From her Suffolk studio in Bury St Edmunds, she creates inspiring and ever-evolving bodies of work that reflects both her natural talent and her instinctive connection to people and place.
Linda is a truly versatile and accomplished artist, working across pen, pencil, watercolour, oils and predominantly acrylic on canvas. Her work is rich with movement, colour and feeling, her vibrant energy becoming the thread that runs through every piece she creates.
Her art does more than sit quietly on a wall. It engages. It connects. It invites the viewer into a shared experience, often becoming part of their own story. Whether through original works or commissions, Linda brings a rare ability to translate emotion into something tangible and lasting.
Beyond her own practice, Linda is supportive of the wider artistic community across Suffolk and East Anglia through, taking part in exhibitions, collaborations and her involvement with initiatives such as Suffolk Open Studios.
She enjoys exhibiting throughout the county and beyond and has grown a following of those drawn to her work and the stories behind it.
Here, Linda talks to Gina Long about her journey, her inspirations, and the powerful role art plays in connecting us all.
What does East Anglia mean to you?
I was born in London but moved here in time to go to secondary and Suffolk has been my forever home ever since. Nothing beats the memories of familiar smells of the sugar beet factory and Green King hops everywhere in the town! I frequently feel like I am living in a TV mini series, set in the most beautiful location. Angel Hill is breathtaking and I never get tired of walking through the town in a ‘Lindaland’ world of my own; which ranges from a sitcom, running commentary, or documentary depending on my mood!
Everything ‘East’ is a constant source of inspiration for my art. Bury St Edmunds in particular has been the centre of my world now as long as I can remember. Having worked on Angel Hill alongside my husband John Rushman at Martin & Co, it felt a natural move to relocate my studio there from nearby Fornham St Genevieve to Angel Hill.
My parents moved from overseas to the UK in the 1960’s, mum’s Irish and dad is Mauritian and both their cultures have had a major influence on me, both creatively and culturally.
Can you tell us about your journey into art, when did it first begin?
I have always been what we called at school ‘good at art’ but I did experience negativity when I dipped my toe into art school at 18 and that really set firm the imposter syndrome which has never left me.
Since then, my experiences have been much more positive. I have worked alongside professional artists, developing additional skills and dabbled along the way with screen printing, collage and pottery, before finding my own style.
What was your very first job?
I had a weekend job at a newsagents in Mildenhall, I gave all the regulars nicknames after the sweets they were buying and it was a fun place to work. It was the days of pick and mix and penny sweets, and I would drop a few extra sweets into the bags of the children who seemed to need them more, lets just say there was always a queue when I was at the sweets counter! At the same time, my parents had a Chinese takeaway and a grocery shop, and my brother and I were often roped in to helping, and again, we just had fun, being silly and annoying our parents.
How would you describe your work and artistic style in your own words?
My style is abstract contemporary and I aim to find that emotional connection through the painting. The goal is to create a finished piece regardless of timeframe, not to create something for sale. If it happens to sell, then that’s a massive bonus obviously. Basically, I need to feel happy when I am painting, I’m lucky enough to have some special people who bring the JOY to me which keeps my happy vibe fully charged.
You work across a wide range of mediums, what draws you to acrylic on canvas in particular?
Acrylic dries quickly and once I get started, I paint really fast. I usually have a hair dryer in one hand and a paint brush in the other because I am so impatient, I cant wait for the paint to dry! So It was the quick drying that initially drew me to acrylic, then I was hooked.
Your work has such vibrancy and emotional depth, where does that energy come from?
Once the idea comes, I literally can’t wait to get going and can’t paint fast enough. I don’t bother drawing first, I go straight in with the paint. You mention energy, that comes from not being afraid to just do it. If I make a mistake or I don’t like the way something looks, I paint over it and keep working until it comes together.
Quite often I have to do 4 or 5 pieces before the final one appears on the canvas. But there is no shortcut. The final one is only good enough because of the 4 that came before it!
I also work on 2-3 paintings at once. This is because I need to stand back, take a break and return with what I call ‘fresh eyes’. But I don’t want to just down tools, so while I’m in the ‘flowstate’, I move on to another piece and continue to flit between pieces, coming back regularly with ‘fresh eyes’ to spot what is missing or what needs painting over! I definitely cannot be accused of being precious about my work!
What inspires you most when you begin a new piece?
Excitement! I am always excited by what I am doing. Sometimes when I have a new idea, I literally can’t sleep at night.
Do you have a particular process or rhythm when working in your studio?
I always start from primary source. If I am painting a seascape for instance, I will visit a beach, take photos, then use those for inspiration. I then sit in the studio and I can spend two or three hours just browsing through my photos! I get an emotional overload where I have too many ideas and have trouble narrowing down to a shortlist. I’ll have music playing and get through loads of black coffee!
I am working towards a memory of the experience rather than an exact copy, otherwise you may as well just frame a photograph
I have to be patient during this process as I don’t really have any control over it but I am fully emersed and focused during this time. Then its just a flow state, the emotional connection comes and I lock in that feeling.
I am a firm believer that every experience in life is never wasted, every happy, sad, boring or complicated event is a lesson which feeds my art. I can look back at my work and recall the emotional connection that I felt during the process.
How important is experimentation and versatility within your practice?
That is difficult to say, I don’t think I am particularly experimental. Versatility I associate with being open minded. I try to not set too many limits on what I am doing as quite often, the finished product is not what you envisaged at the start!
