Feb 18: Featured Artist: Linda Watson

February 2018: Featured Artist

Portrait Painter:
Linda Adelstein Watson
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Linda Adelstein Watson was born and raised in New York and currently resides on Long Island. She attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City. After raising a family and continuing to battle a rare bone disease, Linda turned to her art as a way to heal herself and to inspire others.

She focuses almost exclusively on creating portraits and works of the human figure both drawn and painted. Her attention to detail, as well as her ability to connect with her subjects, creates visually stunning works that affect the viewer on a very emotional level. Linda employs some unusual media choices, such as painting on reclaimed materials (e.g. discarded wood) and vintage lace stretched over canvas to achieve interesting effects. Her 2013 series of female faces painted on antique handkerchiefs is a good example of this concept.

Linda's work has appeared in numerous group and solo exhibitions. In 2013, her solo show, titled “Portraits,” included close to 50 pencil portraits of her friends and family. Two years later, she was one of the featured artists at Gallery Red in Las Vegas. She created the cover artwork for the blues album, "Please Save Your Love For Me," released in 2015 by award-winning performer Ebony Jo-Ann.

The following notables are proud owners of Linda’s portraits: Nick Ashford (gifted to Ms. Valerie Simpson), Marc Broussard, Taylor Dayne, James Jamerson Jr, Danny Kean, Gladys Knight, David Letterman, Jeffrey Osborne, Patrice Rushen, Paul Schaeffer, Ann & Nancy Wilson (Heart).

Artist Statement:

I have enjoyed art for as long as I can remember. My favorite subject is faces. I am fascinated by the fact that we are all made up of the same components and yet we are all different. My medium of choice is pencil and paper. I like the simplicity of black and white and bringing a blank page to life. I also like painting with watercolors and acrylics. My latest work is painted on sheer fabrics and lace; I am experimenting with transparent textures painted with portraits. Each of my works is not only a study of a face, but a person with a story.

After a longtime battle with a rare bone disease, I have taken to my art to distract me from pain. I use this as an opportunity to help others as well. I hope my art brings as much comfort and joy to others as it brings to me. I hope to create, share, and maybe even inspire.