Linnea Hoover...Artist Statement

While I was trained in all of the traditional media--oils, pastels, water color, graphite and charcoal--I have chosen to break with tradition and create a multi-media style that is all my own.

I create vibrant backgrounds for my pieces using colored inks. Depending on the spread of color, these backgrounds might be reminiscent of landscapes, ethereal auras, or perhaps a Rorschach test. The colored background sets the stage for the figurative work to come.

The figures are done in pen and ink, using both black pens as well as colored fine-tip pens. Depending on the mood I am trying to achieve, I use a variety of straight lines, circles and patterns. Interestingly, while I am working, I count every line. By the time I complete the piece, I know how many lines have been drawn to create it. One drawing may have more than 30,000 lines!

In order to highlight aspects of the piece I am working on, many times I will use gold leaf or white acrylic paint. This has the effect of drawing out the emotion of the subject I am working to capture or highlighting strategic points in the piece.

The evolution of this style began while in college. I was in art class, working on a life drawing. I was refilling her pens, slipped, and spilled ink all over my paper. I could have thrown the spoiled paper away, but I didn't have anything to replace it with. Consequently, I drew the rest of class with the ink blotted paper. At the end of class, the effect was stunning. I began to experiment with different types of paper, board, and canvas to see what worked best to achieve the effect I wanted. At the same time, I realized the work was more interesting if I could block out some of the color, and began experimenting with different paints to see what worked best over the inks.

While my work is figurative, my subject matter varies from people, both male and female, to a variety of animals. The link that is consistent between every one of my works, is that the emotion of the subject is alive in the piece of work.

I have been influenced by a great many artists. I tend to be heavily influenced by French and traditional Japanese styles and like very stylized and impressionistic work:

· My figurative work has been inspired by Toulouse Latrec, who's vibrant colors and sense of motion make an interesting composition.

· Another artist who has been influential is Claire Wendling, who does amazing figure work, especially the hands and feet. While most people ignore hands and feet, I put a great deal of effort into mine. So much can be said with body language, that it is important not to minimize the importance of any part of the body.

· The emotion in my work has been influenced by Gustav Klimt. The golden hair in many of his pieces is very striking. I try to achieve the same level of emotion in my work, so that when people see it they are moved.

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