Linda Hoover Caricatures

Hi there,

I’ve never – in 36 years in the Heartland – seen a winter as mild as this. At the school where I teach elementary art two days a week, we had an extra recess yesterday afternoon and we didn’t even need coats!!

In an unusual year, weather-wise, it seems appropriate that I’m having an unusual year with my art. I made a trip to Israel in May and June to work with CBN’s Operation Blessing. My project was to do portraits of holocaust survivors and offer them art lessons to show Christian love. I stayed in Haifa, had a wonderful time with the survivors and seeing as much as possible of Northern Israel.

Then, I came home fired up about my art, cleaned out and fixed up my studio, which is actually an old chicken house where I would work occasionally. Other times, I’d work at the kitchen table or upstairs in a spare bedroom, and I had art supplies scattered around the house. Now, I’m focused. I get out there early several days a week to light a fire in the old wood stove making it a nice, cozy, ORGANIZED work space where I spend many pleasant hours these days making art.

I’m the artist-in-residence at the State Fair College Library all year which means I can switch paintings in and out whenever I want and also have the use of a large display case at the entrance of the library. They’re planning a reception for me this spring, where I’ll do caricatures and have a power point of my murals looping. What fun!! I’m also going to be an artist-in-residence the entire 11 days of the MO State Fair. I’ll be working on a BIG mural on the outside wall of the Fine Arts Building throughout the fair!!

I belong to SVAA (the Sedalia Visual Artists Assoc.) and
MMA (Mid-Missouri Artists in Warrensburg).
These clubs are full of great,
interesting people, BUT they meet in
the evenings and I have a problem
getting myself out to do anything
at night. SO, I accepted the
position of Veep and Program
Chair for MMA to push myself
and it’s well worth it. I get in
on planning the programs AND
enjoy the company of fellow
artists more often these days.

God bless you,
Linda