Linda Payne

I am an oil painter whose style includes realism, impressionism, abstract and impasto art. I often produce art with a vibrant palette. Photographs my husband and I took while hiking in national parks are wonderful resources for my landscape paintings. The sunsets in the southwest are amazingly colorful. The continual change of light in canyon country evokes thousands of abstract patterns and the most remarkable golds and violets can be seen when the sun drops behind the western mountains. My impasto paintings of flowers draw much interest. I sculpt them using a variety of tools and glossy varnishes give them an interesting multidimensional glow when touched by light. Active children and animals are also regular subjects of my paintings, often inspired by my nieces and nephews and our spoiled feline.

During my working career, I studied art and wrote successful arts education residency grants. I credit lengthy private study with an extraordinary teacher with giving me a wonderful foundation in art. Workshops with nationally known artists such as Carolyn Anderson, Kevin MacPherson and William Herring followed, along with classes at art centers, museums and other venues.

I began marketing art in 1995 in coffee houses, dinner theaters and at art fairs in the western United States. After moving to the St. Louis area, I subsequently participated in the St. Louis Fall Festival of Art, the Historic Shaw Art Fair, Mosaics Art Festival and Friends of the Library Holiday Art Show. Galleries I have exhibited at include Foundry Art Centre, Clayton Fine Art Gallery, Old Orchard Gallery and MindScape Gallery.