Linda Wells has been an artist all of her life, and she has been drawing and painting horses for many years. Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, she attended the University of New Mexico and later moved to San Francisco, California, where she studied at the San Francisco Art Institute and graduated from there with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. After moving to Boulder, Colorado, she earned an Associates degree in Advertising and Graphic Design from the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design in Denver. She has worked as a graphic designer and freelance illustrator for many years, all the while continuing to paint and enter juried shows. Her equine paintings have been juried into many exhibitions throughout the country, including the American Academy of Equine Art, and she has won many awards for her work.
In past years, she has done pencil portraits of both animals and people, pen and ink drawings of various subjects, airbrush acrylic paintings, realistic oil paintings, and colored pencil drawings. One of her favorite mediums is transparent watercolor. She finds watercolors challenging and fun to work with. She uses her own slides and photographs as reference, and her favorite subjects are horses.
“I like to create paintings with a sense of drama, brought out by interesting shapes, creative use of light, and intense colors. I love capturing the beauty and personality of horses in a work of art. I enjoy portraying horses from a different and unusual perspective, creating a painting that draws the viewer in and gives him or her a unique point of view.”
After many years of painting only in watercolors, Linda now enjoys painting in oils on canvas and boards.
“It has been a long time since I did oil paintings, and I am finding it exciting and inspiring. Instead of “saving the whites” (of the paper) in watercolor, and painting from light to dark, with oils the order is reversed, and the work is painted from dark to light. I like the buttery consistency of oil paints, and I am having fun manipulating the hard and soft edges of the subjects with the paints”.
In addition to her work in the studio, Linda is starting to do plein aire painting of landscapes. She will then use these plein aire paintings as background references for future paintings.
“I am starting a new series of horse paintings, called my “Wild and Free” series, which will depict wild horses in natural landscapes. I am very concerned about the plight of the wild horses, their disappearing habitat due to encroaching development and the increased grazing of cattle herds, and the mismanagement of the wild horse herds by the BLM. These horses are from unique Spanish herds and they need to be protected so they can live their lives in peace and freedom. I donate 10% of every sale of my horse art paintings and prints to organizations that work in saving and preserving these wonderful wild herds, and to enhancing and improving their range.”
In addition to creating fine art paintings of horses, Linda does commissioned horse portraits.
“I strive to capture the unique personality of each horse that I paint. I love to create a beautiful and lasting work of art for the owner.”
Although never having owned her own horse, Linda has wanted one since she was a little girl.
“I have loved horses all of my life. They were my favorite subject to draw and paint when I was growing up. Someday, I still hope to fulfill the dream of owning my own horse. In the meantime, I am happy depicting the beauty and magnificence of horses in my artwork.”
Linda lives in Loveland, Colorado.
Selected recent juried exhibitions include:
• Taos National Exhibition of American Watercolor, Taos, New Mexico, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2006
• Blossom Festival art exhibition, Canon City, CO, 2004, 2005, 2006
• Southern Colorado Watercolor Society Aquarius exhibitions, Pueblo, CO, 2000, '01, '03, '04, '06
• Watercolor Missouri National exhibition, 2003, '06
• American Academy of Equine Art Fall Juried exhibition, Lexington, Kentucky, 2005
• Colorado State Watermedia exhibition, Colorado History Museum, Denver, CO, 1992, 1998, 2000, '01, '02, '03, '04, '05
• Northern Colorado Artist Association National Art Show, Fort Collins, CO, 2000, '01, '05
• InternationalWatermedia VII, IX, XIII, XIV, Pikes Peak Watercolor Society, Co. Spgs., CO, 1996, 1998,
'03, '05
• Business of Art Center “Horse Sense” exhibition, Manitou Springs, CO, 2004
• Southern Colorado Watercolor Society “Suddenly Spring” exhibition, Pueblo, CO, 2004
• Kansas Watercolor Society 7-State exhibition, Wichita, Kansas 1997, 2000, '01
• Rocky Mountain National Watermedia exhibit, Golden, CO, 1998
Selected Group Exhibitions:
• Pikes Peak Watercolor Society Signature Members’ exhibitions, Pikes Peak Center, Colorado Springs, CO, yearly since 1996
• Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts “Wet and Dry exhibition, Colorado Springs 2003
• Louisville Art Association Arts Festival, Louisville, CO 1996
• Colorado Art Open, Foothills Art Center, Golden, CO 1992
Selected awards include:
• Northern Colo. Artist Assoc. 14th National exhibition, Fort Collins, CO, Honorable Mention, 2005
• SCWS “Suddenly Spring” exhibit, Honorable Mention, 2004
• Colorado Springs Art Guild “Spontaneity” exhibit, Honorable Mention, 2003
• SCWS “All About Watercolor II” exhibit, Canon City, CO, Best of Show, 2003
• SCWS “Aquarius” exhibitions, Pueblo, CO, Merit awards, , 2000, 2003
• Colorado State Watermedia Exhibit, Winsor & Newton award, 1998
• Taos National Exhibition of American Watercolor, Certificate of Recognition, 1997
Teaching:
• Watercolor painting classes in her studio since 1999
• Watercolor painting instructor, classes and workshops, Sheppard Art Institute, Colorado Springs, CO, 2001, ‘02
Linda was a Signature member of the Pikes Peak Watercolor Society, the Kansas Watercolor Society, the Taos National Society of Watercolorists, and the Southern Colorado Watercolor Society. She was an Associate member of the Transparent Watercolor Society of America. She is a past President of the Pikes Peak Watercolor Society. At the present time, she has let her Signature memberships to these watercolor societies lapse due to her concentration on her oil paintings.