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STROKE
A Feather in Her Hat
Oil on canvas
30 x 40
2020
DESCRIPTION:
Now that both of our parents have passed on to heaven, we three (3) siblings gather from 3 different states for our annual Sibs Week/Weekend. In 2020 my older brother, my older sister and I went on a multi-day canoeing and hiking trek down the Gunnison River in western Colorado. Atop my head was my faithful 20-year-old Tilley hat which is always my partner on adventures. The arid red rocks boasted stunning flora and wildlife including red hawks. My sister found a hawk feather and awarded it to me for courage and diligence on the long trek. This was the inspiration for “A Feather in Her Hat.” The painting was accepted into the Art Museum of the University of Memphis’ 38th Annual Juried Student Exhibition and won the Dixon Gallery and Gardens Award.
30 x 40
2020
DESCRIPTION:
Now that both of our parents have passed on to heaven, we three (3) siblings gather from 3 different states for our annual Sibs Week/Weekend. In 2020 my older brother, my older sister and I went on a multi-day canoeing and hiking trek down the Gunnison River in western Colorado. Atop my head was my faithful 20-year-old Tilley hat which is always my partner on adventures. The arid red rocks boasted stunning flora and wildlife including red hawks. My sister found a hawk feather and awarded it to me for courage and diligence on the long trek. This was the inspiration for “A Feather in Her Hat.” The painting was accepted into the Art Museum of the University of Memphis’ 38th Annual Juried Student Exhibition and won the Dixon Gallery and Gardens Award.
Birding at the Birdhouse
Acrylic on canvas
16x20
2020
DESCRIPTION:
Plein air is French for painting in outdoor light. In the Fall of 2020 mid-pandemic, Memphis Botanic Garden invited local artists to paint scenes from its majestic 96-acres. In turn artists could submit the painting for consideration for their exhibition. One of my favorite gardens is dedicated to children: My Big Backyard. Its oversized yellow birdhouse with children swarming in and out of the structure was where I set up my easel, canvas and paints and donned my mask.
Typically when I am sketching or painting in public, people stroll by; they look over my shoulder then they look at the object I am drawing; at most they say, “Hmm.”; and then they walk on. Not so with children who boldly run up to the easel and tell me what they think: “I like that!” “That’s good!” “Can I paint with you?” (that child’s mother said yes so her brush glops of paint are part of the painting as well).
The environment was delightful so my painting style was more whimsical. The painting was accepted for Memphis Botanic Garden Plein Air Exhibition and was awarded a 2nd Runner Up ribbon.
16x20
2020
DESCRIPTION:
Plein air is French for painting in outdoor light. In the Fall of 2020 mid-pandemic, Memphis Botanic Garden invited local artists to paint scenes from its majestic 96-acres. In turn artists could submit the painting for consideration for their exhibition. One of my favorite gardens is dedicated to children: My Big Backyard. Its oversized yellow birdhouse with children swarming in and out of the structure was where I set up my easel, canvas and paints and donned my mask.
Typically when I am sketching or painting in public, people stroll by; they look over my shoulder then they look at the object I am drawing; at most they say, “Hmm.”; and then they walk on. Not so with children who boldly run up to the easel and tell me what they think: “I like that!” “That’s good!” “Can I paint with you?” (that child’s mother said yes so her brush glops of paint are part of the painting as well).
The environment was delightful so my painting style was more whimsical. The painting was accepted for Memphis Botanic Garden Plein Air Exhibition and was awarded a 2nd Runner Up ribbon.
Deer and Fawns (reproduction source unknown)
Acrylic on canvas board
18x24
1975
DESCRIPTION:
As a senior in high school in Art IV, my art teacher Almeda Zent assigned us to complete a reproduction painting. From the stack of available images I picked a poster with a deer and two (2) fawns. I have no idea who painted the original. I gifted the painting to my parents, Wilma and Bob. As they downsized their home they returned the painting to me. This was my first effort to create a background, mid-ground and foreground. What is dear to me about this painting is that like the mother deer, I also have 2 children who are now fine adults. The painting hangs in my home and brings a smile to my face every time I view it.
