Portland, Oregon
Artist Statement
Linda Welch investigates art in a broad range of media: concrete, textile, painting, art books, mixed media collage, and collaboration. Collage is the thread running between the various mediums.
Inspiration comes from many sources: history, rituals, words, beauty, imperfections and the nuances of nature. Welch employs an intuitive and process oriented approach to her artwork. Gathering raw material is as significant as the manipulation in determining a final composition. Listening to the interaction between colors, line and surface treatment dictate the direction a piece or a series will go. Her work is driven by a strong sense of composition.
Artist Books
The artist books emanate from a true love of books. The tangible and visual experience of opening a book is a constant source of desire. Each book is created as a unique. A series may unfold, but within are individual pieces. Primarily focused on visual texture, color and composition, threads of storyline appear in unexpected ways. The books are quite tactile and are meant to be experienced.
Collaborations
The collaborative pieces incorporate works by French born artist Robert Jean Ray. Ray’s diminutive artworks reflect the ideas of the post-modernist approach to collage and drawing. Collaborations began shortly after the two artists met in 1996. Ray releases finished and unfinished works to Welch with little, if any, further involvement. Finished works are commonly left untouched and stitched onto pages for books. Unfinished pieces are manipulated and integrated into collage works, either in books or works on panel. Rarely, is the reverse collaboration seen.
Artist Biography
Linda Welch was born and raised in Ames, Iowa. California was called home for three decades. This past year she moved to Portland, Oregon. Welch received a B.F.A. in Ceramics from Long Beach State and an M.F.A. in Textile Design from UC Davis.
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Insistent Repetition |
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Unmew |
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23 Sandy Gallery • 623 NE 23rd Ave • Portland, Oregon 97232 • 503-927-4409
Hours: Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 12-6, and By Appointment |
