Garden Party People's Choice Winner - Linda Goddard
Live An Artful Life® Gallery in The Plains, Virginia celebrated the summer with a “Garden Party” art show featuring floral inspired garden paintings by a great group of artists. Guests had their chance to choose the People’s Choice Award and Maryland artist Linda Goddard brought home the sunshine with her 20” X 24” oil painting titled, “Sunflowers”.
Born in Illinois, Goddard had a service childhood. The family moved a lot, California, Texas, Newfoundland, Tennessee, Alabama, and Virginia come out of Linda in a flurry, before finally Maryland, which as she puts it, has been home since. Linda shares, “I got married young, had a bunch of kids [8 to be exact, 4 of each!], and always loved art.” Then a memorable moment, “I can still remember my father had a young lieutenant that worked for him when we were in Newfoundland, and he was an artist on the side. He knew I liked horses, so he drew me this cowboy and I think that was it. I was so in awe of his talent, I thought anybody that could do this, that’s what I want to do.”
So while raising her family, Linda took a bunch of classes and workshops. She made her creativity her own personal priority. I think this is an important point too, because I talk to many mothers who say they would love to have time to paint, but the kids take up all of their time. Obviously not being a mother myself, it would be unfair for me to contradict this. But Linda had eight children and seemed to have prioritized her creativity while raising them. Eight wedding photos ascend her home’s staircase and art fills her home, so it looks like she did well by both.
Twenty five years has passed since picking up the brush, with as she says, “Maybe eighteen professionally and selling.” She started with taking classes at the Delaplaine Arts Center in Frederick, Maryland and overtime became an instructor herself. Her website mentions teaching art for local home schooled and public schooled students for ten years in both co-ops and in her home studio. Her basement studio/classroom backs this up.
Linda’s studio has a small gallery space where her completed works can be displayed. It’s also her office, a place to frame and her classroom of multiple well equipped spots lined up for students to work together. My guess is this talented artist and mother of eight, could handle any age and thing thrown at her with ease, all while delivering an inspirational classroom experience, but she usually begins with the age of 8.
Goddard’s art though is obviously of great importance to her. She credits her dozen years early on working with fellow Maryland artist and friend, Mary Pfister. You can tell those years were valuable ones, but while Linda says she’s taken a lot of classes, read books and watched videos over the years, “Which have helped me with the technical aspects you have to have.” She says it best with, “I do really think it’s the getting in there and painting.” That 10,000 hour rule again.
Today Linda Goddard’s subject matter is split between still life and portraits and her medium is oil. She’s at a time in her life where she can devote much more of her time to her artistry. Linda feels like she got her talent from her Dad, a hobby painter over the years, and while none of her children paint, she lights up with sharing that a couple of her 23 grandchildren have interest. One even looking at school, which brings an enthusiastic cheer to her face. Passing the torch is a good thing, but you can tell that Linda Goddard’s personal artistic endeavors are far from over.