Every day she promises herself two important activities, making art and exercise. She says,“It helps me keep the shadows away.”
Looking at the incredible beauty of her home, in harmony with nature, love and light, I see no shadows there. Yet I know we all have these shadows, whether it is depression, loss, toxic times, or pandemic concerns. We understand. Linda Case has courage to make her surroundings befitting of her and those around her. Much of her forested property and the “green” building that she had built for a craft center, is now managed by the Potomac Valley Audubon Society, to which it was donated by Linda. She can still take walks there, and so can all of us for that matter. It is a public place. Linda and her sweet dog with the blue eyes and wispy eyebrows can take walks in a wonderland of leaves, cattails and Red-winged Blackbirds. Here, she can point out plants and meadow maintenance with the knowledge of a naturalist, although she would never claim to be one.
We sit in a room with masks and distanced chairs, drinking water after a hot morning walk together, and where the morning air still hovers in the shadows of the woods, cool and delicious.
Linda has been creating the most beautiful images during this time of isolation. Her volunteering at the animal shelter (where that dog with the blue eyes, Aphrodite, found her) and other outings and travels have been on hold. Her art and exercise are more important to her than ever. Aphrodite is of the utmost importance, of course, since she helps Linda exercise and keeps her company.
I remember her bountiful studio that I haven’t seen since last year, a second story room with a large work table and shelves. She has been trying out new materials she had stored away, and new inks, and shapes and colors galore. Polymer clay still ventures into the mix. The artworks are framed and ready to go, whenever we all figure out when the tour is. She took an online class with students from all over the world entitled “Find Your Flow 2020” by artist Karen Abend. The teacher gives the course annually, and students create for 30 days in a row. Linda learned to have more freedom, and discovered new ways to express herself. She has a sketch book that is for her to create in, on paper that doesn’t have the quality of her inventory so she won’t be tempted to sell it. The sketch book is hers and hers alone, to experiment, to search, to play, and to keep the shadows away.
Σχόλια