PARK RAPIDS — The fall annual Art Leap is back in the Park Rapids and Heartland Lakes area this week. Art appreciators can hop from studio to studio seeking out and supporting local artists. Debbie Center is one of those artists who will be at the wine bar Wine Not? this weekend.
Center will not only show her paintings but also bring her keyboard to play live music. She performs what she calls “classical rock,” where she plays classic rock tunes but arranges them in a classical music style. She will also be creating northern lights and landscape paintings with acrylics.
Center will also be bringing a zither to Wine Not? Back in 2009, Center created a music program called World of Harmony Music based on the zither as an instrument. It’s easy to play and Center will be demonstrating it throughout the day.
“I love doing that because the moment that people touch it, they can actually play music. A lot of times I see people just burst into tears... That's always fun to open up that in people. Let them discover that there really is a musician inside of them too.”
Center finds an event like Art Leap to be very validating as an artist. A painter can be very isolated, but with Art Leap there will be an audience for the painting process. “You get that immediate feedback from people, which is really nice.”
Finding inspiration
Center first got interested in painting when she moved to Minnesota from Colorado and became obsessed with the northern lights. She learned all about them and started photographing them. She also got involved with various northern lights chaser groups. Then COVID happened.
“So, I wasn't able to go do that with friends anymore. And I had always wanted to learn how to paint my photos. You know, using my own photos as the inspiration for paintings.”
She then began posting her paintings on Facebook and people wanted to buy them. “So, talk about validating... That was kind of how I got involved in painting, is finding out that people actually liked my paintings and were willing to pay for them.”
Musical journey
Center’s involvement in music started with her father. He was a child prodigy violinist who was touring at six years old and attended Julliard. Her childhood was filled with going to symphony concerts.
She started piano lessons when she was seven but stopped when she was 14 after her father passed away. “That was an extremely painful time in my life. And so, anything music related, I think, was just too much of a reminder.”
It wasn’t until she heard a college friend play a piece by Brahms on piano that she found her way back to music. She “Just fell in love with the music and said I want to learn how to play like that, so I went and I got the sheet music for that... and I fumbled my way through it until I could play it. And then I've been playing more seriously ever since.”
Finding home
It also felt “meant to be” that Center would end up in Minnesota. Her family spent summers in Nevis but fell in love with the small-town life. Going back to Colorado every August got harder and harder.
“That August came. And I remember, as we were walking out of the house and both our daughter and I were crying. We didn't want to leave, and I said to my husband, ‘I want to move to Minnesota.'”
Even though Center didn’t care for winter, she knew her home was in Minnesota. The day after their daughter graduated high school, the car was packed up and they moved north for the next chapter in their lives.
Supporting the arts
Center encourages art lovers to visit during Art Leap. “It's just such a neat way to be able to see art in various forms from all kinds of different artists. There are 28 different locations in our art league this year, and I believe 14 of them or so are within walking distance of each other.”
You can find a map and booklet of all the locations participating online and the event is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 28, and Sunday, Sept. 29.
“It's just such a cool way to support your community and get to know these artists all in one spot. When else are you going to get a chance to meet all these different kinds of artists in person and get a chance to talk to them and see them at work? Just a whole lot of fun,” Center said.
Tell us about upcoming arts events where you live in Northern Minnesota by emailing psa@kaxe.org.
Area Voices is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