18x24
1975
DESCRIPTION:
As a senior in high school in Art IV, my art teacher Almeda Zent assigned us to complete a reproduction painting. From the stack of available images I picked a poster with a deer and two (2) fawns. I have no idea who painted the original. I gifted the painting to my parents, Wilma and Bob. As they downsized their home they returned the painting to me. This was my first effort to create a background, mid-ground and foreground. What is dear to me about this painting is that like the mother deer, I also have 2 children who are now fine adults. The painting hangs in my home and brings a smile to my face every time I view it.
Farrier (reproduction source unknown)
Oil on canvas board
18x24
1975
DESCRIPTION:
As a senior in high school in Art IV, my art teacher Almeda Zent assigned us to complete a reproduction painting. For this assignment I dug through a stack of old National Geographic magazines. There I found this touching image of a farrier shoeing a horse. At that time I had a horse so all things equestrian appealed to me. This painting was my first foray into oil painting and I learned new techniques in blending colors and adding details to the image.
18x24
1975
DESCRIPTION:
As a senior in high school in Art IV, my art teacher Almeda Zent assigned us to complete a reproduction painting. For this assignment I dug through a stack of old National Geographic magazines. There I found this touching image of a farrier shoeing a horse. At that time I had a horse so all things equestrian appealed to me. This painting was my first foray into oil painting and I learned new techniques in blending colors and adding details to the image.
My Hero Ruth Bell Graham
Ink wash and pen on paper
22x30
2020
DESCRIPTION:
For many years I have been a fan of Ruth Bell Graham—her faith story, her fieriness, and her enduring impact in the world. This composition was created as I studied more in depth about Ruth Bell Graham: the significance of the Chinese symbol on her gravestone, her childhood spent in China, her courtship and marriage to Billy, her beloved songs and sayings and Bible scriptures. Creating this piece both stretched and developed me as an artist.
22x30
2020
DESCRIPTION:
For many years I have been a fan of Ruth Bell Graham—her faith story, her fieriness, and her enduring impact in the world. This composition was created as I studied more in depth about Ruth Bell Graham: the significance of the Chinese symbol on her gravestone, her childhood spent in China, her courtship and marriage to Billy, her beloved songs and sayings and Bible scriptures. Creating this piece both stretched and developed me as an artist.
The Gulf of Marseilles (reproduction Cezanne)
Oil on canvas
48x48
2017
DESCRIPTION:
Have you ever been involved in a project that took so long that you lost the original blueprint design? My daughter Renee and I playfully began working together on this oil painting as a reproduction of a Paul Cézanne piece I found in a book. After our joint original efforts to sketch the composition and begin on the water and sky, I lost the photo of the painting. Over the months I incorrectly remembered this as an Edouard Manet painting and of course could never relocate the original image. Eventually I decided to finish the piece and make up the bottom half of the painting. My daughter insisted that her role was minor and that it was appropriate that I sign the finished piece. The skills developed when reproducing a piece were lost on this effort because I had no Master’s original from which I could learn.
Today in writing this blog I finally uncovered the Cézanne work that was my original aspiration. Nonetheless, the finished piece hangs in my home. The color palette of the entire room is based upon this painting.
48x48
2017
DESCRIPTION:
Have you ever been involved in a project that took so long that you lost the original blueprint design? My daughter Renee and I playfully began working together on this oil painting as a reproduction of a Paul Cézanne piece I found in a book. After our joint original efforts to sketch the composition and begin on the water and sky, I lost the photo of the painting. Over the months I incorrectly remembered this as an Edouard Manet painting and of course could never relocate the original image. Eventually I decided to finish the piece and make up the bottom half of the painting. My daughter insisted that her role was minor and that it was appropriate that I sign the finished piece. The skills developed when reproducing a piece were lost on this effort because I had no Master’s original from which I could learn.
Today in writing this blog I finally uncovered the Cézanne work that was my original aspiration. Nonetheless, the finished piece hangs in my home. The color palette of the entire room is based upon this painting.
