Gino Santa Maria’s “Light from Above” illuminates the customer lounge at Seeger Toyota.
Commentary by Kara Dicker
There’s something special about seeing a beautiful piece of artwork in an unexpected place. I had this experience a few weeks ago when I took my vehicle for routine service at the Seeger Toyota dealership in Creve Coeur.
Rather than drop off my car and leave, I opted to wait inside the customer lounge for the simple reason that the space is always pleasant and welcoming. Plus, as someone who enjoys local history, I appreciate the nicely-presented photographs showing the different Seeger-owned businesses at their century-old location at Fee Fee Road and Olive.
My recent visit did not disappoint. Upon entering the lounge, I sat my laptop upon a café table and headed toward the coffee counter. There, I noticed a woman admiring a large painting on the wall near the entrance. She stood before the piece for some time. Upon turning away, she saw me and said, “It’s really quite lovely.”
Coffee in hand, I walked over to see the work for myself. It was a landscape painting depicting the lush floor of an open patch of woods illuminated by light from above. Rendered in an array of greens from translucent to dark, the painting is a dramatic mood piece evoking a sense of uplift, if not awe. The woman was right. It was lovely, quite lovely. I looked down at the label: Seeger Family Farm, Creve Coeur Lake, by Gino Santa Maria.
Curious about the painting’s story, I inquired at the nearest desk, where the woman I spoke with said there had been a buzz of enthusiasm for the artwork. It wasn’t long before I got a call back from Andy Seeger, the head manager. He told me the painting was a recent acquisition by his mother, also a painter. “I might be biased,” he said, “but I think she’s pretty good too.” He encouraged me to call her. I did.
It turns out that Margaret “Missie” Seeger is a new member at Heartland Art Club. This spring she enrolled in Mr. Santa Maria’s workshop, where he used the artwork as part of his demonstration. Ms. Seeger recognized the painting’s location near the entrance to Creve Coeur Park. For her the painting had a familial pull, considering that earlier generations of Seegers farmed much of the land in the area. “Seeger had farms all around Creve Coeur Lake,” she said.
Not only did Ms. Seeger come away from the workshop with a special painting, but the level of generosity from the artist himself exceeded her expectations. “I really enjoyed Gino,” she said, explaining that it was his willingness to share his techniques with others that made the workshop so enjoyable.
I asked the artist about this work. He said he created it from a smaller piece he painted en plein air at Creve Coeur Lake. “This particular day the light was magical, “he said. “It is one of those paintings where everything just seemed to flow almost effortlessly.”
Mr. Santa Maria calls the piece Light from Above. “Seeing this painting in a public display simply fills my heart with gratitude to know that somebody appreciates and values my work,” he said.
That somebody is not only Missie Seeger, but the anonymous patrons who get to enjoy a rich and unexpected visual delight while their cars get serviced. Thank you, Ms. Seeger, for your spirit of sharing.