2016 Individual Artist Award recipient Linda Infante Lyons describes the core of her well-being

Our Lady of Karluk (Linda Infante Lyons)

As the application period for the 2018 Individual Artist Awards (IAA) nears its March 1 closing date, we caught up with 2016 Fellowship recipient Linda Infante Lyons of Anchorage. 

Name: Linda Infante Lyons
Website: www.lindainfantelyons.com
Artistic Discipline: visual artist: painting and photography
IAA Career Stage: mid-career
Awards: Rasmuson Foundation Project Award 2014, Rasmuson Foundation Santa Fe Arts Institute/Institute of American Indian Art Residency 2015, Rasmuson Foundation Fellowship Award 2016

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received as an artist?
“Follow the brush.” A friend and artist once told me: “Follow the brush, stay focused on creating art and avoid the politics of the art world.” This advice has served me well.

Dandelions (Linda Infante Lyons)

Who is your favorite Alaska artist and what do you admire about that person?
I greatly admire Kes Woodward, painter and retired professor of art at UAF. I love his work and share in his intuitive approach to painting. It’s inspiring that Kes, after a long career in the arts, continues to find great joy in his studio, perpetually motivated and open to discovery both on an spiritual and intellectual level. I also appreciate his support for fellow artists and involvement in the local artist community. Sara Tabbert and Asia Freeman are a close second for their work ethic and passion for the arts.

What was the happiest moment of your life as an artist?
The happiest moment was a first group show in Chile with good friends and fellow art students. Today, the deepest sense of well-being is felt​​ the moment I enter the studio and set up to paint.

What impact did the Individual Artist Awards have on your art?
Together, the two Awards have raised the level of professionalism in my artistic career. I was able to equip a new studio and delve deeper into my work. The support and acknowledgement I received from the Rasmuson Foundation Individual Artist Awards was encouraging and much appreciated.

We hope Linda’s experience inspires you to pursue a creative project of your own. Finish your Individual Artist Award application today.