Linda Wilson (BMS member) will be our next Libi Eir Mikveh artist-in-residence. Join us in celebrating Linda’s installation with an open house just after Shabbat services. 

Artist’s Statement
My adult life spanned 27 years in Charlotte with a career in workforce development and 15 of my 25 years in Greenville, SC, working with programs to help homeless people into permanent housing. The latter included fund raising, grant writing, hiring and managing case managers.

Also, while in Charlotte, I started and managed a winter shelter for homeless women and children as a volunteer. In addition to the shelter, I volunteered in numerous projects across the city.

In other words, I spent the majority of my awake time trying to give people opportunities to make their lives better. I did it well, but a counselor finally said to me, ‘What are you doing for your inner child?’ I was like a deer in the headlights. When I retired from my work helping homeless people, I decided to go to OLLI at Furman and learn about things that were new to me.

That is when art became an important part of my life. I learned pen and ink drawing and watercolor painting. I moved to Raleigh 2 years ago to be near my children after my husband died.

In Raleigh I am working on hand building with clay, and have started acrylic painting along with watercolor. I have found my inner child.

As the color spreads onto the paper or canvas, creativity takes over my being. It is magical and the world of colors, textures, and shapes fill much of my life. My subjects are varied. Although in the show at Beth Meyer, all the pictures will have water images in them, since they will be in area near the mikveh.

Many of my art pieces are inspired by my travels. So for instance, there is a picture from the beach area from the Baths on Virgin Gorda, which is formed by huge granite boulders that form a series of sea caves and tunnels.