We were lucky to catch up with Linda Nickell recently and have shared our conversation below.

Linda, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I have always wanted to create and pursue an artist path. Life has taken me on a journey of using my creative talents in many different ways. First of all, I am an arts educator so for many years I pursued the arts through creatively engaging students of all ages. I enjoyed drawing them into the world of seeing, looking, exploring and self expression through the arts. I also worked as a graphic artist and used my artist talents in the world of advertising. Another career venue I enjoyed for a number of years was being manager of school programs at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. While I appreciated these career opportunities, in the midst of working full time and raising a family I put my own artistic expression on the back burner. Of course, I still kept sketchbooks, drew some and painted a little but I did not fully delve into my own artistic expression until I took an early retirement a few years ago from full time employment. At that point, I rented a studio space and started exploring my painting on a more extended basis. I began selling some of my work, showing my work in various galleries and in general honing my craft. The pandemic hit and I no longer have my studio space but I have converted a space in my home to fully explore art. It’s exciting to go into my work space everyday and decide what paintings I’m going to work on, what colors I will mix and how I will use my creative voice to develop my own voice in my art.

Linda, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Having been in the field of arts education I create using many different visual art mediums including acrylic painting, oil painting, printmaking, collaging, drawing, bookmaking and more. Currently, my primary focus is working with oil paint and cold wax. The wax is added to the oil paint to create a frosting like consistency that can be texturized, scraped into, layered, and used as a glaze. The completed paintings have a wonderful matte finish due to the wax component. Working with oil and cold wax is a unique approach where many layers of transparent and opaque colors are used creating a sense of history in the painting. My paintings are based on abstracted, simplified landscapes where I create a sense of place for the viewer to reside. I am inspired by the shapes, colors, lines, and textures in nature and I strive to express the essence of the scene in my paintings. I work primarily on cradled birch panel board in sizes ranging from small to large. When completing a commissioned artwork, I work with the client to understand what their desires and needs are and how the painting will fit into their space. It is gratifying when someone purchases one of my paintings and brings it into their home or office space to enjoy. I have sold pieces to medical facilities and I always hope that my work will aid in a positive, healing atmosphere of the facility.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I would like for my art to be a place of retreat for the viewer. It is important to me that I create a sense of place and capture the essence of a landscape so that the viewer can enter the painting and experience feelings or emotions. I abstract and simplify the subject so that the viewer can create their own narrative. In a world where we hear a lot of negative things, I want to create a positive resting place for the viewer, a comfortable chair to sit in, a painting to enter into.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I love to talk to people and hear how they connect to my paintings. I enjoy hearing the viewer’s narrative which is sometimes not at all what I was thinking when I created the piece. Since my subject matter is abstracted or simplified, the viewer can form their own stories about the piece. A color I have used, a line I have drawn or a shape in the painting can be a personal story as it touches each person. It really makes me happy to bring joy through my art to other people.

Contact Info:

• Website: Lindanickellart.com
• Instagram: Linda5cent

Image Credits
photos by Linda Nickell