and almost always include an image and a link where you can learn more!
Pink Peonies
These pink peonies were picked just before fading and painted to capture the transition from spring to summer 2016.
Photo-collage of painting progress (from my June 9 social media posting.
Step by step, following is the painting progress and the finished painting. Visit #183 Northrup King Building, 1500 Jackson Street NE this Saturday 12-4 pm (and every Saturday) to see the painting for yourself.
http://www.northrupkingbuilding.com/open-Saturdays
Pink Peonies model for still life painting
Sketch of composition, measuring carefully
Full color block-in, connecting shapes
Add leaves in full color block-in, still no white added to color
Add background, adjusting drawing slightly. No ivory black is used; instead, dark chromatic pigment is a varying blend of Ultramarine Blue, Alizarin Crimson, and a “dash” of Cadmium Yellow Deep.
Add tablecloth, cast shadow, and vase; now adding white to colors. At the same time, lightest portions of flowers are noted by rubbing out the underpainting.
Flower shadows are added.
Color of shapes are adjusted by adding paint. Ask: is the shape lighter or darker, warmer or cooler. Flowers and foliage emerge from the underpainting!
Still more shape adjustments are made, including pulling the background paint inward and pulling the still life paint outward.
Flower shadows are connected and adjusted slightly towards the blue rather than the violet. Painting is nearly complete – this time photographed outdoors for truer color. The previous photographs exaggerate the warm halogen light cast.
Final painting: Adjusted background color slightly, added highlights in forward blooms, softened some edges. Photographed under better lighting.
Pianos On Parade – Downtown Minneapolis
I was invited to participate in Pianos on Parade – a public art project jointly produced by the Minneapolis Downtown council and Keys 4/4 Kids. Upright pianos will be displayed on downtown Minneapolis public spaces during the month of June. To learn more, please visit:
http://pianosonparade.com/twincities/about/
My submission for Pianos On Parade – Day One progress
My submission for Pianos On Parade – Day Two progress
My submission for Pianos On Parade – Day Three progress – Completed
2016 ART-A-WHIRL – Report; and Thank You!
Paintings sold during Art-A-Whirl 2016
Thanks to all who visited and supported artists!
2016 ART-A-WHIRL – Preview
Make #183 Northrup King Building, 1500 Jackson Street NE, Mpls your first stop during Art-A-Whirl 2016:
Friday, May 20, 5-10 pm
Saturday, May 21, 12-8 pm
Sunday, May 22, 12-5 pm
Here is a preview of newly completed paintings:
Art-A-Whirl Preview – New Paintings
2016 ART-A-WHIRL – Painting Demonstrations & Giveaways!
2016 Art-A-Whirl Painting Demonstrations
Fifteen mini-demonstrations are planned – one on each hour Friday 6-9 pm, Saturday 1-7 pm, Sunday 1-4 pm. Throughout Art-A-Whirl, on the hour, Greg Lecker dons a hard hat advertising “Artist at Work”. Signage provides a short written summary of the 5-10 minute painting demonstration to follow. On a small tan toned panel, on which the landscape subject is pre-drawn, Greg paints shadows in blue-gray paint that vary in value and saturation with the distance to the subjects. After quickly “freezing the light”, Greg begins to add middle tones, highlight, and light source. At the conclusion of the brief demonstration, instead of signing the piece, Greg stamps it “Artist At Work”.
2016 Art-A-Whirl Door Prizes
One mini-workshop attendee wins the partially finished painting, source photograph, and a small acrylic paint kit to take home to complete the painting. Other attendees are invited to take home drawing kits with drawing pencils and paper. Everyone is a winner at this Art-A-Whirl Artist-At-Work demonstration.
THIRSTY LILACS
Kami Mendlik inspired me to paint these lilacs. During the Bryn Mawr Festival of Garage Sales this past weekend (May 7 & 8), I arranged these in a watering can since I couldn’t find a vase large enough for the bouquet I had collected. I painted for about four hours on Saturday, less time spent speaking with neighbors. Even in the shade, the flowers wilted over this time — as did I. Overnight, in the coolness of the garage, the blooms perked up — so I started anew on Sunday; and I did my best to capture their beauty, if not their fragrance. Check out the following time-lapse; then read the tips I collected from a recent two-day workshop taught by Kami Mendlik.
