Linda Boisvert DeStefanis - Featured Artist
My soul is alive when I am painting or photographing new images to inspire me. My artwork exhibits elements of patience, detail, depth and, color. I am constantly watching and searching for that moment of nature’s beauty that will grab my attention. Many times, I find this inspiration while taking a photo drive somewhere to capture that fleeting splash of light on a tree, beautiful reflections on a serene pond, or any scene where nature is showing off. Most often my eye gravitates to water as I love the challenge of painting water in all its many forms.
Contemporary realism is how I would describe my style of painting. I often use one to three photo references to gather the information I need to complete a painting. Some photos will be used for the composition and others for close-ups of sections I may need for a more detailed area. I paint in oils primarily now and work in layers. Each layer will dry overnight because I use Liquin as my medium. This way I can stop at a good point and resume the next day, laying new paint over the last layer. I paint in my studio as my work is too time-consuming to do otherwise.
Born in Hartford, Connecticut, I lived in Wethersfield for most of my life. From a young age, I enjoyed all forms of art and had wonderful parents who encouraged me to draw and paint. I began taking oil painting lessons as a teen and went on to paint larger works into high school. In college my favorites were drawing, photography, and printmaking. After completing a BA at Southern Connecticut State University, I became a graphic artist and remained in that field for over 30 years. My heart belonged to my fine art though, and I continued to paint and enter shows in between work and family, winning prizes along the way. I feel I can finally become the full-time artist I have yearned for all these years.
I have exhibited throughout Connecticut and on Long Island and am a member of the Middletown and New Britain Museum of American Art organizations as well as an Associate Member of the Lyme Art Association. I joined Maple and Main Gallery of Fine Art in Chester, Connecticut in early 2013 and was a member artist for over five years until their recent closing. I am also an artist member of the Women Artists Collective, and last October 2017 I was voted to become the new President of the Connecticut Women Artists, Inc. organization.