As of late, Linda Anderson has had a difficult time finding a spot to eat in her home.
On almost every surface in their recently downsized home sits a piece of artwork that the 74-year-old has created over the years.
“My art takes over the house. My husband and I work around it,” laughed Anderson, whose pieces will be on display in the West Shore for the next week. “I just like art and I like to inspire people to do art.”
@CoastCollective's "Into the Night" exhibition features autumn themed artwork. Meet the artists on Oct 21 from 1-3pm! #yyjarts #yyjevents pic.twitter.com/I3EHz56qRK
— WestShoreArtsCouncil (@WestShoreArts) October 18, 2017
Having grown up west of Sooke in a logging camp, Anderson began as a commercial artist, painting signs for a trucking company. After several years she decided to transition into fine art, studying under German artist Bill Alexander, followed by courses at the Victoria Art College.
From there, Anderson taught art in the Okanagan for about two decades, before returning to Greater Victoria 11 years ago.
Now, art is no longer a career, but a lifestyle for Anderson. Not only does she paint recreationally with all mediums for five hours a day, she also teaches classes in her home, in addition to the classes and fundraisers she puts on for the Coast Collective Art Gallery and the Old School Gallery in Metchosin.
“I love the creativity of it. I just have to do it,” said Anderson, who is trained as a teacher in various mediums including drawing with pen and ink, water colours, oils, pastels and China painting, among others. “The whole world can actually go away when you sit and do art … It’s more my focus to get people to realize that anyone can do art.”
Anderson is one of 23 artists from around Greater Victoria who have art on display in the Coast Collective Art Gallery’s latest exhibit, Into the Night, which celebrates all things late fall with paintings, photography and even a few hand-made dolls.
“There’s a nice blend of autumn artwork and night time artwork as well as some that are explicitly Halloween which is fun,” gallery manager Jessica Stein said. “I hope that they will be impressed by the skill and range that our local artists possess, especially with so many different mediums. I hope they leave feeling that joy and fulfillment that the arts bring.”
Into the Night runs until Oct. 29 at the Coast Collective Art Gallery (103-318 Wale Rd). The gallery is open Wednesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is also a meet the artists reception on Saturday, Oct. 21 from 1 to 3 p.m. For more information, visit coastcollective.ca.
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kendra.wong@goldstreamgazette.com
