My Story
Hi! I am Linda Ross Gallagher BFA, SCA, a contemporary Canadian oil painter, based in Ontario, Canada.
As a child immersed in nature in the Saguenay Region of Quebec, I spent hours wandering forest trails down to the river, collecting and pressing wildflowers and playing in a frog pond with the family canoe. I recorded these in watercolour.
Working alongside Western landscape painters in the 90’s at various visiting artist programs fostered a deep passion for plein air painting (painting outdoors on location), which is the foundation of my work today.
I invite you to accompany me on these adventures, to celebrate Nature through all your senses, to reconnect and feel deeply the tranquility and calm.
Painting from life is a spontaneous recording through all the senses: I invite you to feel the breezes and summer sun, the symphony of insects; the exhilaration of feet and fingers tingling with cold in mid winter; colours developing before your eyes that cannot be captured on film or noticed in the hurry scurry of life.
Mount Allison University in New Brunswick provided a hands on, practical fine arts program along with scholarships that funded my BFA (1973), giving me a solid grounding in classical drawing and painting.
You could say that my work draws on Impressionism, representational and spontaneous Expressionism, with an undercurrent of classical structure.
Although my first love is Nature, many moves across the continent over the last 50 years have encompassed a vast array of experiences and subjects.
The appreciation and preservation of our authentic, natural environment as well as the stories and skilled craftsmanship found in our heritage dwellings are finding their place in my art these days.
I invite you to walk with me in the Escarpment forests, or down a shady lane in the old part of town.
This sensual “seeing” translates well in urban settings anywhere: the warmth of interiors; light reflected in mirrored skyscrapers; textures, colours and craftsmanship in historical architecture; personalities. The possibilities are endless, wherever there is light.
Currently I am involved with the Fine Arts Society of Milton; Credit Valley Artisans in Georgetown and the Oakville Arts Society. I am a founding member of Norval Studios & Gallery in Norval, Ontario and recently became an elected member of the Society of Canadian Artists.
When I am not painting, you may find me relaxing with our three cats, hiking with my husband on the Escarpment or practising Sunday’s hymns on the piano.
Municipal collection
Private collection.
I invite you to join me in feeling deep connections, peace and sanctuary through my art.
“Dancing Trees”
“I feel very much at home with it. It is just me. We are kindred spirits in nature. I really love that one.”
Annalee —Bothwell
“Clarity … it is and it isn’t like a photograph, because there’s a feeling about it; there’s a mystery about it. They make me feel I’m glad I bought them. These are part of my refuge. The ‘York & Adelaide’ painting is totally different from the others. I can’t say why I like it, but I really, really LOVE it. There’s something about the city that grabs me.”
Brian — Toronto
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