Hollister based artist Linda Jan Wynne creates mixed media fantasy art. Her paintings have been featured in our annual Open Studios Art Tour and Small Works Exhibition.
For this week’s Artist Q&A, I asked her a few questions about her artistic practice and sources of inspiration.
Tell me a little about your art. How long have you been painting?
I have been drawing and painting since I was a girl. I have loved art in all its forms. I received some art education in my 20s at Gavilan Junior College, but I didn’t stay with it. Later in the 1990s, I was given the opportunity to go back to school. I graduated from Columbia Junior College with honors and an Art major in 1995.
What inspires your subject matter?
Having been a fan of science fiction since I was a teenager, the idea of building worlds other than our own is fascinating, trying to incorporate elements of our natural world to give a different view of things. Often legends and mythology are an inspiration and, of course, science fiction and fantasy stories.
What is your creative process like?
Sometimes, my process starts with a dream. I have painted pictures directly from my dreams, but usually an image or idea occurs to me and I am compelled to develop it. Drawing is usually my first step — in my sketch book or directly on the canvas or watercolor paper.
What type of materials do you like to use?
Now I work primarily in acrylics and ink, but I have worked with watercolor and ink combinations. In junior college, I had the opportunity to work in clay and paper mache. I feel the acrylics on canvas give me the color intensity I’m looking for and a way to almost grow the image as I layer the paint on the canvas. My best friend gave me some iridescent paint a few years ago and I have been having fun playing with the effects this produces on the canvas.
What would you like to work on next?
At this point, I’m finishing a new portfolio of work about very old trees. It’s a collection I’m very happy with. I also have 2 coloring books ready to publish. Next I may start to work on landscapes, trying to interpret and preserve on canvas our disappearing world.
To view more of Linda Jan Wynne’s art, visit her Facebook page at Wynforms Studio @wynforms or email her at jwyn555@yahoo.com