A Profile. A Poem. An Opening.
THE PROFILE
The Pennsylvania Journal of Arts and Sciences (PJAS) at UPenn in Philadelphia interviews artists and writers for this ongoing series of profiles. I will say that I have been interviewed often, and the questions are usually fascinating and clarifying. Writing the answers always makes me think more deeply about where I’ve come from, and where I am heading. In this one the writer introduces another dimension.
An excerpt:
“There is a dreamlike aspect to my paintings,” she explains, “a surreal confluence of elements that feels very real.”
That uncertainty is fundamental to Post’s narrative realism. Her paintings offer enough visual specificity to suggest an event, but they withhold the information necessary to settle its meaning. Figures appear on the threshold of change, participating in private dramas whose causes and outcomes remain unknown. The viewer enters after something has begun and leaves before it is resolved…” READ MORE
Singing At Dusk, oil painting 
The Future Is Now, oil painting.
THE OPENING
TWO PAINTINGS ON VIEW IN NEWFOUNDLAND SEPT. 26, 2026 - JAN. 28, 2027
"WOMAN 2026" is a major, biennial international exhibition hosted by the James Baird Gallery and Pouch Cove Foundation in Newfoundland, Canada that features an invitational selection of some of the finest figurative painters from around the world. A full color catalogue is published in conjunction with the show.
The next installment, WOMAN 2026, opens September 26, 2026. Painters spanning the globe explore, interpret, and visually unpack the multifaceted theme of "woman" through contemporary figurative art and portraiture. Each biennial hosts approximately 125 painters from 30 countries in nearly 7,000 square feet. The collection ranges from highly detailed hyperrealism to moody, conceptual oil paintings and soft pastel portraiture.
I am both honored and delighted to show two of my most recent works, Singing at Dusk and The Future Is Now, in this extraordinary exhibition. In all my work, women are the dominant elements. My goal is not to idealize them in any way, but to portray each woman’s individuality, her power, and her connection to other women - all in sync with the natural world.
I wish I could attend the opening, but my nephew's wedding is the same weekend. Family and love take priority!
THE POEM
There has always been a literary aspect to my art. My titles are often inspired by passages of poetry, titles of novels, even musical lyrics. There are hidden narratives, and parts that appear metaphysical or surreal.
My husband, Geoff, in addition to his many other talents, is also an accomplished poet. He wrote this poem, Bliss, which was inspired by Adventures in Wonderland - and really, all of my work.
BLISS
When she first descended
Into the mystery of her life,
She knew nothing of desire.
She spent her days
Tending a wondrous garden,
Finding names for everything she saw,
Content to savor the delectable fruits
Of her labor.
At night she sat on a cliff
Counting the stars one by one,
Naming them as if they were seeds
In a pod.
Then, something tugged at her heart,
And in a moment of divine inspiration
She decided to name herself a bird.
Stepping off the precipice,
A spirit untethered,
Celebrating the freedom to lust after joy.
- Geoffrey Brent Post, ©2026
MORE POETRY!
Julie and her husband bought a large work of mine, Swimmers in the River, many years ago. She wrote, "This work of art has moved houses with us numerous times since then, always gracing our most important walls, never failing to inspire with its stunning beauty and fathomless mystery. We’ve felt such profound spiritual and aesthetic connection to the work and thank you so much for the gift you’ve given to the lives of two admiring strangers."
Earth is actually in a private collection in Manhattan, but Julie asked to use it on the cover of her new book because "the contrasting colors of the earth blanket evoke the tension between light and darkness, suggesting the precipice, the very suspense contained in my title. The woman lying there feels like my narrator. We dream our way into her face, her posture, the very meaning of her being there. She is the perfect harbinger for what lies between the covers."
You know, sometimes it takes a poet - or the writer of a profile - to express in words what I attempt to do visually. “Painting is silent poetry, and poetry painting that speaks.” - Plutarch
Thanks for joining me on this journey, and do feel free to share! If you find yourself in Newfoundland, and you love figurative realism, check out the James Baird Gallery.
Summer is past, autumn is here, and I have begun a new painting!
Cheers,
Linda
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