The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art is located on the Tarpon Springs Campus of St. Petersburg College. You have to wonder why St. Petersburg College isn’t located in St. Petersburg, right? But let’s move on.
The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art has over 7,000 modern and contemporary works from 20th and 21st century art. Now, as you might recall from my post on the Dali Museum, I’m not particularly fond of dribbled splashes of paint on a canvas with names like “Man Chasing Horses in Montana,” or “Oak Trees Crashing to the Ground.” There I am looking for a man, or a horse, or a tree, or even the ground. And then I’m just confused. What is there on the canvas that provokes that title? I give up. I’ll stick with identifiable subjects, thank you.
So there I was, once again, looking at modern art. There were works I glanced at and walked right past, but there were also interesting pieces that made me stop and scrutinize them a little closer. Thankfully, the museum has a variety of mediums from a variety of artists so if you aren’t fond of one, you’re still likely to find others that get your attention. I loved the whimsical “Watch Dog” and was fascinated by the warrior jacket made of handmade paper. The screenprint fan with the hand-cut flowers was interesting because of its construction. I wondered how long it took to get those exact blocks of color, shape, and texture in exactly that placement to create that particular balanced vision.
I loved the vibrant colors in the painting (below left) of the table setting with its wine bottles and bowls of fruit. And contradicting myself, I even liked the color palette of the abstract painting with the oranges, yellows and purples. That said, I almost imagined it as a splash of color on an office wall, akin to Musak in an elevator. It’s there, it’s catchy, but I wouldn’t put it in my living room.
One of the main reasons I chose to visit this gallery in the first place was because of the exhibit of miniatures. Imagine creating a work of art as small as 2 1/4″ x 2 1/4″. The largest was only 6″ x 4″. How they manage to get itty bitty details on such a tiny canvas is beyond my imagination. They were stunning. And if you wanted to scrutinize those tiny details, magnifying glasses were available.
This one was Best of Show. Titled “The Mistress of the Bronze Mountain,” the colors are beautiful, the girl’s features are delicate, her expression defiant, and the costume and setting conjure a magical kingdom. I loved it.
But that was not my favorite. This little bird was my favorite. I take great pleasure in watching the birds that frequent my garden, and I could almost see this one sitting on the branch near my lanai. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was looking at me, wondering where the hell his sunflower seeds and peanuts were.
I could have stayed for hours at this exhibit. Take a look at the diversity of the entries.
Each day of the exhibit, they had an artist-in-residence, and it was a pleasure to meet Kathy Pollak. She uses a small journal (below right) to make her initial sketches and then transfers those ideas into a creative project. Her insights into the process of working on such small canvases was fascinating. I mean, when you’re working with colored pencils, what if you don’t like a particular color or you decide a shape is not quite right? As it turns out, there are teeny, tiny erasers for that purpose. Just imagine. I’ve always wished I could draw or paint and so I love hearing about an artist’s process and the tools they use to create the exquisite works like the ones on the left below.
The museum has more wonderful exhibits planned for the spring.
- February 25 – May 21, 2023 / The Palladium Series: The Other Side of Dance, Thomas Kramer Photography
- February 25 – May 21, 2023 / ARTS ALIVE! Performance in Art, featuring Le Cirque
- August 13, 2022 – March 12, 2023 / Structure of Prints: The Dorothy Mitchell Collection (this included the screenprint I liked so much)
- April 1 – 30, 2023 / State of the Digital Arts (SODA): A Pinellas County Schools Elementary and Middle School Student Exhibition
The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art is closed on Mondays but open Tuesday – Saturday from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM and Sunday from 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM. It is wheelchair accessible and worth the trip.
- 600 E. Klosterman Road, Tarpon Springs
- 727-712-5762
- http://www.leeparattner.org
Lisa Browder 
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