“As I pursue the act of pleine aire painting [En plein air is a French expression which means “in the open air”, and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors] it becomes a process of not only painting but of staying in the moment; a meditational device that keeps me in the present and seeing clearly. When that actually happens it promotes a wonderful connection between nature and the mind, an ideal realized,” states artist, Sara Leadholm. Leadholm’s professional career has led her to serve as an art director in New York City for advertising, a student of acclaimed pleine aire landscape painter Joe Paquet, and art teacher in the public schools of Minnesota for over ten years. As a long-time resident of St. Peter, Leadholm has captured beautiful landscapes across Minnesota to the pacific coast.
Her work is displayed in multiple private collections, homes and businesses across the state. Leadholm’s paintings demonstrate her innate ability to interpret natural landscapes and transfer them onto canvass in a matter of hours.
“I’m working at obtaining the ideal, a symbolic truth that can heighten my awareness to what is around me. And though I struggle at it, my desire to gain the abilities to capture one particular instant will keep me painting for a long time,” states Leadholm.
