Behind most contemporary artists hides inspiration of an old master. Some artists reveal a dialogue more than others. Whether they represent classical subject matters in a contemporary way, or a contemporary theme with classical references. Join Linda Gair this Saturday. She will share her method, her thinking and unique take on this accomplished body of work, Homage. For more on the exhibition click here.
Scholars from St. Kentigern's College have experienced Homage and a discussion with Linda this week. Here is what they have to say;
"Linda Gair’s ‘Homage’ exhibition was a very inspiring and unique experience for me. The exhibition was presented by the artist herself, Linda. Linda was an outgoing and fun person to interact with. Throughout the exhibition, we get to hear the interesting experiences she went through to create each and one of her magnificent artworks.
Linda’s artworks were like edited versions of famous paintings from Picasso to Kahlo layered with some of her own meaning. Each painting was done on wood and framed in different ways, which elaborates on the emotion or mood they give out. As a former photographer, Linda drew vessels to make objects in her paintings look 3D, combine with her knowledge of light and shadow.
Personally, my favorite part of the exhibition are the 3D artworks because it makes the whole exhibition stand out and feel alive. From this exhibition, I learned that art cannot be completely original as the world’s most famous and valued artworks are heavily influenced by ideas of other artworks. What I also take away from this exhibition is how like art or any passion you have, you shouldn't let other judgments prevent you from doing your passion.
It is also fine that you find your passion at a very late stage, as Linda only started drawing professionally at the age of 55 and still made a success out of it. I am grateful that I got the opportunity to see and appreciate Linda's inspiring and creative artworks."
I have never been a fast writer. Most times when I've finished one sentence the person next to me has completed their paragraph and although I don't do much painting or drawing the creative process for me has always been a slow one.
So when I visited Linda Gair's 'Homage' exhibition, I entered disaffected with the way I create, but I learnt one key thing about the process. Conviction. Although Linda put it better as she described her Frida Kahlo paintings and art pieces, "When you tell a classroom to write something most people can only see their next step, some can see their next few, only one can really picture the finish line."
My take away was that to maximize your creativity you must have a vision of what the piece will look like, otherwise you'll lose your way. Not to say that it will come instantly. She also spoke about patience and how when she 'finishes' a piece often she will leave it for a few weeks and come back to it, citing that we shouldn't aim for perfection or even completion because as with most things in life it is a continual journey; if you want perfection you may be too afraid to start at all.
It may seem contradictory then, that I spoke about picturing a finish line and followed with how we shouldn't aim for completion but to me, they follow the same philosophy of having an idea of where you will go but not tethering yourself with the minutiae and allowing the idea to evolve on the way.
'Homage' is all about remixing and evolving; paying tribute to great artists like Picasso, Kahlo and Cezanne by taking their ideas and telling your own story with them. Linda has a great passion for art that I had the pleasure of experiencing. She is very knowledgeable in the subject and her energy further lent credence to the insight I acquired about the artworks and the creative process."