MALINDA WALKER

Artist Statement

	artist at work Methods

Malinda Walker's interest in the tactile nature of painting stems from her country living roots in Northern California, where taking a manual approach to day-to-day life was the norm. She was an active member of 4-H, winning a number of awards for sewing, canning, showing dairy heifers, art and photography. Growing up, she spent many hours in the family garage with her father fixing automobiles and working on all sorts of do-it-yourself projects. When her family remodeled their home, she helped with most of the transformation, learning some carpentry, construction and electrical wiring in the process. She focused on painting throughout junior high school and high school and concentrated on art related to design and textiles in college, receiving her undergraduate degree in environmental design at the University of California, Davis in 1993. At Davis, she received several awards for her creative work and contributions to the program.

photo credit: Christine Jegan © 2004 www.christinejegan.com

Her interest in the interaction of the depth, texture, and color of the paints comes through in her paintings, as do the years of concentrating on art related to textiles and design. Malinda's rural background and design training reflect in the subject she chooses. Highway flyovers are icons of urban culture, a stark contrast to country scenery. Her highway paintings show a fascination with metropolitan overpass structures, the large constructions are seen as monumental sculpture with a practical function.

After college startled by the shock of having to support herself, she began working in the administrative world, putting her more creative work aside. She started focusing on her art again in 1998, when she enrolled in a painting class through City College. It took some time to tap into her skills and talent again, more than she had imagined, but it underscored the importance of making time to be creative.