For artist Pete Sandker, painting in the Driftless and living in the Driftless are forever intertwined.
“The patterns and cycles of nature, the flowers and birds changing with the months, summer and winter constellations in the night sky. All of that is permanently in there, in the place where my paintings come from,” Pete says. “There is no separating it.”
As a child growing up outside of Soldier’s Grove, Wisconsin, Pete spent his days soaking in nature, spending time out in the woods or helping with the goats his family raised. Living deep in the valley with no neighbors exposed him to the solitude and peace that nature can bring.
As an adult, Pete still seeks that calm in the natural world. He often finds it in the areas around his home in La Crosse, Wisconsin, where he initially moved for school. He was planning to complete a Physical Therapy Assistant program but withdrew shortly before classes started. He decided he was more interested in art.
“I never planned on being a painter, though. It never seemed like a viable option for a career, so I’ve had a lot of different jobs in my life,” he explains. He especially enjoyed being a landscaper, savoring his time working outside in beautiful locations. Then, when he had free time, Pete created art as a hobby. But he started thinking maybe it could be more than a hobby when he noticed a call for artists at the Driftless Area Art Festival in Soldiers Grove. “On a whim, I applied and got accepted,” he says. “The response was so positive and encouraging, it changed my life forever.”
That was over a decade ago. The art community welcomed Pete with open arms, and he realized his calling was to capture the beauty of the natural world through art. He has since taken his skilled watercolor work to art shows, fairs, and galleries across the region.
Pete loves experiencing nature wherever he is. He can walk from his La Crosse home to public forest lands and takes advantage of that opportunity as often as possible. And when he’s on the road, he finds other spots to explore.
“As long as my mind is clear and free of distraction, I can connect with the mystery and beauty of nature pretty much anywhere” he says.
But even after traveling all over, the Driftless calls him back every time.
“I love the simple beauty of the Driftless Region. There are no towering mountains or huge waterfalls or crashing waves like in other parts of the country. Those things are incredibly beautiful, and I love them, but with all that awe and wonder, having your breath taken away… there is this other feeling, almost a mild stress from being overwhelmed,” he explains. “Here, there are endless rolling hills and quiet mist-filled valleys, slow rivers, welcoming forests. I just feel more at peace here.”
The quiet moments of peace are where Pete tends to find his inspiration. He will look around, marvel in the beauty of nature, and an idea will spark. “Even some interesting lichen on a tree in the middle of the city can be inspiring,” he says.
He describes his art as “watercolor with an interpretive view of nature,” saying his approach “mixes realism and detail with whimsy, creating unexpected images and shapes, hopefully telling a story unique to each person who sees it.” Pete’s creations tend to feature wildlife, plants, insects, foliage, and bodies of water, all intertwined in complex, detailed depictions. With closer examination, there are often little secrets and nuances to admire.
“What I like most about watercolors is the way they can transform from a solid bright line to a flowing wave of color and patterns,” Pete says. “They have a life of their own. You can plan out what you want them to do but sometimes it’s like they make their own choices.”
Pete loves to take this a step further and capture movement – especially water or wind – in his paintings.
“Lakes, waterfalls, even just a trickle of spring runoff, you can feel a certain energy from water, like we are just meant to interact with it,” he says with enthusiasm. The same kind of energy exists on a windy day.
“Wind in the leaves, waving the grass in a meadow, the feel of that invisible force is so mysterious and calming. No matter the weather, if there’s wind, I am happy. Even in the dead of winter, there is nothing quite as exhilarating as hearing the wind at night, howling through the naked trees.”
Pete’s planning new energy within his own life and work as well. He will attend art festivals across Minnesota and Wisconsin this summer, and has new projects on the docket, like a coffee table art book that will incorporate his paintings and descriptions, and a little further down the line, a future children’s book. In the meantime, he continues to find peace, solitude, and inspiration at home in La Crosse. The region seems to always give his art life, he says. “The Driftless has been nothing but a positive experience for me.”
Sara Walters
Sara Walters is a writer based in La Crosse, Wisconsin. She has been a contributor to Inspire(d) since 2018.
See Pete Sander & his art at a 2025 Art Festival!
June 6-8: Edina Art Festival, Edina, MN
June 14: Artspire, La Crosse, WI
July 12-13: Art Fair Off the Square, Madison, WI
July 19-20: ArtFest, Green Bay, WI
July 26-27: Art at the Park, Appleton, WI
August 2-3: DBQfest, Dubuque, IA
August 9-10: Art in the Park, Lake Geneva, WI
August 16-17: Festival of the Arts, Oconomowoc, WI
September 6-7: Wausau Festival of the Arts, Wausau, WI
September 20-21: Driftless Area Art Festival – Soldiers Grove, WI
October 4: Waunakee Artisan Market, Waunakee, WI