Still Life Arranged & Lit
Step 1: After drawing; Starting block-in
Step 2: Filling in Shapes – Paying attention to whether shapes are cooler or warmer, darker or lighter.
Step 3: Refining Edges of forms for accuracy; Develop Foliage and Watering Can
Step 4: Refining Flowers and Foliage, including Stems; pushing and pulling edges into one another.
Step 5/Final: Softening select edges; Refining highlights; Adjusting foliage, flowers to overlap watering can rose head. It was calling too much attention to itself!
Here’s what I learned from a recent floral still life lesson from Kami Mendlik:
– Measure carefully,
– Draw arrangement carefully – using brush or pastel pencil if necessary.
– Envelope outer forms with straight voluminous lines, not curves, not zig-zags! Fill the panel.
– Key to rendering water in vase (if applicable) is to accurately match shape, value, & color. That methodology is applicable when painting flowers too.
– Don’t “paint” petals or leaves. Paint the shapes, values, and color – and the still life elements will be revealed in your painting.
– Paint backdrop & tabletop to serve as a reference for still life elements
– In painting backdrop, note what is cool and what is warm colored.
– White tabletop is darker than one thinks- remember: yellow-white highlights on vase are the brightest value,
– Carefully block in & check shapes
– Use enough paint – it allows pulling forms into one another.
– Refine by pulling still life elements outward and background inward.
– As you look at edges between shapes of different color or value, ask yourself – wamer/cooler, darker/brighter?
– Soften edge between tabletop & backdrop.
There is so much more to learn! Visit www.kamimendlik.com for class & workshop schedule.
CONNECTION MADE WITH JEROME, ARIZONA
I will be at Gallery Immaginé, #183 Northrup King Building, 1500 Jackson St NE, Minneapolis this Open Saturday, April 16, 12-4 pm. Please stop by and see my ongoing WXSW show. Though the show continues through May 14, this Saturday will be the last day to see the painting of Rickeldoris candy store pictured below. Following this weekend’s Open Saturday, I will ship the painting to its new Arizona owner. On a whim, I had e-mailed a picture of the painting to the Jerome, Arizona Chamber of Commerce. As fate would have it, the volunteer forwarded the picture to the new owner of the store; and she inquired about purchasing the painting. It is fitting that she will own the piece to help commemorate her mother who operated Rickeldoris for twenty years until her passing the week before my December 2015 visit.
TWO OPPORTUNITIES TO SEE MY WORK – Thursday, April 7
I will be at #183 Northrup King Building, 1500 Jackson St NE this First Thursday, April 7, 5-9 pm, as usual. Please stop by and see my WXSW show. Visitors are enjoying the color and depth of the new work on display. Navigate and click on the NEW WORK tab to see my latest southwest and west pieces. Here’s a preview of one studio piece from my December 2015 trip (selected since our early April weather seems more like December):
December in Jerome
In the Southwest portion of the metropolitan Mpls-St. Paul, visit Edina Art Center to see Water Slide, a newly framed work of mine. This Thursday, 5-8 pm, stop by the opening reception of the Minnesota Artist’s Association Spring Show.
Water Slide
featured at
Edina Art Center
MY GRATITUDE
I extend heart felt thanks to the 60+ visitors who contributed conversation & purchased art at my WXSW show preview and opening March 18 and 19. You, the viewer, make our art possible! The show continues — read on to learn more.
