Artist Feature: Linda Blondheim

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Artist Feature

Linda Blondheim is the featured artist this Friday.  I’ve been admiring Linda’s work on social media for years.  Her landscapes are incredible.

You can check out her work at https://lindablondheim.com.

shore_drive_trees_linda_blondheim_art

  1. Tell us about your journey as an artist and how you got to where you are today.

I started painting when I was 8 years old. I had a little neighborhood art club with my friends. We studied still life and horses. I graduated to oil painting when I was 13 and worked all through high school. I was an art major in college and graduated with my BFA. I studied painting in graduate school as well.  I began to paint as a full time professional in the early 90’s.

 

  1. Your landscapes are stunning.  What medium do you use and why?  

Very kind of you. I paint with oils and acrylics. I have also used gouache and casein at various times in my career. I like painting with two mediums because each one teaches me technique that I can use with the other. Using two mediums keeps me fresh and eager to learn.

clouds_linda_blondheim_art

  1. Tell us a little about your process.  How do you design your paintings?  

I was very lucky in undergrad school to study with a very fine design professor. He instilled in me a love for design and composing, which I feel is my strongest ability as a painter. I like to think of composition, values, and color mixing as the “BIG Three” of painting. If you get that right, you can’t lose.

I have a few axioms for painting that I swear by. Use the natural armatures that occur in the landscape effectively. Use 7 or fewer objects. Place focal objects carefully. Link secondary and tertiary objects effectively and give the main area of the painting it’s due attention. If it is a sky painting, make the land minimal and complimentary to the sky. If it is a land painting, minimize the sky. I like to use neutrals beside color. Use good brushwork, choosing a variety of loose and tight work in the painting. I like a very clean palette and clean brushwork. I don’t like muddy, messy work.

 

  1. Who are some of the artists who have inspired your work most?

Daniel Greene

John Singer Sargent

Pissarro

Edward Manet

Anders Zorn

Alex Katz

Jim Dine

Francis Bacon

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  1. What five things can you not live without when painting?

Paper towels

Canvas or board

Brushes

Paint

palette

 

  1. What advice do you have for established artists; and those who are just starting out?

Paint only what you truly love. Mimic no one. Develop your own work. Spend many hours in front of the easel. Study endlessly. Learn how to paint a body of work that makes sense and shows a consistent strength, whatever the subject, before you dream about selling art. Only when strangers tell you they want to buy your work, should you consider selling your work. There are many struggling amateurs trying to sell paintings who are frankly not ready.

 

For established artists:

Be a professional at all times. Do what you promise and show up when you are supposed to. Remember that your collectors are more important than you are. Treat them like the stars that they are and they will reward you. Market your art every day. Use your mailing list constantly. Be consistent in your quality of work and never stop, whether the market is bad, or family issues intrude. Remember that being a painter is your job.