Artist adds to iconic holiday window display

By Caroline Rosacker

Kuempel Hardware, located on the corner of River Park Drive and Herder Street in Guttenberg, has always had an eye-catching Christmas window display. Longtime employees Brenda Schaub, Kari Klaes, Carolyn Pierce and a host of helpers throughout the years have maintained the tradition. When the mainstay business changed hands, the decorative windows remained, but the new owner's wife, Lisa Finch, added an artistic twist. She created a collection of sturdy, life-size silhouettes of ice skaters and a horse-drawn sleigh. 

Artist Kathleen Ratzlaff-Reed

This year Kathleen Ratzlaff-Reed of LeClaire, sister of employee Kari Klaes, created a long-lasting mural for the highly-admired window exhibit. 

Ratzlaff-Reed grew up in Manchester. She graduated from West Delaware High School and currently resides in LeClaire. She and her husband, David, have four children and three grandchildren. "I am married to a very helpful and creative man," Ratzaff-Reed said with gratitude. "We have made our home in LeClaire for the past 32 years. Like Guttenberg it is another beautiful Mississippi river town full of artistic inspiration. I am moved by nature, woods and waterways and love making art that viewers can escape in to."

The artist recalls visiting Guttenberg as a child. "As kids, our parents would take us on fall drives from Manchester to Guttenberg to view the amazing bluffs and Mississippi River views full of fall color," she recollected. "Now since I have family in Guttenberg we visit often. We love your Fourth of July celebrations too! Kari asked me to paint a mural for the hardware store Christmas window. I immediately felt honored and privileged to be a part of the Guttenberg Christmas window displays."

From banker to artist

Ratzlaff-Reed is employed with Blackhawk Bank & Trust in Port Byron, Ill., located directly across the river from LeClaire. "I have worked in the banking business for the past 10 years, five years in Human Resources, and five years as a teller," she noted. "In 2020 I went to part-time teller to pursue more art projects, and eventually created a website for my work. Honestly, the mural is my first job since I went part-time, so I was thrilled to do it." 

The muralist became interested in art as a small child. ​"I became interested in art when I was a little girl. I got a really cool art kit for Christmas when I was 11 or 12. It had everything – paints, charcoals, pastels, and books on how to draw. I spent hours trying every medium in the kit. I also took all the art classes I could while in school," she shared. 

The self-taught artist eventually sought out more formal training.  "I was pretty much self-taught until I went back to school as a non-traditional student in 2002. I received my Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art with a minor in Art History from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, in December of 2007," she explained. "I made senior Honors in painting and had my Honors show at Catich Gallery, St. Ambrose University. I sold several works from the show. Since graduating, I sold some paintings in some LeClaire shops, but work has been sporadic and building websites is slow for me."

Ratzlaff-Reed uses a variety of interesting mediums in her artwork.  "Up until I did the mural in acrylics my work has always been oils on canvas," she shared. "I often use plant material and other found objects in nature to create texture on my canvases. The mural was my first experience with acrylics. It dries much faster than oils so I learned a great deal doing this project. I have a new love and respect for the acrylic medium. It was very fun to create."

Currently Ratzlaff-Reed does not have any other work on public display. "Most of my paintings go to homes, and I never see them again. ​This is the first mural I've done. I am very happy with it. My employer has Halloween contests – competitions between branches. I have done several backdrops for Halloween themes and several cars for trunk-or-treat events but never anything as large as the 6.5 ft. by 24 ft. canvas for Kuempel's Christmas window." 

Klaes asked if her sister would be interested in adding a permanent mural to the store's holiday display. "As a starving artist – I said, 'absolutely,'" she commented. "I began to imagine a frosty Christmas forest and starry sky. I built it on a few things I knew Kari wanted in the mural, which was Santa and the moon. I have a thing for painting and creating trees so it was the perfect project for me."

​ The artist used two 9x12 ft.  canvases to create the large rendering. "I have a small studio, so I could only hang one at a time to work on. I strung a clothesline across the room diagonally so the whole 12 feet could hang from the ceiling. I credit my husband for creating a makeshift ceiling suspended easel. I made a small to-scale 9x12 in. drawing of each canvas, each inch representing one foot, so I could get proper scale, size and placement. I also hand-sewed the hems on the top and bottom of each canvas for hanging. It was a massive project in my tiny home studio!" she laughed. 

Ratzlaff-Reed started her mural project on Oct. 7 and completed and installed it Nov. 17. "I worked on it after work, at night, and on all my days off from the bank. I am very happy with the outcome and hope everyone who sees it feels a little Christmas joy and frosty forest beauty under the northern sky! I would love to do more work like this. It is my goal to be a full-time artist. It's just hard to get my work out there. I am an artist for hire, and I do hope to receive more projects like this," she concluded. 

She won't be the only family member with artwork in Guttenberg. Her son, Derek Ward of Fort Worth, Texas, created the logo and signage for The Guttenberg Brewing Co.

For additional information email kathleenratz@hotmail.com or by text or phone at 563-340-3425.