CURRENT EXHIBITION
WEST BY SOUTHWEST – March 19 Opening Reception
Plein Air Painting Travelogue by Minneapolis Artist
Over the past several years, Minneapolis artist Greg Lecker travelled to Catalina Island, the Badlands, and Arizona to paint varying landscapes. Subjects include the red rocks of Sedona, Sonoran Desert of Arizona, the continually eroding wall of the South Dakota Badlands, knobby granite dells, and the Grand Canyon. Greg schleps a large, twenty-five-year-old blue backpack with tripod and portable paint box. By traveling merely to his Northrup King Building gallery in Northeast Minneapolis, you have the opportunity to view Greg’s graphic travelogue.
Details: #183 Northrup King Building, Gallery Immaginé, 1500 Jackson Street NE. Show continues through May 14. Opening on Saturday, March 19, 4-10 pm. Meet the artist, enjoy food and drink. http://www.greglecker.com
Opening Reception October 19
Use Main Entry or Door F (new ADA ramp from parking lot!)
Winter’s End Show – Last Weekend
This Saturday, March 12, #183 Northrup King Building, 1500 Jackson Street NE, 12-4 pm; or by appointment – contact Greg at gregelecker@gmail.com
View paintings under New Work tab.
Please stop by to see my new work!
Courtyard Clearing
Courtyard Clearing painted during #artshanty pop-up at Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Watch Outdoor Painters of Minnesota at work in Target Park during museum hours September 10-13!
SURPRISE event at Minneapolis Institute of Arts Thursday, Friday & Saturday, September 10, 11, 12, 10-4 pm & Sunday September 13 from 11-4 pm. Look for announcement Thursday, September 10!
NORTHRUP KING FIRST THURSDAYS
#183 Northrup King Building, 1500 Jackson Street NE, Mpls
Thursday, October 1, 5-9 pm
Thursday, November 5, 5-9 pm
ART ATTACK
Friday, November 6, 5-10 pm
Saturday, November 7, 12-8 pm
Sunday, November 8, 12- 5 pm
Northrup King Nights: Gallery Opening/Open Studios
Saturday, August 15, 2015, 5-10 pm
You’re invited to the next installation of Northrup King Nights: Ultimate Family Reunion. Many galleries will be open this evening and are offering special offers: build your own sundae, make your own s’mores, art activities, painting demonstrations. I will offer a door prize drawing for a free painting. Come see my latest paintings, including a preview of subjects I’ll paint during Hudson’s Plein Air Festival, August 14-16, with show at Seasons on St. Croix Gallery from August 17 through August 30, 401 Second Street, Hudson, WI, www.seasonsonstcroix.com
Gallery Immaginé is open: First Thursdays of each month, 5-9 pm Saturday afternoons, 12-4 pm
Art Attack at Northrup King Building
First Thursday, November 5, 5-9 pm
Friday, November 6, 5-10 pm
Saturday, November 7, 12 Noon – 8 pm
Sunday, November 8, 12 Noon – 5 pm
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr: /gregleckerarts
Travel Themed Art Opening – Saturday, April 25, 2015, 12-6 pm
Art Opening – April 25, 2015
10,000 MILES BY HIGHWAY, HIKING TRAIL, PLANE – AND PAINT
Plein Air Painting Travelogue by Minneapolis Artist
In 2014, Minneapolis artist Greg Lecker travelled 10,000 miles by car, canoe, ferry, hiking boot, & airplane to paint both gray & green landscapes en plein air (in the open air). Greg captures changing light in the man-made & natural world in paintings filled with color, motion and emotion. He communicates his “real-time” experiences with passersby and shares newly finished oil paintings – sometimes still wet — with gallery visitors and collectors to trigger memories of favorite places or make introductions for newly discovered treasures.
Subjects include the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, the continually eroding wall of the South Dakota Badlands, water lilies on a local lake, a favorite campsite on the Superior Hiking Trail, trout streams, and Mississippi River towns. Greg schleps a large, twenty-five-year-old blue backpack with tripod and portable paint box. By traveling merely to his Northrup King Building gallery in Northeast Minneapolis, you have the opportunity to view Greg’s travelogue.
Details: #183 Northrup King Building, Gallery Immaginé, 1500 Jackson Street NE. Opening on Saturday, April 25, 12-6 pm. Show continues through Art-A-Whirl – Fri., May 15, 5-10 pm; Sat., May 16, 12-8 pm; Sun., May 17, 12-5 pm. Talk with artists, enjoy food & drink, discounts, & door prize.
