Linda Berkowitz

Artist Statement: Since I was a child, I have been drawing and painting. For me, It’s an exploration and a way of learning with my senses. I collect things that inspire me, pebbles from the beach in Crete, a potato shaped rock saved from when I was 10 years old on a trip to Prince Edward Island, fossils from Big Deep in Woodstock, NY, tree bark and black walnut shells from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Sargent is one of my favorite artists. The freedom of his brushstrokes and the way he captures light in his watercolors, inspires me to paint. I’m influenced by Paul Klee, Swoon, and Willem DeKooning among others. My own work is based on nature. I also do portraits of people and animals. I use watercolor, oil pastel and acrylic. I like the feel of the materials, be it paint or graphite on paper. Usually my work is realistic but I venture into abstract. I live near the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. At the Garden I sketch, take photos, do watercolor, and oil pastels. I work at home, outdoors and in my studio. Recently I started using the open-studio at Trestle Art Space. I’m working on shaped canvases and panels, painting flowers in acrylic. I like how the flowers conform to the shape. I can zero in on a section of a flower and look at it up close. Linda Berkowitz