This story is a repeat, and the pieces featured, “Be Still My Heart” Horse and “Knowledge Keeper” Raven are now available at the Leza Macdonald Art Gallery Main Street Oliver.

Every so often an artist is lucky enough to meet one of her hero’s. I sat down to have a long waited for chat with one of my fav artist and photographers, Linda Anderson.

Linda styles in her painting accessories, that extra pair of glasses and her headphones with  Adelle, Lindsay Sterling and some powerful movie themes giving her the right beat for her brushes to dance to. And those brushes dance!

I was introduced to this fabulously talented Artist in 2012, we became Facebook friends and I have enjoyed her work and her post about her family ever since. There is a little grand daughter I hold close to my heart.

What a treat to be invited to her home. I was excited to look at her studio. Us artists call that corporate spying . . .  now how does she do that!  We chatted across her work table while Linda showed me the feathers she paints on and gave me some technical info on why some feathers work and others don’t.

The Osoyoos Indian Band gave one of her feathers to Governor General of Canada Michaelle Jean. Photo borrowed from Linda’s Facebook page.

Linda is self taught and as the world went for the 1900’s to the 2000’s Linda started painting. First on rocks with her grand kids then onto canvas in 2004. She had a couple of BIG wooden canvases in her studio, we talked about the price. It is an artist thing. No idea about the price of gas but we need to know about a good sale on supplies!

I was honour to get a tour of the paintings on her walls. They tell the story of her painting history from early works like the close up of flickers to her own petroglyph designs to the horse with the heart on her easel. This horse is painted from one of her photos. Magnificent work.

Born in Oliver at the old hospital she has 3 kids and 7 grandkids and gets a beautiful smile on her face when she talks about them.

One of her fav things to do is craft night at the OIB Health Centre. It is just women and she is learning to bead, very enjoyable she says.

Now for the gossip. Linda will be the feature artist in November at the new Leza Macdonald Art Gallery on Main St.

I walked away feeling joyful and inspired. We both love art, the land here, the desert, the antelope brush, bugs and the weather. I feel we bonded!

Thank you Linda!