Linda Molloy is an artist from Quebec, Canada, who is known for creating very colorful and whimsical illustrations. Linda is heavily inspired by nature and animals. Her work was recently exhibited at ArtExpo in NYC to great acclaim.
Linda is now considering turning her hand at children’s book illustrations where she will be able to convey scenes and characters in her signature style. A mother herself, Linda’s experiences as an artist began when she taught herself how to paint and then made a name for herself in her native region.
Linda discussed her artwork, experiences exhibiting, and more via an exclusive interview on April 17, 2019.
Colorful style, animals, and ArtExpo
Meagan Meehan (MM): Your style is very colorful and whimsical, so how did you manage to create a “look” that is immediately recognized as your work?
Linda Molloy (LM): It is hard to explain. I let myself be carried by my intuition, my imagination and by the beautiful colors of nature. I am also inspired by the children and by their imagination.
MM: You grew up in Canada, so how did your environment influence your love of nature and animals which are featured prominently in your artwork?
LM: I grew up on the east coast of Quebec where, not far from my home, there were capes, mountains, rivers, lakes, all this beautiful nature! At the very beginning, my father was a fisherman.
He fished for cod, herring, mackerel and salmon. I remember when I was a child, my father was bringing me with him to fish salmon in his small boat. I helped him lift the salmon nets. I still remember today how much I was excited about that! It was like finding a treasure! Wow!
MM: You have said that you are inspired by your children and pets, in what ways do they influence your creativity?
LM: All my childhood, with my family, we always had dogs at home. Ever since I can remember, I loved dogs and animals. One day my mother told me that when I was little, every time we were driving in the car and I saw a dog on the sidewalk, I asked them to stop the car to pet the dog! It's inexplicable, I really have an attraction towards dogs since I am really young.
I think they are special, that they are there to help us. I love them! Long live zootherapy!
MM: How did you establish yourself as an artist in your local community and, from there, how did you branch out elsewhere?
LM: I started painting when I moved to Abitibi (another region of Quebec, located north in the woods, far from the sea). One night, I was missing my home region and I started to paint. I painted a photo of my children at the marina, using watercolor as my medium. After that, I never stopped painting. I am self-taught and did not want to take classes because I wanted to develop my own technique.
MM: What was your recent experience at ArtExpo in New York City like?
LM: I loved my experience at ArtExpo in New-York, especially because I met awesome people with a golden heart.
I made some friends and I also made contacts with professionals in the Art business, by the meeting of gallery owners and visitors seemed very interested in my art. What I liked the most was to see people attracted to my art, the colors and the fact that they were feeling free when looking at it!
Paintings, drawings, and children's books
MM: Of all your paintings and drawings, have you any special favorites?
LM: I have two sides to my watercolor art: realistic and naive. When you look at my website, you can see realism either in color or monochrome. What impassions me the most currently is the naive art side with all these colors! I love painting children. It is probably related to the fact that I am also a kindergarten teacher.
I love working with little ones.
MM: You have mentioned wanting to get into children’s book illustrations, so what appeals to you most about that line of work?
LM: Honestly, I never really thought about it before, even though my daughter had already talked to me about it. On the other hand, during the ArtExpo week-end in NYC, this is the comment that came back the most often. People were asking me if I have ever thought of making illustrations for children's books since my paintings were full of colors and energy!
MM: What else is happening for you in 2019 that you would like to mention?
LM: I received different offers related to my art. Now, I am taking some time to sit back and think about it. Since NYC, I have lots of new ideas and really want to focus on specific projects. I can’t tell you more for now! Also, I met amazing people and hopefully will stay in touch with them.
