Linda Elliott: Unfettered Imagination

As long as she can remember Linda has been torn between graphic arts and music. Today she manages to juggle the two and enjoys the creativity associated with both.  Tauranga has been home for Linda since 1960.

In her artworks, Linda paints everyday subjects and objects , explores issues and takes them in surprising new directions. The creative process often continues during the development of the work sometimes with surprising (and frequently amusing) results. She combines a keen eye for detail with a naïve artistic style, a great imagination and sense of humour.

Linda's gravity defying  'This Way Up' 

In 2008 Linda exhibited in the National Tauranga Art Award with a theatrical piece using a mixture of sculpture, painting, fabric and wood.

In July 2010 Linda worked on a commissioned mural for the Marble café and bar at the Gate Pā shopping complex.  The Manager requested a musical theme including piano keyboards. The rest was Linda’s choice. The idea is that this bar was the original reason that fish grew legs and came ashore.

As an artist she frequently poses interesting questions relating to the everyday matters that we encounter in our lives. The images often have an imaginative twist that makes us think differently on the seemingly prosaic. In one painting I particularly like called 'The Waiter' Linda asks , "Would we enjoy our meaty dishes as much if we were to meet our prey as the lively and friendly characters they once were?"

A futuristic vision - 'Ark Air'  by Linda Elliott

Linda's work has been displayed at the Bethlehem College Art Exhibition, the Creative Tauranga Community Gallery and at the Thornton Gallery in Hamilton.

A painting of Lindas was accepted into the Tauranga Art Gallery's Miles Awards in 2010 and she is represented in the 'Square Foot' Exhibition at Creative Tauranga Community Gallery this December.

Linda appreciates the privilege of being able to put time into music and painting and when I as her about her art Linda says she wants to,"Express my own opinions, ideas and imaginations through honest effort and to regard and enjoy the work of others in this light also"

Linda can be contacted by email at houseofelliotts@xtra.co.nz

by Pete Morris (February, 2013).

Pete Morris is an occasional painter and an art lover. He is a freelance writer with a particular interest in promoting the visual arts in Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty.