SNEAK PREVIEW: A Change of Art for Linda Lee Boyd & Emeryville’s Art Exhibition

Introducing something she knows. Something she painted – Street Scenes

One of the great volunteers for Emeryville’s Annual Art Exhibition is artist, printmaker and designer Linda Lee Boyd. Linda has entered a series of three acrylic paintings in this year’s show, a departure from the Linda we knew – a woodblock print artist.

Linda has been on the board of Celebration of the Arts, sponsor of the annual art exhibition, for 20 years and had volunteered on the Operating Committee several years prior. She first entered her artwork, woodblock prints, in 1992. “Of all printmaking techniques, cutting and printing woodcuts had always felt the most natural to me,”commented Linda.

What is interesting about her woodblock prints is that she liked watching people and had so admired figurative artists like Alice Neal, Lucian Freud, Rembrandt, and Vermeer, that she started with images of her family, friends, and then co-workers. This led to a series of prints of workers. “These prints of workers are observations of the people but are also an attempt to give the viewer a sense of how they feel about themselves and their work.”

When asked why the change in medium for the 2020 Art Exhibition, Linda said, “I’ve been doing woodblock prints for over 40 years. I never learned to paint. This year, I decided to give it another try. I figured out that I had to paint in the same way I do prints – layers of color to make shapes and textures.”

Street Scenes seem to depict glimpses of all our walks during the pandemic – we all know our sidewalks, streets and gutters by heart now. And what led Linda to these themes in her paintings? “I got inspired by looking at the gutters while out walking my dog.” What is she planning for her next effort? Well according to Linda, “I’m still in the gutters!”

Linda is passionate about the Emeryville Annual Art Exhibition. “I love the Emeryville Art Exhibition. It’s a great show every year because of the depth and variety of artwork done by people living and working in Emeryville. It’s a true representation of what a creative community is producing

“Sharon Wilchar, the Project Coordinator, does an amazing job every year pulling together so many different aspects of the show,” continues Linda. “In the recent past, the largest problem has been finding a site for the show. This year, there is no site due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead, she has had to guide us through the new territory of an online show through the website, Zoom and Facebook live. I’d like to give a shout-out to US Design Resources, volunteers who are helping non-profits find digital outlets. They have been great opening the new world for us of a totally online art exhibition.”

Street Scenes Series by Linda Lee Boyd:

Street Scene 4 – Street Scene 5 – Street Scene 6. All acrylic on panel 11”x 14” x.5” and listed at $500. More info here: https://lindaleeboyd.com/

Emeryville Annual Art Exhibition

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