Linda Kelson
About The Artist
Fade Into Night oil on canvas 40 x 30 - $900
(including free shipping within the U.S.)
I was born in Boston, Massachusetts and have painted just about all my life. After attending the Art Institute of Boston, I studied art along with business and accounting at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey earning a bachelor's degree. In 1983 I moved to San Diego and have been showing and selling my paintings here ever since. In 1990 I was able to retire from the corporate world and devote myself full-time to painting and animal causes.
Like most artists, my style has evolved over the years. In my case, I started out with a mostly figurative/representational style and later developed a much looser more abstract approach. I was influenced by the Expressionists and Impressionists in my painting techniques, with oil paint being my preferred medium. Color theory has always been a big part of my work and continues to be. Experimenting with different combinations of colors, mediums, textures and brush strokes, seeing how they interact with each other, and using new techniques has always kept things new and fresh for me in the studio. I find the action painting techniques of the Abstract Expressionists makes paintings especially exciting and alive. Painting that way is quite liberating while oddly controlled and refined in it's limitations - very primal yet sophisticated.
As much as I love to play with color and the sensuousness of the paint and the brushwork itself, for me the work can't just be pretty pictures. Most of the work addresses themes of animal welfare, human rights, environmental protection and climate change. Lately, the political and social turmoil in this country have been underlying themes in a lot of my work. Most of my paintings have multiple meanings. I leave the interpretation of them up to the viewer.
I've been involved in environmental and animal causes for many years, and have donated the proceeds from my sold paintings to several animal welfare organizations. My husband and I have rescued feral cats and have always had a few cats of our own. In fact, our cats were frequent models in my earlier paintings. The cat series of paintings were both experiments in color and allegorical portraits of the shared life experience of all living things. My other animal paintings concern animal exploitation or the threat of extinction. When I paint an animal I try to find a way to convey its special circumstances. I feel that I owe it to all of them to tell their stories, not just show their beauty.
That view reflects my approach to art in general. Paintings shouldn't just be over-priced trophies for the super-rich. Art should be accessible in price to everyone. I prefer art that is beautiful and engaging to look at, but also moves us to consider our part in creating the kind of world we want to live in. Perhaps a painting can even stir us to action. But, of course, that's a lot to ask from a painting.
A lot of love goes into each piece I paint. Some paintings take a long time while some seem to paint themselves as if the Muse had taken charge. People often ask me how I know when a piece is finished. I consider a painting finished when it somehow all comes together and becomes a sort of "living" thing - an entity of its own with a story to tell. If it has become something that I love and could put on my own wall, then it's done. If not, I wipe it down and start over.
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Video of Linda's paintings