Linda Ross will be showcasing her beautiful Scottish landscapes and seascapes at Medinelli’s pop-up shop from Monday.
The Inverkip artist wants to create a work of art ‘live’ in the shop as the week progresses and has pledged to document its evolution on social media.
Linda Ross with one of her creations (Image: Alex Craig)
Linda, 60, said she hopes art fans across Inverclyde and beyond will come in and have a look.
She added: “Showing people how you work through things is quite a big thing to put out there.
“Every artist is different, and there’s no guarantee that will end up a happy painting in the end.
“I might not finish it!
“It will let people see the progression of a painting and the different stages of what you go through as an artist when you’re creating something.
“I’m always trying to inject something new into my work.
“I think people will be really interested in it.”
Linda attended Moorfoot Primary and Gourock High and was ‘always doodling, painting, and winning prizes for art’.
After she left school, she completed a diploma in commercial art and design at Cardonald College which honed her skills in jewellery, pottery, photography, and graphics.
When she left college with her qualification in hand, Linda sadly decided that at that point in her life, following a career in art was not for her as family life took over.
She worked at CID Hire for 11 years before taking on a role as advertising administrator at the Telegraph from 1995 to 2000.
Linda worked at the RBS Mortgage Centre in Greenock for 12 years, and at RBS in Gogarburn, and it was while she was working for RBS that she decided she needed a change.
She said: “I took myself to Cornwall and lived in a caravan in my horse’s field with my two dogs.
“I had gone from a high-pressure job and went down there and worked in a golf and country club.
“I felt totally rejuvenated after it. I came back really relaxed.”
When she returned to Inverclyde in 2011, Linda worked for EE for three years and for just over a decade, she has been working for Virgin Money.
In October 2023, Linda had an urge to pick up some charcoals and doodle – and the skills which she hadn’t used for almost four decades were reawakened.
Soon after she started creating again, Linda realised that she needed a studio.
She added: “My paintings were getting bigger and bigger and I couldn’t paint in my living room any more.”
Linda took studio space at Greenock Workshops in Terrace Road and then moved to the Old West Kirk.
She paints ‘big and bold’ creations using acrylics and oils and says her works are ‘very Scottish’.
Linda said: “Living around here and the views that we have, I’m never short of topics and themes, or things to draw on for inspiration.
“People always ask if a painting is of a specific place. I usually say ‘where does it take you?’
“Some of them are of actual places but some are more about a feeling of a place.
“I hope my paintings help to create memories for people.”
Linda said spending time in the Old West Kirk studio space, which is home to five other local artists, feels great.
She added: “It’s a big relief for me as soon as I get into the studio.
“I got lost for a while but I feel as if I’ve found myself again.”
Linda, who is mum to Craig, 36, and Heather, 34, and has two dogs, chocolate Labrador Piper and parson terrier Alfie, said she’s looking forward to speaking to people when they stop by the pop-up shop next week.
She said: “It’s great when people come in and have a chat and give me feedback.
“When someone stands and looks at a painting for ages I think ‘I created that’.
“It’s great to know my art is having such an effect on that person.
“I love hearing and seeing people’s reactions to what I’ve created.”
Linda said she’s proud to be part of a really supportive artistic community in Inverclyde.
She added: “There’s a really nice community here and we all pull together.
“There’s always someone here to offer support and guide you along.”