We were lucky to catch up with Lynda Kingsley recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lynda, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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?

I had the opportunity at age 52 to give up my family business in NM and move to the N TX metroplex to be near family. Even though giving up all I had known for almost 3 decades was scary, it felt right! If there was ever a time to engage in learning to create artworks, this was it! I started at Artist showplace taking workshops, then on to Collin College Continuing Ed,. then becoming a student enrolled in Art Classes and finally, finishing a Studio Art/Watercolor degree in 2014 at University of N Texas! In college, I found many students ignored me at first, as the older student, but became friends with me once they saw I was serious and had some talent!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My entire life was woven together around artsy creativity. I made crafts for years, often many centered around sewing as I had sewn since 3rd grade! As life progressed, running a business and raising children, I put those skills to use in my community helping design and re-build ballet costuming after a devastating company fire. I am most proud of the volunteer work I did for The Las Cruces Chamber Ballet Company. We rebuilt over 300 costuming pieces for us to be able to perform our annual Nutcracker performances in a 9-10 month period!

That creative side and a calling to paint became stronger than ever, so after my children graduated from schools, I was able to put my extra time into at first, learning watercolors. Then at UNT, I learned it is all about creating compelling works of art, not necessarily following old school formulas. So I have become known as that 3-D watercolor lady! I love all things in nature, particularly plants and flowers. I have used the desire gained from my professors at UNT to think outside the box and create 3-D pieces out of papers on a 2-D plane. Flowers, buds and even deteriorating petals are seen on my works, along with rolled handmade papers in an abstract style!

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

I think it is just another scam. Another week, another scam perpetuated on artists!

When a guy offers me $10,000 for each of my paintings on my website, for originals that are in the $1-3K range, not to mention many are 3-D and can’t be reprinted and sold, something is wrong here. I ignore them now!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Ah, there is the making of something with your own two hands and the thrill of having someone not only want it, but to pay you for your talent and labor to own such a piece. That thrill NEVER gets old! And I might add, we so often do not see the transfer of labor and money directly in most jobs, but artists get to experience that, and it is awesome!

Contact Info:

• Website: lyndakingsley.com
• Instagram: lyndakingsley
• Facebook: Lynda Kingsley Art