Watercolors and Haiku by Linda Kohler Barnes • Exhibit runs from August 22–October 14, 2022
ARTIST STATEMENT: The Covid journey has been very personal for each of us. Yet we have gone through it together and continue with questions and changes. This watercolor show uses animals to recall our experiences in a captivating way through the "Quaran Team". Whether we have chosen to wear a mask or continue on without, it engages our minds with our unique adventures. This joyful showing begins with a moose putting on a mask, there is a flamingo heading off to Spring Break only carrying hers, a hedgehog fearful of getting swabbed, a woodpecker who gets cough shamed and then self isolates, and two zebras that meet up and find themselves in a predicament. Plus there are 25 more watercolors along the journey and each one includes a Haiku.
Experiencing the show gives an opportunity to open conversations among friends and families about how they have felt along their journey during these challenging times. If you come alone or with others it is heart warming to see all that we have each survived.
Utah professional artist Linda Kohler Barnes works in several mediums, but chose to use watercolor and Haiku for her response on the social and pandemic scene. Each original painting delights the viewers no matter their age.
ARTIST BIO: The ability to create for a variety of surroundings so that my artwork may be placed in multiple situations, has been one of my longtime goals. My work in a variety of media has been very enjoyable and is never boring. I have received awards and recognition for my work in most of the media I have explored. The strengths and attributes of each media have allowed me to create and express in a manner that is appropriate for the planned use and situation.
You may have seen my tile work in the Red Butte Garden Butterfly garden benches. Or if you have taken a child to Primary Children’s Hospital, I created a mural with help of the staffs’ children for the emergency room admission area.
I continue to create using a variety materials that are suitable to the intended setting and productive of the desired effect. I have a continuing passion to start anew, gaining flexibility and expanding to my artistic repertoire. The media in which I have worked to date include, Watercolor, Acrylic, Oil, Linocut, Woodcut, Hand-molded tile, Glazed tile, Relief tiles, Mono-print, Drawing, Letterpress, Ceramics, and Steel Sculpture. Poetry and Haiku.
I graduated from the University of Utah with a fine arts degree, began my teaching experience at the high school level, and have worked over the years with students in a number of grade levels for a number of school districts. I recently retired after 17 years of teaching for Utah Valley University. It’s been a wild, fun ride. I have enjoyed teaching and being creative!
The whimsical themes, bold colors of my two-dimensional works and my steel sculptures have been collected throughout Utah, the United States and beyond.
AGE GROUP: | Kids | Family | All Ages |
EVENT TYPE: | Exhibits | Arts & Creativity |
NOTE: The Main Library's Rooftop Terrace is closed for renovations.
Salt Lake City's Main Library, designed by internationally-acclaimed architect Moshe Safdie in conjunction with VCBO Architecture, opened in February 2003 and remains one of the most architecturally unique structures in Utah. This striking 240,000 square-foot structure houses more than 500,000 books and other materials, yet serves as more than just a repository of books and computers. It reflects and engages the city's imagination and aspirations. The structure embraces a public plaza, with shops and services at ground level, reading galleries above, and a 300-seat auditorium.
A multi-level reading area along the Glass Lens at the southern facade of the building looks out onto the plaza with stunning views of the city and Wasatch Mountains beyond. Spiraling fireplaces on four floors resemble a column of flame from the vantage of 200 East and 400 South. The Urban Room between the Library and the Crescent Wall is a space for all seasons, generously endowed with daylight and open to magnificent views.
