Artist Statement

Linda Wandt is an Austin based oil painter who primarily focuses on portraiture and figurative works with a careful eye for details. Her paintings often use symbolism to create narrative, although a straightforward figurative practice is also crucial to honing skills. When planning portraits with a Magic Realism or Surrealist flair, these pieces sometimes involve creating sculptural models of other elements to help as references for the photo shoots. The image is often carefully planned throughout the process, including details such as clothing and jewelry.

Through painting, Wandt is exploring the topics of the nature of reality and how we experience it, forging identity, and examining the subconscious and how it interacts with the conscious mind. The bridge between the two aspects of the mind has been a significant focus of her art making, revealing themes of duality and internal conflict, leading as well to conflict that arises from inner desires versus the external world we find ourselves in. The figures tend to stare directly at the viewer, which can be seen either as a confrontation to be acknowledged or an invitation to enter their world and to contemplate the figures as they are presented, and what the figures are presenting to the viewer. Most often the message of the work revolves around empowerment and growth. They are narratives that focus on personal dialogues resulting in how we chose to create ourselves, mainly on an individual basis, although a small number of the pieces are intended societal commentaries. The narratives and characters in these paintings, which often incorporate the symbolism of vines and certain flowers and plants, invite the viewer to question meaning for themselves, despite the very specific process and intention of the artist.