If Van Gogh Had a Van

Article by Mike Mosedale, City Pages October 5, 2005

Paintings of naked women sell better than landscapes. Patrick Ginter knows this principle of commerce firsthand. But lately he has been spending most of his time working on landscapes, mainly of Lake Calhoun. He favors big, bold brush strokes and bright colors--a variation on the expressionist style he’s been experimenting with for about three decades.

So these days, Ginter concentrates on the landscapes. In good weather, he usually spends his afternoons on the southern shore of Lake Calhoun, where he and a few other painters take advantage of the panoramic view of the downtown skyline. Ginter typically reserves his mornings for his other art–playing guitar. If you happen to walk by his van, which he parks in out-of-the-way spots that he prefers to keep secret, you might hear him tearing off bluesy riffs through a little, battery-powered amp.

Ginter is Minnesotan through and through. He grew up in Owatonna and, over the years, has bounced between mid-sized southern Minnesota communities, where he usually winters, and the Twin Cities, where he summers. He has never been much for settling down or straight labor or the regular life. “Yeah, I’ve worked in factories, odd jobs here and there,” he explains. “But I’m really not very good at working for people. I guess I can’t take orders.”

Read the rest of this article online at citypages.com...