Art Expressions of San Joaquin is honored to present the holder of the coveted CSP award from the National Speakers Association, and member of Leadership California.
Dr. Linda Abbott Trapp. She is a juried artist, whose love of fine arts and educational background has led her down many different paths, enabling her to play different roles all the while enriching the lives of many worldwide. Her previous arts experience included pottery, sculpture, weaving, and serigraph production, as well as directing the music program and playing keyboard for a church in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico prior to taking a 35 year hiatus. This hiatus came about as a result of her experience as an art teacher in Ethiopia and the horrific experience of watching lower-level army officers in power during the Revolution, round up 80 of the intelligentsia and shoot them. Many were parents of her students and the only thing she could offer her students was amateur art therapy to comfort and help heal. Upon returning to the states, she enrolled in a graduate counseling program, and went on for her doctorate from Iowa State University to change the nature of her vocation. During these 35 years she founded a consulting firm, served as Dean at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, taught pottery to students from preschool to elder hostel, and taught K-12 art at the Good Shepherd School in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Entrepreneur and Author are also titles she added to her list of achievements while becoming an owner of a pottery and weaving supply shop in La Crosse, Wisconsin and having seven books and over 250 articles published. Her recent works include wood sculpture, watercolor, and collage along with her interest in producing lyrical pieces that express psychological insights within natural settings.
Artist's Statement: Painting the boundary between psychology and art
Whether I'm working in wood, watercolor, or another medium, I’m exploring the boundary between art and psychology. Rather than represent the surface of things, I want to provide insight into what's underneath, what motivates and matters. I'm happiest when, in addition to illuminating psychological truth, the work speaks to environmental concerns as well. In short, my art is meant to resonate with both inner truths, the psychological and outer truth, being in the world in a responsible way.