Taking inspiration from her ancestral farming roots and her garden, watercolorist Linda Watkins captures blossoms and bees, birds and berries, bugs, frogs and fish in her work. Her grandparents were farmers and gardening has always been an essential element of her life. “I am fascinated both by color and detail,” Linda explains. “I like to zoom in on nature.” Born in North Carolina (“an Army brat,” she quips), the Fort Bragg area was her home base growing up. Apart from a 5 year spell in England in the early 90’s, she has lived mostly in or around the Raleigh/Cary area until moving here in 1997.
Linda’s paintings have a delightfully delicate and airy feel. Her pallet is rich with an emphasis on oranges and blues. They adorn her studio with a vibrant, natural environment. Named by her grandsons when they were preschoolers, Frog Pad Studio got its moniker through association with her former Prince Creek neighborhood, the Lily-pad covered koi pond they had there, and the Frog Prince of fairy tales.
Linda is mainly a self-taught painter. As a child, she was never without a number 2 pencil and always sketching. “None of the schools I attended offered much art education,” she remembers. “It wasn’t until the late 80’s that I discovered the joy of watercolor and it has been my first choice ever since.” She has been accepted into the Watercolor Society of North Carolina
Linda’s paintings can be viewed on her Chatham Artists Guild gallery page.
