Linda Delahaye

Linda is a representational painter whose work explores beauty, sensuality, and intimacy. Through her detailed work and suggested narratives she aims to communicate awareness, emotions, experiences, memories, the beauty and wonder of the human soul, and a searching for comfort and familiarity in the unknown. Each person portrayed in her work, is telling a story about the life of the person, the emotion of that moment in time, their world surrounding them, and a warm sense of the human condition and its uniqueness. Stories both real and imagined are what shape her work and give it a familiar yet unique quality. "Art is fundamentally a conversation and my artistic voice is an emotional one. The things I choose to paint and talk about are what I find beautiful in my life. I explore the female form through painting with gentleness, grace and sensitivity. I see the moments that I paint as a peaceful oasis, where life is often very chaotic and painful. There is something deeply satisfying to take an idea from ideation to completion and meeting the people that become a part of my paintings. I chose to stage my models like performers in a play. The majority of the subjects I paint are female. Showing their strength, character or simply a glimpse into their life, beyond just their physical beauty or ornamental value is important to me. I find that their individuality, bodies, and gestures inspire me to create works showing their agency, our collective humanity, love, support, and bravery. These are the strengths that are often unseen but that can be worn like armour."