Linda Whittemore became an artist to express the world around her.  Living on Maui, she spends time in her studio creating the new images that continually inspire her.  Linda says her surroundings are a never-ending source for new creations.  There is honesty about her work that comes through to the viewer. Linda works in a printmaking style called viscosity monotype, although she is trained in the traditional form of Intaglio printmaking.  Her background training as a painter is apparent in her style, with the abstracted landscapes coming to mind. She creates her monotypes in her Kihei studio on a printmaking press.  Each piece is original; it is created first by painting onto a blank piece of plexiglass, using brayer, brushes and rollers.  This painted plate is then transferred to the press bed, and a dampened sheet of paper is then placed over the plate.  The plate is then run through a press at high pressure, creating the resultant print onto the sheet of paper. To create the next piece, the image must be re painted again making each piece original and unique.  Linda often works in series, but they are today more limited in size.  Each piece is different; an original artwork.  Her works are a story of color and mood, as they reflect our Maui Lifestyle. She continues to paint scenes around the island, further abstracting them in her studio using the printmaking process.  Often, watercolor paintings are a prelude to her original monotypes.  “It’s all a process, one medium leads to the next. We create from what we know or don’t know.  My paintings are who I am.” Linda also has enjoyed painting the figure for many years.

Linda began a life long relationship with watercolor painting at the age of eight.  She studied two full years with the past president of the Watercolor Society, Roger Armstrong, as well as other teachers like Chris Sullivan, Christine Nugent Hiroke Morinue, Richard Nelson, and Roger Folk. Chris Nugent was a student of Phil Dike, Millard Sheets and Rex Brandt. Nugent was also a student of Diebenkorn, so Linda was able to gain a very contemporary understanding of painting.  Her mother is Margaret Bedell, a well-known painter living on Maui.

Linda grew up in Laguna Beach, California. She attended Laguna School of Art for several years, also Saddleback and Orange Coast Colleges, and Mira Costa College in Southern California where she studied printmaking. Linda has also an extensive background in ceramics, She studied with Chris Kinsch (and others) at Laguna Beach School of Art. Linda earned an AA degree for studio art from Mira Costa College, and later earned a BA in Liberal Arts at University of Hawaii. Her work is represented by several galleries in Hawaii, and Linda has been an exhibitor in Maui’s juried Statewide show many years “Art Maui.” Linda’s work is also part of the Hawaii State Foundation Art Museum Collection located in Honolulu.