Linda Gass was born to be an artist . She set forth creating as soon as she was old enough to hold a paintbrush ; now , several decades later , Gass has fulfil her childhood dreaming and then some . The Bay Area creative person produce vibrant works of artistic production on fabric , but they ’re not just pretty pictures . Each of Gass’sstitched paintings , as she call them , also serve as a stark illustration of the impairment we ’re causing our satellite .
Gass grew up in the 1970s , along with the first inspiration of modern environmentalism . By the time she reached college , the move was in full swing . It was a “ lifestyle , ” she tellsmental_floss . “ It really opened my heart . ”
But there were virtual concerns to see to . Gass ’s parent want her to find a career that would back her , which made becoming an creative person out of the question . She turn instead to math and data processor science , finally entering the software industry . And her parents were good : she was well - supported . But she was n’t slaked . So after age of saving up , she quit .
“ It was a really tough decision , ” she says . “ I had worked all my life to get to the spot where I was in the software package diligence and it sure as shooting paid well . All of my friends were there . So I had to really build up my courage to step away . ”
The wild decision paid off . By 1998 , Gass had find her style into textile art , and she never looked back . “ I love work in textiles , ” she says . “ There ’s something about fabric that ’s very comforting . It ’s beautiful and a delight to work with . ”
But her environmental roots were calling . It was n’t long before Gass realized she could integrate her concerns into her nontextual matter . Her first ecological part , After the Gold Rush , was inspired by an aerial picture of California ’s Interstate 5 .
After the Gold Rush
Painting after painting follow , direct musical theme of land use , water defilement , and human violence against the landscape . Yet each image is luminous and lovely to see . This is intentional , fit in to Gass : “ I seek to entice people in with that beauty to get them to face the hard issues we face . ”
select each painting ’s title for a brief description .
gravely Burned
Refined ?
San Joaquin Merced Revival
Over the last two decade , Gass has expand her repertory to admit sculpture and landscape installations . Last year , she was honored with a originative environmental science residency in East Palo Alto , California . She chose to make for on Cooley Landing , a public beach that had , until recently , been landfill . Understandably , the community was more or less hesitant to spend time there . But through Gass ’s free workshops , topical anesthetic of all ages were capable to discover the natural beauty and heritage of their novel shoreline .
East Palo Alto is something of an economical island , a grim - income city in a sea of loaded neighbors . The ecology residency had a two-fold determination : insert the city ’s residents to their novel loose space , and offering them an opportunity to engage in hands - on art and scientific discipline .
Gass and her workshop participants sketched the wildlife they go out and create a vast induction along the coast — thousands of bright - blue flags , marking where the water line had once been .
Gass also used her educatee ’ drawings to create a blank silk canvas for community penis to paint .
“ I overheard some of the girls while they were painting with the dyes , saying , ‘ This is sorcerous ! ’ Which is on the button how I experience about silk painting the very first sentence I tried it , " she says . " It is this very magical , magnetise technique . It was so with child to be remind of how golden I am to be able-bodied to work in this art form . ”
Gass shows her work in gallery and museums around the country . To see her paintings in person this year , chink out the Institute of Contemporary Art in San Jose , California , or the Euphrat Musem of Art in Cupertino , California .
All images good manners of Linda Gass .
