Linda Foley

I came to painting late in life. In my first career, I built hammer dulcimers with my partner, Curt Sander, as Lost Valley Dulcimers. Woodworking led me to Sculpture. I carved free-lance for Whitehall Products, carving from their designs from which they made molds and cast them in aluminum.

I yearned to work with color, and when I found a book by Roland Roycraft his watercolors captured me. Watercolor was a challenge; wood sculpture required muscle, hammer and chisel. But water moves on its own, even if I leave the room. It challenged my need to be in complete control. I walked away from watercolor and chose to work with fabric. With fabric, I could sew the color down. It couldn’t get away from me. My quilts were displayed at the National and the World Quilt Shows. 

I went back to watercolors and took some lessons locally from Sal Harris. I learned from books, DVDs, and experimentation. I began to take watercolor seriously. I took week long workshops from Roland Roycraft, Joe Fettingus, Charles Reed, Liam Chen, Janet Rogers and Fred Graft.

I paint every day…for the pleasure of watching the water and pigment rush across the page. Dropping in the color and tipping the paper encourages the colors to mingle. A steeper angle increases the tempo of the flow. I paint intuitively with intentional design. 

My landscapes are an improvisation of light and atmosphere using water and pigment. The woodlands and shoreline of my home are my inspiration.  Lake Michigan is one of my favorite subjects to paint. I never tire of trying to catch wave action as it plays with the shore.

I remain a lover of music. It is a joy, and a belief system. It can change the world and change your life. It crosses class lines and national borders, and connects generations. 

My book, Music can Change the World, contains 37 music-related paintings and anecdotes collected in 40 years of attending music festivals, with some explanations of the watercolor process. It is available for $20 at the Gallery Uptown.

To request more information about this artist, click here.