Linda Christensen

It is not enough to simply observe the figure; I understand myself and others through painting the emotions. As a child I often observed the subtle shifts in mood of those around me and this sensitive observation of others has continued to inspire my work as an artist. There’s something magical in seeing the humanness in others as they turn inwards, reflectively and privately; I feel the vulnerability. The figures in my work are involved in familiar daily tasks and it is within the mundaneness of life that the mind can wonder. Speaking figuratively; we tend to float within the horizons of our outside world and private interior all the while being softly tethered to our core. I allow the feel of the subject to guide me in my work. Hot and cool hues are layered in oil impasto and transparent slips, which I then slice back into using the palette knife, oil pastel or sometimes graphite. I paint the body as the culmination of the internal workings – the safety, the relaxation and the intimacy all add up to a personal statement. I paint all of that.