Artist: Linnea TobiasShe/Her/Hers

I like to take a close up view of the natural world, and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us every day. I create mixed media paintings inspired by my walks in nature. The birds, trees, plants, light and color that I see emerge later in the paintings I create. I am influenced by the plants and patterns in my garden, textiles, my family and my pets- bits and pieces of my everyday life combining themselves in new forms.

I paint on cradled panels using different combinations of acrylic paint, watercolor, spray paint, composition gold leaf and collage. I paint intuitively, starting with a few things I have observed on my adventures- color, texture, a pattern, or a plant or an animal. At a certain point the painting starts leading the way. I only have to listen and follow along. A dialogue begins with the painting and it shows me the next steps to take.

I have painted for many years and I have also worked with oil, pastel, collage, ceramics, and jewelry. I have marketed my work through galleries, art fairs, and retail and wholesale shows. I have a BA in fine art from The Evergreen State College in Olympia WA, studied painting, art history and printmaking at The Aegean Center for the Fine Arts in Paros, Greece, and graphic design and ceramics at Humboldt State University in Arcata, CA.