Artist of the Week: Ref 7. Lynden Lund

Lynden Lund: Perseverant, Triumphant, Glorious Artist

Sometimes when you enter a gallery or walk past the window, there is this one astonishing piece of art amongst all the others that immediately catches your eye. This was my experience with the art of Lynden Lund and I am sure you will agree with me that his creations are absolutely exceptional.

“Life is about the pursuit of perfection; and stagnation is the first sign of the demise of art” - Lynden Lund.

Introduction

Lynden Lund (69) was born in East London. Before becoming a professional artist after retirement, Lynden worked in Telecommunications as well as in Finance; and eventually, as a developer of IT training manuals. He currently lives with his wife in Smithfield in a beautiful part of the Free State province of South Africa. Smithfield is in the centre of the merino farming region of the southern Free State, on the edge of the Karoo. Typical Big Sky country.

 

Hi Lynden, were you always interested in art?

I am a self-trained artist who was always in love with art. I have been creating art since my childhood and always wanted to do it full-time, but only turned professional about 22 years ago, shortly before retirement.

 

What is the best thing about being an artist?

The answer to your question is quite simple: the best thing is to be able to express my passion and to give joy to others.

 

What inspires you to be an artist?

There was never a seminal experience in my life that started it all. From day one I was inspired by nature around me and strove to capture its beauty and express it in such a way that other people also can share and enjoy the moment forever.

I have a deep love for nature. While living at the coast I was fascinated by the form and movement of the waves. Moving to the Free State after a long stay in Gauteng, I was awed by the vast open plains and big skies and particularly the variety of cloud formations.

 

Were you ever discouraged?

After my stroke in 2008, I was not able to hold a pencil or brush, nor to discern colour. It was a difficult time, but I am mostly recovered now and can use my affected hand and leg well again and I am painting full steam. There however, remains a strip of pain on the left side of my body - apparently it has something to do with a nerve. Another issue is that, owing to the onset of vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s, my entire reminiscence of the past is lost and my short-term memory is very poor. In addition, I experience frequent anxiety attacks when amongst large groups of people and as a result became a virtual hermit. Despite these issues I see every day as a day of grace and make sure to stay positive and not become too discouraged to create my art. I strive to end every day as a winner.

 

Which artists are you most influenced by?

I love all art, but make sure, while I learn from other artists, that I am not particularly influenced by their styles, so that my natural style remains unique.

 

Do you do custom artworks?

I have done quite a few commissions. One of them was 2m by 700mm for a client in England. I am currently doing another commission (700 x 700mm), also to go overseas.

 

Do you listen to music while you create?

Yes, I love to listen to instrumental music, mostly light classics as it gets the creative spirits dancing. I also listen to French, German or Italian folk music which has a nice joyful rhythm that picks me up when I am feeling down on a difficult day.

 

Which mediums do you like?

I have worked in oil, acrylic, pen and ink, and water colour; but oil is more versatile and can be manipulated in different ways. For the past few years, I have been specialising in oil as a medium. It dries slowly and allows for the paint to be altered and manipulated over a longer period to obtain the required effect and deeper colours. I also like to play around with paint thickness for different textures. Painting in oil certainly gives me the most joy.

 

 Can I see your studio? 

Please tell me about the techniques you use in your artworks

In my opinion it is an artist’s duty to explore. Life is about the pursuit of perfection; and stagnation is the first sign of the demise of art. To me colour is extremely important as a way to express myself and I love experimenting to see what results I get. It is fascinating to see how pallet knife and brush can be applied to achieve different techniques to capture and present beauty in a unique way. Examples are different brush strokes, or stippling/layering/cutting with a pallet knife.

 

How do you know when a piece is done?

No painting is ever really done in your mind. You stand back and feel superbly satisfied, but with the very next painting, you recollect all the previous ones you have created; and forever try to improve on them in order to ensure that you are constantly growing as an artist.

How important are titles to your artworks?

Relatively important as the paintings are supposed to speak for themselves! Titles to me are more for reference purposes.

 

What is your favourite artwork?

Because I find so much joy in creating, every piece I am working on is my favourite. Since starting to keep record a few years ago, I have created more than 950 paintings and the next one is always my favourite.

 

What’s your workday like?

I am a reasonably disciplined worker and, depending on my health, work at least 6 hours a day. It is difficult to say how long it takes me to complete a painting, as it depends on factors such as size and detail, but in general I do paint quite fast. Though spending the majority of my day in my studio, I never get lonely while painting. Once involved in a piece, I become totally engrossed.

 

Do habits help creativity?

Good habits can help to keep you focused, for example: Try to paint every day; set regular hours to paint; do not allow too many interruptions or distractions; don’t start with a white canvas, apply a colour base coat first; experiment with colours and techniques; study other artists regularly; be open to constructive criticism, etc.

 

What is the hardest part of creating a work of art?

Believe it or not, but finding a subject to me is the most difficult part of the job! I am a lover of nature and there are just so many options to choose from. If you think about one particular setting, there is a myriad of secondary options opening up – for instance, the position of the sun or time of day and the different shades and colours that goes with it. There are also other elements like rain, wind, dust, cloud formations, a storm…. I want to paint them all, they are just all so amazingly beautiful!

 

What’s the favourite part of your job?

If you live off your art, sales are unfortunately the objective. However, whenever I sell something, I picture the buyer admiring the painting at home and sharing my enjoyment when I created it and this is even more rewarding than the money. For that reason, packing a finished painting and dispatching it to a buyer is my favourite part by far.

 

Marketing your art

Marketing my art is the one area which I cannot currently handle well as a result of my stroke. Vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s together make it extremely difficult for me to focus on promoting my work.

In the past I exhibited at Alice Art in the Garden, at Johann van Heerden Art Gallery, at Gallery on Levasseur in Bloemfontein as well as locally in Smithfield. Currently, I depend on friends, colleagues, walk-ins, loyal customers and social media for support and sales.

 

Where can prospective buyers see your work?

On Facebook and Instagram. My work is also available on Artmajeur, SouthAficanArtists, and SA Art Explosion.

 

What role does the artist have in society?

Artists have a unique role to play by inspiring people to look at the world through different eyes. It gives me immense pleasure when painting a well-known scene, or even painting from a picture on commission and then, when it is finished, to observe the buyer experiencing my version and vision of the original setting they know or the picture that they have asked to me to paint! It is as if a light is shone on their faces, their eyes bright and shiny, their minds exploring and processing the revealed beauty they have been missing all the time. When this happens, I appreciate the power of art to improve the existence of us human beings.

 

 

Does living in the countryside impact on art?

Definitely. On the positive side, I have much more time to create art and love the solitude, but supplies are difficult to come by. Sales are very much limited to online, unless I dispatch at large cost to galleries in the city where they take sizable commissions. There are more opportunities for direct sales in the city.

 

What is success in the world of art?

Firstly, success to any artist is to sell and live off your art, but this is very difficult and if I had to think rationally, art would be secondary to a steady income. Secondly, success is the point where you are widely recognised and appreciated as an artist. It is like Maslow’s hierarchy – first shelter and food and other basic needs; and then self-actualization.

 
What advice would you give to your younger self?

Attend art school for a better grounding instead of having to struggle on your own, but make sure you find and retain your own style.

Thanks Lynden, it was an absolute pleasure and a real honor to meet you!

Regards

Steph