We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Linda Garcia-Dahle a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Linda, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
While I did go to school to become an artist (California State University at Long Beach), I come from a family of creatives. I learned my passion and love for art from my paternal Grandfather and from my father. My Grandfather was an active trompe l’oeil muralist in Los Angeles in the earlier part of the last century, while my father was an amateur photographer. I learned how to bring images to life from my grandfather and learned that being a creative isn’t easy from my father. My father had to sideline his photography in order to earn a living to support our large family. This showed me that you can always do what you love, but sometimes life gets in the way and doesn’t always meet your schedule. Having the time to paint and create doesn’t always come easy. The most essential skill to be an artist that I learned from them is to have patience, perseverance and to keep painting whenever I could.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
To put it simply, I am an oil painter who loves to paint light and capture it on canvas. I paint with oil glazes to produce a depth of shadow and the light falling through it. I do this to create a feeling of emotions that viewing light in a landscape or interiorscape might produce – feelings of peace, serenity, calmness – a refuge for the viewer.
I create my works either to show in galleries, art exhibitions or at art festivals. I also create works for anyone who wishes to commission me.
Commissioned work is a different challenge from just painting something I wish to create. It requires a collaboration of the client and myself to bring their vision into line with my execution of it. To that end, I try to work through the process with the client by seeing first what they are hoping to have created, showing them sketches of how I interpret it, and then producing the painting once we are in agreement. A contract is always written up prior to beginning any project so both my client and I know what is expected regarding the business end of creating their piece.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Growing up I wanted to be an illustrator as I thought it would combine my love of reading with my love of art. I went to school and learned how to create, but upon graduation I found work as a graphic artist. I loved the job! It wasn’t what I had envisioned myself doing when young, but I was required to be creative 8 hours a day/ five days a week (and get paid for it.) However, the job eventually went in another direction as did my life. I eventually began painting for myself full time and exhibiting at shows and galleries. But that’s the nature of life, it takes you where it will and you get to enjoy it along the way. The trick is still finding a way to do what you love.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
When I was young and going to college, I was taught the various techniques to create, compose, draw, paint, sculpt, etc. What I wasn’t taught was the “business of art”: how to draw up a contract, how to price my work accordingly, how to approach galleries, how to find contacts in the artworld whether in the fine art side or graphic arts side, etc. Even talking now with young artists starting their careers I hear the same thing from them. I realize learning how to create is important when finding your artistic voice but learning how to get your work out in front of others is equally important and something I wish I had learned earlier.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @lincgd
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/lindagarciadahle
