Congratulations to Linda Reymore for earning her place a Winner in the Boynes Monthly Art Award [July Edition]!

Who are you?

I am an artist creating non-objective, sometimes minimalist, often mixed media work on canvas.

My art studies began as a young child enrolled in summer oil painting classes where I learned color mixing and how to achieve any color I desired with a few basic colors. That training generated curiosity about the colors and shapes around me and how I would paint them. My interest continued and I obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, and a Master of Science degree in Marketing Communications while working for an advertising firm in Chicago. In the 1970’s after moving to North Carolina with my husband, I presented a solo exhibition in Kinston selling a selection of my works to a corporate collection.

Life’s necessities took over and I began working with my husband managing his busy law practice and raising our daughter. My career outside of the art field was supplemented by my volunteer activities in executive capacity for local arts agencies using my business, art, and graphic design abilities to market and grow their audiences. Prior to retirement, I returned to creating art and pursuing exhibition opportunities in both physical and online venues. I engage with fellow artists through membership in the International Society of Experimental Artists, MartinArts, the Martin Artisans Guild, and the St. Lucie Cultural Alliance.

What inspired you to utilize mixed MEDIA as a medium?

It is the taut blank canvas that inspires me to create a geographical relief on the surface by introducing texture and depth as design elements. From there, I experiment using different materials and rotating emphasis on artistic elements to create a non-objective composition that is visually interesting and tactilely compelling but without reference to recognizable objects.

How would you describe your work?

My art is generally a non-objective intellectual exercise in puzzle solving…assembling and balancing the pieces to find a “comfortable” or “comfortably uncomfortable” compositional pose.

Can you discuss the inspiration and thought process behind your winning work?

Like most of my work, Conformation began with a variably triggered, non-objective visual idea coupled with a compulsive creative energy to translate the idea into a physical object. My work usually demands the mustering of a great deal of my intellectual concentration to accomplish this task. Determining the juxtaposition of forms, either organic or geometric, in my compositions is like putting together a puzzle. My creative process moves through an evolution of color, form, and texture, in which I perceive each element craving a compositional pose. Changing emphasis on the artistic elements in my projects allows me a path for exploration as well as freedom from a formulaic personal style.

Can you walk us through the technical steps of creating your winning work?

Using the computer to create layouts is the most technical first step in my design process. The materials I use in my work include wall paints, acrylics, modeling mediums sometimes with screen extrusions, ink, cheesecloth, screen material, and metal wire on canvas. I often use geometric shapes and forms in my art. For layout purposes, at times I use my computer and Photoshop to draw, sketch out, or manipulate my own photographs to obtain a workable composition. I drop in different colors and make other adjustments or even cut and paste elements of my other work to make a “layout” for my piece. About fifty percent of the time I am excited enough about the composition to transfer the layout to my canvas. The layout for Conformation fell on the positive side of the percentage.

What do you hope to communicate to an audience with your work?

I attempt to avoid purposely making statements, offering opinions, or expressing emotions through my art. Instead, the spiritual aspect attributed to non-objective art allows my viewers to participate in the creative process by overlaying their own personal experiences, perceptions, beliefs, interpretations, and ultimate connection or indifference to my work. I typically title my art as a numbered composition so as not to influence the viewer beyond the visual. Nevertheless, when I complete a piece and disengage, as an observer I occasionally discover a familiar object or abstract concept illustrated and may communicate this discovery through titling of the piece. Conformation received its name from such a prompt.

Can you talk about your biggest learning experience during the process of creating your work?

Maintaining objectivity in evaluating my own work is a challenging but necessary exercise. Embracing perceived faults in earlier work and learning to use them as a tool for more impactful work transforms any critique into a positive experience. I recently learned that one of my favorite professors who taught painting in college burned his entire portfolio before he passed away. His motivation is unknown, but it is a reminder of the deeply personal relationship an artist has with his or her work. (I am fortunate to have one of his remaining pieces.)

Can you discuss your biggest success since starting your artistic journey?

There are so many wonderful works by other contemporary artists that acceptance in exhibitions and competitions is certainly in my biggest success category. When I returned to art after retirement, I received “Best in Show” in the first juried gallery exhibit (statewide) I entered. That ranks high on my success list since that win encouraged me to persist in my art and exhibition journey.

I also consider it a success when I create a piece that conforms to my vision of the work. Moreover, I feel equally successful when I recognize the point at which a piece takes on its own existential presence and I can allow and assist it's “becoming” something entirely different than my original intent.

Can you give us a piece of advice you wish you had known at the start of your career?

Art presents both artistic and personal challenges. Perseverance is a necessary quality and tool to overcome the many stumbling blocks that pop up during the creative process.

When I was in school, I had a professor who cautioned against using the word “unique” as he claimed nothing is “unique” and the word is overused. There is validity in that thought as my seemingly novel ideas always have some existing precedent or variation of my “invention.” However, in viewing the art of others, I am comforted by the fact that uniqueness dwells in the creativity of the individual human mind, heart, and touch; my art is “unique” to me.

What projects are you working on currently?

I am very excited to be working on a themed three-person exhibit scheduled in a little over a year at our cultural center gallery. The exhibit requires quite a bit of new work but provides a significant creative challenge!

What is your dream project or piece you hope to accomplish?

Creating art post-retirement without the necessity for commercialization to support my art is the realization of my dream.

As a winner, do you have any advice for artists who want to submit to awards, competitions, residencies, etc.?

Read the prospectus, follow the guidelines, and submit professional-quality images of your entry. Also, don’t anticipate a personal waiver if your work is not submitted timely…it doesn’t work that way. Research the organization. Research the jury as their work as an artist or curator is informative. Review the organization's past and forthcoming exhibitions.

Lastly, I like to ask everyone what advice they would give to their fellow artists, what is your advice?

My advice would be to maintain a balance between intention and spontaneity. It’s important to step back and ask why? What is this adding? Can I simplify? Is my approach overwhelming the unity of the piece; is it out of balance with my vision; can I turn it around totally by redirecting focus?

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