Artisans' Guild Gallery

A source for handmade art and gifts by Gainesville area artists since 1970

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Linda Pence

Painting

Artist Statement

In the course of my life I have held two parallel interests which I find myself returning to again and again. One is art, and the other is meditation. As a child I loved to paint and draw because of the quiet place I found within myself while so engaged. Many years later I rediscovered that same internal peace when learning to meditate.

As I learned more about meditation I began to paint outdoors where nature seemed to reflect the stillness I sought in meditation. At the same time I found I could bring some of the discipline of my meditation practice into my painting. In my work I try to reflect a glimmer of the serenity and peace which can be found in the quiet beauty of nature.

My paintings are about the natural beauty of the place I live. Landscapes, beautiful gardens, old houses, nature trails, rivers and lakes are the subject matter that inspires me.  My work is also inspired by the community where I live; the artists, naturalists, writers, teachers, scientists, and healers who contribute their creative energies to our shared community.  Teaching has become as much a part of my creative work as painting, working with people as they learn to access their creativity nurtures me and provides the way for my contribution to the community.  My goal is to reflect the beauty of our natural world and inspire its conservation and protection.

Artist Biography

Born on Staten Island, the most rural borough of New York City I lived in the NY metropolitan area all my life until 1997 when my husband, Akers, and I moved to Gainesville so he could work with endangered species butterflies at UF.

I began my formal study of art at Philadelphia College of Art while still in High School and continued with three years of printmaking and oil painting at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. While working as a personnel manager in a busy Health Food business I studied and taught meditation techniques and programs for self-awareness with The Arica Institute. I continued my interest in art, taking watercolor painting and figure drawing classes at the Art Students League and at Cooper Union in NYC and attending workshops with well-known watercolor painters.

I presently teach watercolor painting through The Harn Museum and in private classes in Gainesville, FL.

Artisans' Guild Gallery  •  Millhopper Square Shopping Center  •  4201 NW 16th Blvd.  •  Gainesville, FL  32605

Phone:  352.378.1383  •  Gallery Hours:  10 AM to 7 PM Monday through Saturday, 12 noon to 5 PM Sunday