Lynda A. N. Reyes
Artist

Newsletter: July 5 – July 19, 2018

Can you tell us a little bit about what you do?
I am a visual artist, an art historian, and an author. I am a professional full time artist who maintains a studio in Glendale. I do transparent watercolor and oil paintings that are highly representational and yet they invite the viewers to ponder. I accept portrait commissions in oil and watercolor.

How did you first become interested in art?
I have been interested in the arts since elementary grades back in the Philippines. My art works were always displayed on bulletin boards. I would draw for my classmates the projects in our science class in high school. I then pursued my Bachelors in Fine Arts, majoring in painting in college. I excelled as an artist and finished my degree in 3 years at age 18. I did my first oil portrait of my grandmother based on a small old sepia photo when I was 17 years old. It is still in my studio to this day. After college, painting was relegated to the side because I had to seek employment, but my employment remained arts related. I came here in the US for my graduate studies. Then between motherhood, I went back to painting and then came my cancer and the urge to be alive became so strong that art zoomed into the picture. My kids were very young and they needed me. Art became full time.

How do you think art can enrich a community, and what are some ways people can become engaged with art in Burbank?
This is a very loaded question and as an educator, a semester worth of class in Humanities may answer this. Humanities can be defined as the “best” that was thought of (philosophy), spoken (literature) and artistically rendered (visual and performing arts) by man. That entails a lot of deep thinking and creative thinking too. Exposure to creative work in whatever media can strongly encourage creative thinking. I used to say to my students that exposure to the visual arts and performing arts would lead them to see and thus think beyond their nose. One is made to think beyond the ordinary! Imagine what that can lead to if there is constant exposure to the arts in the community’s everyday life! Everyone will eventually be a problem solver, a critical thinker. Art can indeed enrich a community, but the approach should be systemic. People in the community can be engaged easily if they have been engaged early enough while still in elementary school. Art education that focuses, not just on techniques in art, but on creative thinking should be integral to the school system. Art teachers in elementary education should be exposed to a creativity enhancement workshop every year. Art teachers should be creative themselves! If it is too late for this, then exposure is best. Art should be more visible and accessible in the community.

If you could share with our community one thing about art, what would it be?
I can share with everyone who view my works the inspiration, courage, and optimism I got from art so that should they be confronted with a major battle in life like what I have experienced, they will continue the struggle to live with passion and determination. They will cry for five minutes and on the sixth they should move on. With each painting that is finished comes strength, and with strength comes hope. Life continues. I have proven it! Art can help. You just have to let it enter your life. Give it a chance.

To find out more about Lynda’s work, visit http://lyndaanreyes.com/