Brief Biography


Linda Darsow Sutton NWS AFC CWA WW

 

Living in the California hills adjacent to protected Open space, wildlife subjects and the complementing light of their environments, supply limitless inspiration. This native Californian is fascinated by the delicate balance of unique unspoiled environments and the sometimes unusual inhabitants. Brought up to see color optically, her devotion is most often expressed in the transparency of watercolors that so generously represents the effects of light. . A member of the Society of Animal Artists, she is usually cavorting “Wildlife Art” with the atmospheric medium. Signature memberships are held in NWS - National Watercolor Soc. AFC - Artists for Conservation Foundation (formerly Worldwide Nature Artists Group), CWA - California Watercolor Assoc. & WW - Watercolor West.


Work is often included in prestigious group shows some listed below:
  • Society of Animal Artists 48th annual exhibition the Neville Public Museum,Green Bay, WI
  • "The Art of Conservation” 2008 & 09 Artists For Conservation Foundation at the Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum in Oradell, NJ
  • “The Art of Seeing” at The Oakland Museum CA
  • “Art in the Animal Kingdom X, XII,XIII” at the Bennington Museum VT
  • “Wildlife in it’s Best Light” solo exhibition 2006, Lindsay Wildlife Museum, Walnut Creek CA
  • “Side by Side” Philip & Muriel Berman Museum of Art PA
  • Featured Artist at “Reflections of Nature” ‘04 in Fallbrook CA
  • Biannual Watercolor Competition at The Triton Museum in Santa Clara, CA ’96 & ‘02
  • Pacific Wildlife Galleries Lafayette,CA, invitationals: “Wildlife of the Lafayette Resevoir”’06, “Wildlife in Miniature” ’03,’05, ”Big Cats of the Wild” ’01, & “Wolves” ’96,’97,’99

Publications of note are:
  • the cover of Wildlife Art Magazine, Nov/Dec’02
  • Western Art Collector,Sep.’09 “The Watercolor Page”
  • American Artist Magazine May ‘96
  • Equus ‘95 and Splash 7 Northlight Books
  • The city of Concord sent 2 paintings as gifts to their sister city of Kitikami Japan and it’s Mayor Ito

An award winning “Plein aire” painter, painting on location is a habit, often for benefit of nature preservation organizations. The medium was initially taught to her outside on location. It provides adventurous diversity, variety, new challenges, and opportunity to collect exciting new reference. In December of '08 a trip to three locations in Kenya allowed new animals and new environments to paint.


Continued attendance in a trusty life drawing group every alternate week, instigates the continued growth of creative drawing skills, that also relate to the animal forms, where accurate representation is a valid expectation. Exercising the subjective and abstract qualities to capture the essence of a subject, or place, entices the viewers imagination with just enough realism to draw them into and beyond the two dimensional surface. Using traditional Art Elements a Significant Contrast creates design and atmosphere for a subject to exist within. Captivating the viewer with while manipulating relationships between abstraction and realism engages the imagination into seeing the art in eARTh.


Working ten years at Walnut Creek Civic Arts, teaching classes and workshops in watercolor, and working in their school services program. Teaching and developing lessons in art principals for Jr. & Sr. High School students. Along with consulting for Vicenté Martinez High School 2006-2008 to infuse art in their alternative program. Classes, workshops and demonstrations are about handling the wet’n wet medium as brave color relationships, more than about subject matter. Offering tools for representing personal passions that can be applied to many mediums. Insisting it is NO “happy accident” to arrange the relationships of color.


Ongoing display at Geppetto’s Café in Orinda, CA check for events.