The Bread Baker
Ink wash on paper
18x24
2020
DESCRIPTION:
Nothing says love quite like the gift of freshly baked bread. The ingredients are simple (flour, water, salt, yeast or sourdough) but the technique takes time to master. Inspired by the cover photo of Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, the concept of this piece evolved into a self-portrait holding one of my loaves of sourdough bread. Bread baking is unglamorously hard work and wonderfully rewarding.
18x24
2020
DESCRIPTION:
Nothing says love quite like the gift of freshly baked bread. The ingredients are simple (flour, water, salt, yeast or sourdough) but the technique takes time to master. Inspired by the cover photo of Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, the concept of this piece evolved into a self-portrait holding one of my loaves of sourdough bread. Bread baking is unglamorously hard work and wonderfully rewarding.
The Mr.
Oil on canvas
18x24
2021
DESCRIPTION:
Following exploration of a looser painting style in The Mrs., The Mr. of my husband Cliff was an expansion of that technique and was designed as a dyptch (2-piece artwork). Recreating Cliff’s eyes on canvas created a formidable hurdle. After the 12th repainting to capture his eyes, both Cliff and I were satisfied that the portrait captured his soft and insightful gaze.
18x24
2021
DESCRIPTION:
Following exploration of a looser painting style in The Mrs., The Mr. of my husband Cliff was an expansion of that technique and was designed as a dyptch (2-piece artwork). Recreating Cliff’s eyes on canvas created a formidable hurdle. After the 12th repainting to capture his eyes, both Cliff and I were satisfied that the portrait captured his soft and insightful gaze.
The Mrs.
Oil on canvas
18x24
2020
DESCRIPTION:
Using a blue underpainting and larger brushes, this piece opened up new ways to layer bold colors of paint to create more dimensional images. Using a 2-easel technique of a plate glass mirror on one easel and the canvas on another, the result was a slightly frowning self-portrait. One of my more helpful critics, my older brother pointed out that a subtle smile was how he see me. Hence I repainted the mouth, the shadows, and the eyebrows to capture the subtle smile of the true Linda. Thanks, Bro.
18x24
2020
DESCRIPTION:
Using a blue underpainting and larger brushes, this piece opened up new ways to layer bold colors of paint to create more dimensional images. Using a 2-easel technique of a plate glass mirror on one easel and the canvas on another, the result was a slightly frowning self-portrait. One of my more helpful critics, my older brother pointed out that a subtle smile was how he see me. Hence I repainted the mouth, the shadows, and the eyebrows to capture the subtle smile of the true Linda. Thanks, Bro.
The Starry Night (reproduction Van Gogh)
Oil on canvas
30x40
2020
DESCRIPTION:
Copying famous paintings of the Masters is a time-tested method to develop skills in aspiring artists. Owned and displayed at the Museum of Modern Art, Vincent Van Gogh’s The Starry Night sealed his legacy as an innovative painter using his now-famous impasto technique (application of layers of undiluted paint creating an almost 3-dimensional image).
Copying Van Gogh taught me a foreign and fascinating technique. More importantly The Starry Night pushed me to delve deeper into Van Gogh’s life and begin to experience the emotions he felt while he created this painting. I grew to appreciate his intimate approach to his work. Presumably based upon the Bible passage in Genesis 37:9 of one of Joseph’s dreams, this piece is a delight to view.
30x40
2020
DESCRIPTION:
Copying famous paintings of the Masters is a time-tested method to develop skills in aspiring artists. Owned and displayed at the Museum of Modern Art, Vincent Van Gogh’s The Starry Night sealed his legacy as an innovative painter using his now-famous impasto technique (application of layers of undiluted paint creating an almost 3-dimensional image).
Copying Van Gogh taught me a foreign and fascinating technique. More importantly The Starry Night pushed me to delve deeper into Van Gogh’s life and begin to experience the emotions he felt while he created this painting. I grew to appreciate his intimate approach to his work. Presumably based upon the Bible passage in Genesis 37:9 of one of Joseph’s dreams, this piece is a delight to view.
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