^{Frank Sander~Humanature~Custom Design}

Steve Burmeister/Budgeteer News Artist Frank Sander has just completed a breathtaking mural of a Cuban landscape in a house in rural Duluth, owned by Andy and Sonja Baertsch. The artist said creating a vision to please others has been challenging and satisfying. He has also used his extraordinary skills in painting, design and architecture in other rooms in the house as well as in the landscape designs.

One of Duluth's most gifted artists took his ego, put it into a box and is using his extraordinary talents to express the personal visions of a Duluth family.

It's been tough, at times, but exhilarating, too, said Frank Sander, a multi-media artist who has had major fine art exhibits in the Twin Cities as well as the Twin Ports in the last few years and considers this project to be an example of his commercial art.

"It's been really a struggle to get it right," the German native said, as he put the final touches on a striking mural that he has painted on a curved, concrete wall in the basement of Sonja and Andy Baertsch's residence in rural Duluth. "Everybody had their own vision. But if I put my own ego in it, it does nobody any good because they have to live with it. The exciting thing is that I'm using everything I've learned -- about painting, photography, architecture, art. I love to do that. This has been very satisfying to me."

That satisfaction is mirrored in the faces of Andy and Sonja Baertsch and their eldest son, Nathan, as they talk about what has happened to the new addition to their home since Sander started wielding a paint brush in the interior.

Sanders has already completed a number of rooms using faux painting techniques, which create illusions on a flat surface with different colors and textures.

Upstairs in the new guest bedroom, for example, the walls are textured perfectly, giving the impression, perhaps, of fine silk wall paper.

In the wine tasting room, Sander took the new white walls and transformed them into a turn-of-the-century wine tasting room deep in the cellars of a European winery. The walls look like concrete that's been there for generations and could crumble at the touch. He's even painted an air duct to look like it's rusting away. The ambiance is homey and comfortable and definitely not new.

Sander's skills connect his European cultural heritage to the fine arts, said John Steffl, creative director at the Duluth Art Institute. "It's hard to clichÈ what he's doing," Steffl said. "It's faux painting, it's design, it's mural work. When you're working with someone of the stature of Frank Sander, you're practically guaranteed that your house will become part of the new history of Duluth. He has a wonderful understanding of the design trends of the house, and he mixes that knowledge to create a unique and wonderful visual art experience."

"It's cool," Nathan said, as he perched on one of the steps last week, watching Sanders at work.

"He seems to really care about what feeling we're trying to create here," Sonja said.

"He is really vested in having us happy with it, too," Andy said.

The breathtaking mural in the basement of their home took two months to complete and represents hours of discussion between the artist and the family as well as lots of paint-overs.

In fact, the scene of a balcony overlooking the sea somewhere in Cuba flanked by what appears to be historic buildings in Havana, as well as pots of red flowers and cactuses, never would have happened at all if the contractor for an addition to the Baertsches' home, Dennis Gunsolus, hadn't invited Sander to tour the interior six months ago.

 

Steve Burmeister/Budgeteer News The mural began with a photograph of a building and, through discussions and research with artist Frank Sander, the ideas for the two portions of the mural were sketched in. Sander, above, paints a few more details on a planter filled with red flowers. The color is caught in highlights on the building arches in the background.

"One day Dennis asked if it would be OK if he brought Frank down to the house," Sonja said. "So he came over, and he's been here ever since."

Sander, who has considerable experience renovating and decorating homes to reflect their history as well as the interests of the owners, said he took one step into the room which houses a pool table and knew immediately that the massive wall should have a mural. But what kind of mural?

Sander knew he had to spend a lot of time talking to the family to find out.

The Baertsches love to travel and sail and have spent a lot of time in the Caribbean, Sonja said. But they also are inspired by Ernest Hemingway, who lived in Africa, Cuba and Idaho, and each locale was considered for the mural.

"First it was Africa -- African trees and Kilimanjaro," Sander said. "Then they told me about Central America. I thought Cuba was great, and then I got all kinds of books on Africa and Cuba."

The family pored over the books, marking photographs that interested them, Sonja said. "Then we found a picture of the building we liked," and the process began in earnest.

Nathan, who is a talented artist himself, came up with ideas for a number of parts of the mural, including the banana tree arching over the balcony and the view of the beach. He also wanted Sander to paint a frog hiding in one of the vines -- which he did.

The input has been invaluable, Sander said. He's especially liked the candid talk about what the family likes and doesn't like. "If they say when they don't like it, it makes it much easier," he said. "When they don't like it, we talk about alternatives and try something else."

Everybody has ownership that way, he said. "If you create something you really like, it gives you a good feeling," he said.

But it's not over yet, by any means. Sander and Andy Baertsch have also begun working on ideas for landscaping.

Sonja laughs when she tells how Sander came in one day and said, "I have an idea. I've been thinking about the outside of the house. Can I tell you what I've been thinking?"

Of course, they said, and the ideas just poured out.

They were exactly the kind of suggestions they were looking for.

To find out more about Sander and his future fine art projects, visit his Web site at www.humanature.org , email: franksander@ humanature.org, or phone, (218) 525-0312.