A longtime performer and supporter of the arts, octogenarian Linda Carey will exhibit her abstract paintings – a form of self-expression she adopted much later in life – at the Wills Gallery this month
Though Linda Carey has long been a supporter of artistic expression, she was in her late 60s before she started seriously painting, and in her late 70s at the time of her first solo exhibition (in late 2019, just months before the pandemic began). This month, the artist, who mostly works in the abstract painting realm, will have her second solo exhibition, at the Wills Gallery in downtown Lexington.
When gathering inspiration for her oil and acrylic paintings, Carey, who recently turned 80, said she attempts to let go of outside distractions and concentrates on a particular sentiment or feeling. Through the process of creating lines, shapes, patterns and textures, other aspects such as composition, color and subject matter begin to emerge.
“Painting is a very organic, grounding process for me,” she said. “It’s almost like doing yoga.”
Visiting Carey’s sun-dappled, art-filled home studio on the top floor of The Woodlands condominium building, it’s clear she uses that same intuitive method when choosing pieces for her personal art collection. Among her pieces are fascinating paintings, sculpture, photography and other textural elements, each unique yet complementary and each with a story to tell. Carey said she believes art should never be chosen at random but instead for the emotional response it evokes. “Otherwise, what is the point?”
A native of Paducah, Kentucky, Carey grew up in a creative family, singing and acting from an early age and having spent decades performing with The Lexington Singers. She was the first female to serve on the original board of directors for the Lexington Center Corporation, when Rupp Arena was first being built, and has been an active supporter of many arts organizations in Lexington, including The Opera House, which she helped spearhead a movement to restore and to bring under the umbrella of the Lexington Center in the 1970s.
Her introduction to painting came when she began spending winters in Florida about 12 years ago. One day, on a whim, she decided to take a class with Vicki Marsango at the Vero Beach Museum of Art School, which is known for its educational programs. Looking back, she recalled, that course offered the positive affirmation she needed to explore her interest in visual art.
“I was told from an early age that I couldn’t draw,” she said, adding with a laugh, “I think the name of the class was something like, ‘You, Too, Can Draw.’”
From that first experience, Carey’s interest and talent bloomed. A longtime collector of fine art, she began participating in various painting workshops under instructors such as Frank Palmieri, Kathleen Staiger (author of “Everything You Want to Know About Oil Painting”), acrylic and watercolor artist Dawn Mill, portraitist Marlene Evans Putnum, and still life and landscape painter Marianne McKee.
Carey was the only woman to serve on the board of directors for the Lexington Center Corp. as Rupp Arena was first being built; she also spearheaded a renaissance for the Lexington Opera House in the ’70s. Photo by Mick Jeffries
Over the past decade or so, Carey began painting on a daily basis and found the style of art that spoke to her the most: abstract expressionism. “It really is the most satisfying form of self-expression for me and allows me to say what I might otherwise be unable to,” she said. While she does title her paintings, she admits she wishes she didn’t have to. “I’d prefer that the viewer find their own meaning in my work.”
During her first exhibit in 2019, Carey, who lost her daughter to breast cancer in 2015, donated a portion of the sales of her work to cancer research at the Markey Cancer Center. A portion of proceeds from her upcoming exhibit will also be donated to the Markey Cancer Foundation, specifically to a program called Markey Women Strong, which is dedicated to funding female researchers at the University of Kentucky who are focused on advancing the fight against cancer.
“Women in philanthropy supporting the work of female researchers is deeply important to me,” she said. “I’m so excited that this show will help to highlight the exceptional work that Women Strong is doing.”
A selection of Carey’s work will be on display at the Wills Gallery, located at 190 Jefferson St., throughout May, as part of gallery’s “Local Artist of the Month” series. An artist reception will take place on May 3 and 4, from 6-8 p.m.
Though she had long been an art collector and supporter of the arts, Linda Carey became a visual artist later in life. Now 80, the artist will be featured in her second-ever solo exhibit this month. Photo by Mick Jeffries