September 2006

“Something between realism and impressionism” is how Leda Spingath describes her own watercolors.

This artist’s work reflects her love of beauty and solitude. An element of peace flows through her landscapes. Her seascapes reflect the calm that comes after a passing storm. Her florals are soft, with gentle lines and colors.

“I love nature. It’s God’s creation. You see a lot of paintings that reflect the world’s ugliness. I want to show its beauty,” Spingath says.

The tranquility with which Spingath imbues each portrait, landscape and still life is on display at Corban College’s Psalm Center Visual Arts Gallery, August 25th  to September 29th. The art gallery regularly features local artists’ work and is free and open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

Although Spingath discovered her passion for art as a child, her most prolific years came much later in life.

Raised in Los Angeles, she and her twin sister, Bertha, started painting when they were in elementary school. Spingath won her first award at age 10 and went on to study at California Technical High School in Hollywood, many of whose students have gone on to become actors, musicians and artists.

Although she planned to go on to art school, World War Two arrived, and she decided instead to marry. For three decades, she turned her attention to her husband, Richard, and her four sons. The couple and their boys – Kurt, Craig, Neal and Steve – moved to Washington, where they operated an antique furniture restoration business.

“There was a complete absence of painting in my life for 30 years,” she says.

The sudden death of Spingath’s husband in 1978 left her reeling and alone. She credits two things with helping her heal and re-discover herself – church and art. She dedicated herself to church activities and painting, all the while continuing to run the family business.

She soon discovered that her passion for painting was still alive.

“It got me up, sometimes, in the middle of the night, and I’d paint for two to three hours,” she recalls. “I couldn’t leave it alone.

Almost immediately, she began earning recognition. Her paintings placed best of show in 1981 and 1984 in the Columbian Artists Association shows held at the McClelland Art Center in Longview, Wash. She also won numerous first and second prizes at this annual art show. Two of her works were selected for display in the State Capitol Art Museum in Olympia.

Just as it was in her youth, watercolor is her medium of choice. From 1978 to 2003, she painted more than 500 watercolors.

“With oil, you can go back and correct, but with watercolor, it’s completely challenging,” she explains. “One moment, it’s dominating you, and the next moment, you’re in ecstasy because you’re in control of it.”

Spingath was twice selected president of the Columbian Artists Association. She has studied with Richard Yip, Robert E. Wood and Dr. Robert Teller in California, and Jim Westall and Eric Wiegardt in Oregon and Washington. She taught several watercolor workshops in southwest Washington. Her works are currently hanging in numerous businesses and private collections.

She moved to Oregon in 1994 to live with her children. She currently lives with her son, Steve, a retired military chaplain, and his wife Kay, in Stayton. She has nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.