By MELANIE PILTINGSRUD
Copy Editor
Anyone braving the misty morning on Tuesday, July 2 on Broadway Ave. in New Richland might have been surprised to meet Willow Gentile (pronounced Jen-till'-lee), an artist from Rochester, who stood before her easel, umbrella in one hand and palette knife in the other, painting the home of the New Richland Library: the Oddfellows building.
“I just started Google searching historic libraries that are still in use today,” said Gentile.
Gentile started drawing when she was about five years old, but it wasn't until high school that she really stated getting interested in art history, and came to the realization that, if things were art related, she paid more attention.
After homeschooling throughout her formative years, Gentile still wasn't sure what she wanted to do in college. At first she thought maybe she'd be a teacher, but, after taking a couple of studio classes, “I just never looked back,” she said. “I just knew that I needed to do this self expression.” She attained an art degree in 2015 from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and subsequently started her own business: Willomina Art Studio, where she has been teaching art for the last eight years. Two years ago she bought a commercial property in Lake City, which houses her gallery and vintage shop. Now Gentile also has a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board to paint historic libraries across Minnesota.
Gentile emails each historic library to ask if they would like a painting of their library. “New Richland's the fastest reply I've ever gotten,” said Gentile. She reached out to the local librarian, Kathy Kronebusch, who responded within ten minutes, inviting Gentile to the community to paint the local library.
“It's a live painting interaction with the community,” Gentile continued. In order to facilitate this, Gentile, with a box of crayons at the ready, had previously sketched the library and made photocopies of the drawing, so kids could make art along with Gentile.
Gentile started this project two years ago. “I realized how much, when I plein air paint – painting outdoors – that people just come and they want to interact and they're really blown away by the creative process.” Gentile says that in most cases, people go to museums and see the finished product, but are left wondering, “How do they do that?” With Gentile's plein air paintings, people get to see the process first-hand. “It's fun to kind of demystify the creative process.”
Gentile was trying to think of a way to get communities, especially smaller communities, involved in art. Her aunt is a librarian in Rushford, where Gentile had previously engaged in art-related events. “I realized how much libraries are the heart and soul of the community,” said Gentile, “especially when you start to get under 10,000 people. A lot of times they are the community center.” The idea of painting libraries came to Gentile once when she was painting outside in a parking lot by Mayo Clinic. “I just wanted to be somewhere else. I was painting a sunflower.” Gentile was astonished by the number of people driving by who stopped, full of curiosity, to ask what she was doing. For both Gentile and those who stopped, it was a really positive experience. “You're getting people to interact with public art in places where there is no public art.
“For a lot of people, this is their first time seeing a plein air painter,” said Gentile, who loves to see people get inspired and think, “Maybe I should paint!”
“For the past couple years I've been doing these pop-up plein air paintings, and I record, too,” said Gentile, who sets up her iPhone on a tripod to record her creative process, as well as interactions with the community.
Gentile finds those interactions critical to the outcome of the work; she loves using color to try to capture the feeling and energy of the people around her. Per Gentile, her paintings turn out better when there are people around. “People's energies and when they talk to me – it somehow alters the painting, because I've done paintings where no on talks to me, and […] there's something missing to it.
“I love buildings, too,” Gentile continued. “I love historic buildings, because I feel like they have that presence, that kind of residual energy. So it's really fun to have that past energy, and then this present energy kind of collide together.”
Gentile had a previous Minnesota State Arts Board grant in 2022, when she painted six 4' x 6' paintings. “I had a ladder, a van, everything,” said Gentile, who again described the reactions of the community as they stopped by to visit and watch her paint. Subsequently, she received a grant from the Southeast Minnesota Arts Council for which she painted three libraries. That was a stepping stone for Gentile to try out her idea of painting historic libraries. She painted libraries in Rushford, Chatfield, and Winona. “It was a huge success,” said Gentile. “I ended up collaborating with every library that either had events happening, or we kind of inspired each other to make a big event at their library.” In Rushford, Gentile's painting coincided with the 100th anniversary of the library. In Chatfield, Gentile was invited to paint during a regular Thursday live music event. “It ended up that I presented the painting at the end of the concert,” said Gentile. In Winona her painting coincided with a kids' day that had already been planned.
Gentile's kick-off for the 2024 grant was a stop in Janesville, where a library carnival had been organized. Her second stop on the 2024 list was New Richland. Gentile said she was so excited to start painting there, that she arrived on the scene shortly after 8 a.m. to set up her table and easel, and start painting. There are six more stops on Gentile's itinerary in northern Minnesota.
Each of Gentile's paintings start out with a charcoal sketch – either vine charcoal, charcoal pencils, or compressed charcoal, as the mood strikes. Gentile then works right on top of the charcoal drawing in oils. “So it mushes around,” said Gentile. “I kind of use the charcoal as a pigment in a way just to make the lines bigger.” Gentile paints the canvas in vivid colors, many times using various palette knives à la Vincent van Gogh. “I love putting it on pretty thick,” said Gentile, who, even when she does work with brushes, prefers them not to be rinsed out too thoroughly, so they become stiff and behave more like palette knives.
“A lot of times I get these second hand,” said Gentile, who enjoys scrounging for her palette knives. “I go thrifting sometimes, and also garage sales.” She also likes to check out old barns, “Because there are usually cool trowels and stuff that I can use, especially because I love working big, so it's nice having unique tools like that.
“Honestly, I feel really touched and thankful to get these grants,” said Gentile, “because it's awesome to have these ideas, and then to see them come to fruition.”
Gentile finished her painting of the New Richland Public Library by noon the day she started it, and donated it to the library. If you would like to see Gentile's painting, stop by the library during normal library hours.