An Artist's Journey
"Art is the only way to run away without leaving home!". by Twyla Tharp
AN ARTIST JOURNEY,
After graduating from high school she went on to attend Northern College where she took her very first art class; Drawing 101. When her high schoolnd inventor. As a child she does not recall verbalizing different talents her family had, it was just a way of life. Artistic explorations were in her play.It was to her advantage to be raised on a farm and to have had the opportunity to attend the Wolsey Public School K-12. This small town school had no art classes but she found her way into the hearts of most of her teachers helping them with their bulletin boards, posters, and back drops for plays and musicals. One of her favorite classes was the geography class where many assignments were drawing maps for reports. Two of her teachers in high school especially encouraged her in her creative side. The music teacher, who was involved in all the plays and musicals, gave her a gift of appreciation - an artist paint pallet charm. Her English teacher took her aside and encouraged her to do a drawing resulting in her grade sweetheart, the love of her life, returned from the Army National Guard Camp they were engaged, got married and established a way of life farming. Her domestic skills were needed on the farm but she found time to take a correspondence art course, which opened her inner creative spirit. After a discussion with her husband she realized she had something very special. She asked him if he saw colored pictures in his head. His answer was no it is just blank! She realized then that she was given a gift and art really came alive! She used the resource of barn wood as her first canvas. With family and friends requesting artwork on barn wood ; It didn’t take long that she started painting on canvas. With family support her first canvases were paintings for her family members. Commission work for paintings and sign work followed soon after.The local art shop where she purchased art supplies encouraged her to bring in her artwork. “I was so insecure of my artwork I had it wrapped up in a blanket. The owner was the art professor at Huron College and he assured me it did not need to be covered up!” It was at this time that Sprecher took a beginners class on watercolor painting at Huron College. Time had passed and now they had a family of two sons and she was painting everyday. With the South Dakota State Fair located in Huron, her husband, Steve encouraged her to enter the painting she was working on. This was out of her comfort zone but she took his advice and entered. To her surprise she got a big blue ribbon and the whole area knew she painted. It wasn’t long and the commission orders started coming in like a snowball effect. Artwork started to accumulate, so she broadened her horizons and started attending art shows within driving distance. At this time she was painting primarily in oil but had to change over to acrylics as the paint fumes from the oils did not agree with her. Her subject choices were primarily landscape with wildlife in them from her childhood hunting day memories and her environment.
After spending most of the time at an art show studying and admiring an artist’s beautiful watercolors she was curious enough to try watercolors again, even though she was told it was the most difficult medium. That led to attending her first watercolor workshop with nationally known Frank Webb painting on location with a four inch brush! Sprecher said, “I was very intimidated since I had only been introduced to watercolor back at Huron College years ago. The large brush and sitting on location were both new avenues I had never explored before. Since I had purchased the Windsor Newton paints and Arch’s watercolor paper that was required, there was no turning back. So I just dug in and practiced his techniques! I was determined to conquer this new challenge.” She began painting diligently with her new watercolor medium and brushes applying what she had learned from the workshop as well as the Frank Webb’s book.
Circumstances and surprising opportunities gave her some advantages when her family relocated to the Sioux Falls area. This provided many opportunities for displaying and selling her artwork. These experiences gave her the opportunity to open a cooperative art gallery with four other artists. Without an art degree Marian explored other avenues to help her develop her artistic exploration and vision, technical skills, and gain confidence in her work. She was able to attend many watercolor workshops with nationally known professional artists, such as: Raleigh Kinney, Judy Morris, Barbara Nechis, Judy Betts, Andy Evenson, Frank Webb, Zoltan Szabo, Jessica Zemsky and Joyce Hicks. Sprecher spent hours studying through their books as well as attending their workshops and drawing classes at Augustana College in Sioux Falls with Carl Grupp.. She found her style by applying techniques, studying, and learning something new with each artist.
Sprecher and her growing family decided to move back to their roots in South Dakota . This gave them the opportunity to be back on the farm and close to their aging parents. Living on the farm again gave Sprecher more time to develop her own style. As time would have it; a crossroad presented itself to her. She had the opportunity to go into business with her husband and become a Realtor in the local area. For the next ten years she supported her husband in the family business knowing she would always return to her artistic love. While focusing on the real estate family business, she was given many opportunities to do commissioned artwork.
On October 9, 2007 Marian’s life changed forever. She had a brain aneurysm which caused a stroke on her left side. By the grace of God, many prayers, and extensive physical therapy she was able to walk out of the hospital many weeks later. She gives all glory to her Lord and Savior for sparing her life and enabling her to continue in her artistic and creative soul. Her aneurysm was on the right side of the brain so her survival is nothing short of a miracle! She has been able to return to her artistic creative endeavors, however as she has gotten older there have been different heath challenges along the way. But these do not stop her determination to continue painting.
After retiring from the real estate business she pursues and continues her creative watercolor painting. Her health has prevented her from attending art shows and festivals as she once did but she continues to move forward with her artwork and as many art exhibitions she can handle.
Sprecher has fulfilled a bucket list goal that she set back when she was in physical therapy. That goal was to paint each grandchild. At that time there were only five to date. She and her loving husband of over 50 years have nine grandchildren. Marian accomplished that goal in 2020, during the covid pandemic.
Over the years Sprecher participated in many local and regional shows, festivals and exhibitions. In the past 40 years she has received numerous awards with many first place awards. Sprecher has repeatedly received an award in the South Dakota State Fair, and the South Dakota Health Care Association Dakota Masterworks Art Show. She has been featured in the Huron Daily Plainsman several times and with the Marketing Alliance. Sprecher is a member of South Dakota Art Alliance, The Great Plains Watercolor Society and a Signature Member of The Northern Plains Watercolor Society.
Many clients have extended praise for her excellent work . Others have expressed how she makes good use of soft color along with light to enhance the beauty of the natural subject whether it is a landscape, floral or still life. Sprecher’s paintings come from her everyday world and surroundings such as the prairies’ landscapes, homes, farms, barns, farm animals, and flowers in a garden or bouquet. She is inspired by the beauty of her surroundings. One can feel the love and joy Sprecher brings into the painting when she captures the essence of the subject; whether that be the beauty and fragrance from a flower or the atmosphere of a landscape. She has been told that one feels like they are right there in the flesh With every painting, it is Sprecher’s desire to utilize the process of watercolor to express God’s gifts in nature with images of design and color. It is her passion.
