Linda Koenig Artist Statement
Be outside. Embrace solitude. See with fresh eyes. Write. These are tools of my studio practice, actions that come before and in conjunction with the application of paint, habits that inform the work. Alongside my sketchbooks are dictionaries, both old and new, and an assortment of journals for thoughts, lists, random words that intrigue me. Often the title of a painting comes first, then the concept, with brushes and paint last.
The core of the work? Beauty, order, harmony.
Mom’s Bread Statement:
As the only daughter in a large farm family, Mom spent a lot of time in the kitchen. Her first try with this bread was at age seven. Now she is eighty-nine and still baking the same bread, five loaves, every other Saturday. In our family, we simply call it “homemade bread.” It is always there, in the freezer and in the breadbox.
When the crust cracks in just the right way or the loaves are especially golden, Mom will sometimes call, wishing I was there. I smile, knowing what’s for supper that night. Homemade bread, cold butter, coffee with cream. There is nowhere I would rather be.
