Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda Price.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m a maker of three-dimensional light art that is gestural in form. Neon tubes are my primary media and my themes range from politics to nature. My background is in video production and motion graphics.
I went to art school for a couple of years, then studied journalism and ended up with a video production internship. I worked in that field for many years. Besides general production work, I did a lot of graphics and animation. Eventually, I took a neon art-making workshop and got hooked on the ‘light.”
I’ve been making neon art since 2005. There are similarities between neon and video. Both are luminous, animate, and require wiring things together. The big difference is the craft of bending a neon tube. A lot of the equipment used in video production is computer-based so I’m pretty good at figuring out software and solving hardware issues but using my hands to make something was very new to me.
Most benders heat the glass and then bend it to a pattern that is on a workbench. I practice that in order to develop my skills but most of my art is bent in the air, off the workbench with no pattern so I create organic, three-dimensional playful shapes. Sometimes I play in the fire looking for a shape that is appealing. Other times I have an idea I want to pursue. Frequently, I’ll bend up a bunch of glass, then see if anything talks to each other and if it does, I figure out what it is saying and design a background that supports the conversation.
Sometimes I want to concentrate on a shape I’ve bent in practice during my playtime. Since I don’t use a pattern it is challenging to duplicate what I did spontaneously.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Bending glass well is a very skilled craft that requires hours/years of experience to get really good at it.
In the beginning, I struggled with pulling the glass, Once the glass is hot, it starts releasing so even though you feel like you are not pulling the glass, you are. I solved the problem by underheating the glass so then my bends kinked because the glass wasn’t hot enough.
So you practice and practice until you get it. There are so many things to be mindful of. The practice helps some things become routine so you don’t have to think about them.
Then I had to learn how to not twist the glass when I came out of the fire. This was another source of kinks.
Each step forward meant relearning the bending process. It’s an ongoing process.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Currently, I am making a series of pieces that I call Magical Medicinal Herbs. All of the herbs are fantasy plants. The concept is that as the ice melts and the forests burn, new herb plants will be revealed that may encourage us to become more connected and help us to recognize that we are in this together.
I am an avid vegetable gardener. That is as challenging and rewarding as bending neon glass. Each year in the garden is different. It is a continuous learning experience just as bending glass is. In both, I experiment and try new things.
This year I grew a plant new to me–an indigo cherry drop tomato and created my first neon crackle tube.
The indigo cherry drop tomato starts out green with dark black-purple stripes, then turns more purple/black, and finally gets a red bottom that spreads up as the tomato ages. It is loaded with antioxidants just like blueberries; is sweet with almost no tanginess.
A crackle tube is a neon tube filled with beads and then filled with gas. When electrified, the gas bounces around the beads creating a lightning effect.
My intent is to create a garden of neon herb plants and use photos of my garden to create a visual accompaniment to the neon herbs. This will be the first time I will be doing video art.
What do you think about happiness?
To me, it’s about staying balanced. I’ve practiced yoga two to four times a week for the past twenty years. While I initially re-started doing yoga for the physical benefits, the mental balance I get from the weekly sessions supports, sustains, and keeps me coming back. It just feels so good.
My yoga practice melts my tendency towards irritability. Life is more enjoyable when one isn’t irritated by all the stuff we all have to deal with from getting appointments scheduled to being on hold for three hours to speak to a customer support person. It can make one crazy.
Sometimes I wait a few weeks before pursuing solutions because I dread the process. Occasionally I am pleasantly surprised with quick and easy solutions, other times the support person and I console each other about the difficult systems.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lindasueprice.com
- Instagram: @
lindasuepriceneonartist - Facebook: @lindasueprice.
artist
- Twitter: @LindaSPriceArt
Image Credits
Linda Sue Price, Tony Pinto, and Erin Stone
