Erin House | Linda Jane Smith, Linda Jane Smith limited & open prints

Linda Jane Smith

Linda Jane Smith has always loved drawing and as a child she entered as many art competitions as she possible could. She eventually went on to study Graphic Design at Bournville College of Art in Birmingham, England. Her time there gave her the discipline to work very precisely and also the ability to settle down anywhere to paint. The work of Linda Jane Smith has progressed considerably since then enabling her to combine the two great loves of her life, cats and painting.

There has always been a family cat in the life of Linda Jane Smith and these days her tortoiseshell cat Jessie often pops into the studio for a chat before going back to sleep on the bed. Linda has always been fascinated by fine detail. Illustrators such as Arthur Rackham and Nicola Bailey, who show exquisite detail in their work, are her favourites.

To be able to look at a picture and to keep finding new objects – maybe a ladybird, leaf, mouse or a bead is what she loves. From the response of children and adults who have seen her work it seems to be a universal joy.

Linda Jane Smith is an avid collector of all kinds of old objects; hat pins, china and fabrics – all these are treasures to her and they often turn up in her own paintings. A cat sitting on a faded Persian rug with a dog eared copy of the Beano comic lying next to it will bring back memories of childhood for many.

Humour is also a big part of Linda’s work. She works with designer gouache, in a Pointillist style, making a detailed drawing first, then meticulously putting on dots of paint to slowly build up the colour so that it has form and texture. Her colours are usually deep and rich – faded carpets, velvet cushions and threadbare brocades are everywhere.

Linda Jane Smith has had many major exhibitions throughout the United Kingdom. Her Limited Edition prints have become immensely popular on both sides of the Atlantic and are extremely collectable. Some of her early prints such as "The Wedding Breakfast" and "Down the Pan" are highly sought after and eagerly snapped up, when they come to light, by her band of collectors willing to pay many hundreds of pounds for them.