THANKS to visitors to WILDFLOWERS 2014 Shows at NKB & Bassett Creek Arts!
Many thanks to those who attended the art openings of “A Year of Wildflowers”. The show, “A Year of Wildflowers” continues at the art and framing shop and at my Northrup King Building, 1500 Jackson Street NE, Mpls, #183 – Gallery Immaginé.
To watch and listen to a short TV news story of a local sketching group, MetroSketchers, and me sketching in a local garden conservatory, please visit:
Please bear the brief sponsor message – the cheery colors of the flowers and drawings are worth the short advertisement!
ALSO EXHIBITING AT BASSETT CREEK ARTS
Bassett Creek Arts, 416 Penn Avenue South, Bryn Mawr, Mpls, www.bassettcreekarts.com.
NOW EXHIBITING AT GALLERY IMMAGINE ROOM 183, NORTHRUP KING BUILDING, 1500 JACKSON AVE NE @ 15TH ST NE, MINNEAPOLIS, MN — IN THE ARTISTS QUARTER
As of January 1, 2014, Greg Lecker’s work may be viewed at the cooperative gallery, Gallery Immagine in THE building to see contemporary art in the artists quarter of Minneapolis. Conveniently located on the first floor just steps from the main entry, the gallery is open most Saturdays from 12 Noon to 4 pm and on all First Thursdays (except for July 3) from 5 – 9 pm. View the work of over 200 artists; and don’t miss the unique opportunity to speak with the artists themselves!
ARTIST STATEMENT
Through vibrant oil pigment, Greg Lecker shares glimpses of his experiences of the landscape – submitted for the viewer to compare with their perceptions. We travel through an enchanting, ever-changing environment of visual stimulation. In direction, intensity, and color, the quality of light changes throughout the day and night. From season to season too, the illuminated environment is transformed. Practicing as an architectural lighting designer for the past twenty-five years, light has been Greg Lecker’s medium. At the same time, Greg continued to draw and paint subjects largely drawn from the natural world. Greg continues to learn from fellow members of a figure drawing cooperative and from landscape artists of Outdoor Painters of Minnesota. He captures light and renders three-dimensional space on a simple flat piece of paper, wood, or cloth.
Greg Lecker — NOW EXHIBITING AT ROOM 183, NORTHRUP KING BUILDING, 1500 JACKSON AVE NE @ 15TH ST NE, MINNEAPOLIS, MN — IN THE ARTISTS QUARTER
2104 Laurel Avenue West
Minneapolis, MN 55405
cell: 612-207-4156
gregelecker@gmail.com
SELECTED RESUME
ART EDUCATION:
Workshops, private; and studies with Joe Paquet; School of Visual Arts (NYC) – Anatomy and Portraiture. Member, Outdoor Painters of Minnesota.
SELECTED AWARDS AND EXHIBITIONS:
Juried Exhibition, Minnesota State Fair, Fine Art Exhibition.
“Something Sketchy” Group Exhibition, Bell Museum of Natural History Jaques Gallery, Minneapolis, MN on view September 5 through December 29. For hours and more information, visit: http://www.bellmuseum.umn.edu/index.htm
TEACHING:
Drawing on Nature week-long drawing class at Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua, NY, July 2013
GALLERIES:
Parley Lake Winery Art Gallery
PUBLICATIONS:
Bryn Mawr Bugle “Drawing On Nature” and “View From The Bridge” columns 2003 to 2013.
Arboretum Nature Notes Blog, 2012 through 2013
To view publications where my illustrations or photography are included, visit the “Blogroll” on the right-hand-side of this website. Click on the year desired, then from the website, navigate to Bryn Mawr Bugle, and the issue, and scroll through to find the column. Or, click on the Nature Notes link indicated, then scroll through the Nature Notes blog entries.
Greg Lecker: Artist - Naturalist 