© Linda Westbrook

Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest of the USA I have always expressed myself visually. I studied drawing, printmaking. and bronze sculpture at Portland State University during the early eighties, when abstract expressionism was still considered the only true ³fine art.² My own work has always been more representational than was in most galleries at that time, but i excelled in figure drawing, and even worked as a life drawing model to earn money for art supplies My passion has always been expressing the spirit of life which is in animals, people, and even landscapes on our living planet. to that end, I found a market for my work as a portrait artist, courtroom illustrator, and crafts person. I became fairly well known for my painted wooden letter holders, which combined my love of animals with may knack for carpentry. Cut out of quarter inch birch plywood with pine bases, sanded and prepped with gessoe like old fashioned carousel horses, then painted realistically with acrylic paint, these letter holders sold quite well at local craft fairs during the five years I produced them. I finally had to concede that the process was too labor intensive for me to make any money, and I shelved this business and went back to school to learn computer graphics. I happened to stumble into an excellent Graphic Design program at my local community college.Although small in size and affordable in price, the Linn-Benton Community College program has gained national recognition for the quality of designers that they graduate. I was thrilled to find that communication with typography and graphic layout could be just as exciting as making pretty pictures of living things. There is a sophistication in this form of communication, tied to cultural iconography from art history, popular media, and all the printed material we have ever been exposed Motion graphics and animation intrigued me the most and I was fortunate that these were included in this brief but intense program of study. Since graduation I have been enjoying family life while continuing to educate myself in the multimedia areas that were just touched on at LBCC. I have also been doing some freelance graphic design work and worked for a time as the Gallery Coordinator at LBCC, arranging for shows and hanging them. Life is an adventure, and experience brings wisdom to those who do not sit placidly. I am looking forward to the next phase of my adventure and will keep you all appraised of my progress. Now it's time to concentrate on making a living.