Meet Linda Dimitroff

Linda in her studio in front of one of her larger paintings, Fading Away

Originally from the east side of the state, Linda and her husband have lived in Grand Haven for the last five years. She opened her studio, Graffia Gallery, at 215 West Savidge Street in Spring Lake two years ago. Linda teaches classes in drawing and painting in her studio, and is available to do painting demonstrations for the public. When she is not painting or teaching, Linda enjoys writing. She is a former freelance journalist; and writes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Currently Linda is working on a profile on Jim Dine, and paintings for ArtPrize and the Grand Haven ArtWalk.

When did you know you were an artist?
Though I was drawing as a child, I didn’t consider myself an artist until my second year of college. I had taken art history to fulfill a requirement, loved it and decided to take drawing classes. From there I started painting classes and was encouraged by my professor who told me I was a real painter. I would’ve continued anyway, but that validation definitely helped to keep me going whenever I was questioning myself.

Broke 38" x 40" oil © Linda Dimitroff 2009

What advice would you give someone starting out to turn their creative dreams into reality?
 Most creative people have been creating art sometime in their past and loved it, like myself. The truth is that it’s really never too late. I received my M.A. when I was 50 years old. Find out more about creating and selling your art from other artists, books, magazines, online, or take classes.

What is your preferred medium and why?
I use many mediums, mostly acrylic and oil, but incorporate woodcuts, assemblage and mixed media. It’s whatever draws you, whatever medium you’re good at. Sculpture is just too hard physically for me, and watercolor is too limited for me. Although I totally admire both mediums.

How do you work?
I use an easel for painting, a long table for my palette, some music, wear old clothes, and use lots of brushes! I need at least 2-3 hours for a session, and cleanup takes a good half hour. I build my own canvases well beforehand, then gesso several coats and begin, after choosing a reference picture, which attracted me, in composition and/or color. First a light coat of paint, thinned, covering the canvas. Then a very rough outline for composition, and I begin blocking colors, refining from there. I may change it a number of times, and when finished, it will not immediately resemble the reference picture, maybe a little, maybe not at all. It was the germ, the idea that gave me a point of reference.

Into It 48" x 40" acrylic, oil diptych © Linda Dimitroff 2007

What’s your background?
I have a M.A. in Painting from Wayne State University in Detroit. I lived an hour north of Detroit, sold paintings online, showed my work nationally, and taught art in a nearby art center. Four years ago, I met my future husband, who had a condo in Grand Haven. After a year in Grand Haven, I leased art space, then decided to open an art gallery. I now have a private studio, teach classes, and sell mine and other artists’ work.

What jobs have you done other than being an artist?
I have a B.A. in print Journalism, minors in creative writing and art; I have written for national magazines, local newspapers, and published a short story.

What do you like about your work?
I love meeting other artists, people involved in the art scene in west Michigan, and  meeting people who are interested in learning more about art.

Liquidity 24" x 20" acrylic on board © LInda Dimitroff

What is your inspiration for your pieces?  What keeps you motivated?
I’ll just see a pattern or focus on a real life “picture”, which  I’ll snap a picture of, or a picture from an art magazine. There is never an end to my fascination with life. Things, nature, people, everything becomes inspiration.

What was it that made you want to start creating? Did something specific trigger it?
I started drawing cartoons as a child, constantly. A few years later, I started writing short stories. That was my very first experience, and it just grew and grew, evolving into professional writing and art.

She's Here 60" x 48" acrylic © Linda Dimitroff 2011

How concerned are you about environmental issues? Does this affect your work?
I think about toxic materials often, and expect to pare down from oil paint and other toxic materials in the future. Many artists grew to find it intolerable and switched to only acrylic. Right now, I still prefer the consistency of oil paint, though I often use acrylic paint under oil, and alone. I teach classes using only acrylic paint, as fumes and cleanup is eliminated.

Spread 38" x 50" acrylic © Linda Dimitroff 2009

Linda’s paintings can be found in her gallery (Graffia Gallery) in Spring Lake and downtown Grand Haven at the Paper Place and the Donaylle Salon.