I am a bit of a contradiction, I love neutrals that give a sense of a relaxed floaty feeling, but also love bright colours and chaos, and that has lead to a few large tropical commissions!
To me, art is a bit like food, I love a hot curry, but would also say good bread and butter is up there in my top ten foods. I blame it on having Mauritian and Irish roots, a right mixture!
Talking of food, I will be exhibiting at this years ‘Velvet Magazine Cambridgeshire & Suffolk Food & Drink Awards’ in June where I will also be nibbling on canapes in a corner!
What have been some defining moments in your artistic journey so far?
Quite a few buyers have used the same phrase to me, they have said that the painting ‘speaks to them’, or ‘talks to them’. One person recently said that she never knew what people meant when they said they just knew when something was right for them until she saw one of my paintings on Instagram and contacted me telling me she just had to have it because it ‘spoke to her’. I cannot explain how amazing that makes me feel. And that validation that what you are doing is making a difference in some small way.
You have created many original works and commissions, what do you most enjoy about working on commissioned pieces?
My starting point has always been to do what makes me happy, so its quite challenging to work on a commission to make someone else happy. Even though its for someone else, I still have to find an emotional connection, either to the piece I have been asked to create, or to the person, or their particular story if I am to create something authentic. I usually find after a chat, meeting or swapping of emails, I can always find that spark that starts the connection I need to kick off the creative process.
Mostly commissions are centred around someone’s own experience such as their wedding or holidays, otherwise they would just buy a big painting to match their sofa, which again, I have often done for collectors, but the reasons people commission a painting never cease to surprise me.
For instance, a collector contacted me to ask if I would paint their dog. I said that I don’t do animal portraits, but then their story emerged. This person had lost a parent, a sister and their dog within a year. Suddenly I understood the request was part of their healing process so that was the inspiration.
A similar situation was when I was asked to paint a portrait of a gentleman’s late wife. Again I told him I don’t do portraits of people, and If I do they have to be stylised, (such as artist Mogdialani), as it is so difficult to get a true likeness, but when he told me he had tried unsuccessfully to capture her likeness, I had to do it for him, there were tears, and I ended up feeling honoured that he had asked me, and allowed me to share in his story.
How do you see the role of art and culture within communities like ours in East Anglia?
Art brings people together, whether they are participating artists, or enjoying visiting local galleries or exhibitions. It can create a social space, a talking point, or somewhere to visit for an on looker that doesn’t revolve around food and drink!
I have always felt everyone is creative and artistic in different ways. You can be a creative cook, or clever with décor, great with iphone photos, or even just good at putting an outfit together .There are so many ways to find your artistic happy place. At school it didn’t always feel that was recognised as the curriculum tends to favour those who are good at drawing. But today’s children are good with a computer, so we need to remain open minded about not necessarily what constitutes art, but how one defines and nurtures creativity.
I have been an active member of an art group (Seasons Art) for quite a few years and I take my mum every week. It gives mum the chance to engage with the creative process, and have some important social interaction with others. This stimulating environment is a community for my mum to feel part of. As a parent with dementia, I can see how it is so important to immerse fully into situations to unlock different part of brain and a lesson learnt has been to ‘live in the moment’. I really feel that art is therapy. It doesn’t matter if you are what we typically call ‘good at art’. What matters is living in the moment, losing yourself in a painting, and unlocking parts of your brain that excite you, that engage you, so that you are fully focused on what you are doing, switching off from all the other noise that fills your head.
What challenges have you faced along the way, and how have they shaped you?
Like everyone else, I have faced difficult times when people close to me have endured their own challenges. Close experiences of dementia and illness have reinforced my appreciation for the small things. Its hard not to take things for granted, but I try to practice gratitude daily. This sounds very corny but your thoughts create your reality and stress is contagious, so I consciously focus on breathing in positivity and try to protect myself with an invisible wall to deflect away negativity.
My Imposter Syndrome has at times made me feel small about my work, which has in turn allowed me to take inspiration from others. I am addicted to scrolling through other artists online and actually prefer the work of real people, favouring local artists above Old Masters. Don’t get me wrong, of course I am in totally in awe of the Old Masters, I just mean it’s a bit like saying I appreciate Shakespeare but am just at home reading a good best seller in bed!
How do you know when a piece is finished?
When its finished you just know, but its impossible to put a time on it. I am fortunate that mainly I am not under time constraints to produce work. If I feel I am losing my connection, I will leave the work and keep coming back until the spark returns. I am guilty of overworking a painting, and then having to spend hours trying to get it back to where I started! This is where not being afraid to paint over your mistakes comes into its own!
What have you learned about yourself through your art?
That I’m very messy and need to spend more time washing brushes! Seriously, I have learnt that art is the invisible thread that links so many places, people, experiences. Its hard to find the exact words but if ‘you get it – you get it’, if you get what I mean! Okay I am laughing now!
What’s always in your fridge?
Mauritian chilli sauce, made my uncle and transported via a long haul flight, in a plastic ‘’Sprite’ bottle at the bottom of his suitcase! – any child who is a second generation immigrant will know what I mean!
Describe yourself in three words.
I asked my children to do this for me, and they said: ‘A real pain’ and burst out laughing. They found it very funny. Honestly its very hard to describe yourself isn’t it.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Well, as James Bond isn’t returning my calls, I would have to say Cheesy chips with chilli con carne at Bury Town football ground! Cant recommend it highly enough!
What does success mean to you today, and what are your hopes for the future?
The first time I felt successful as an artist was when someone I didn’t know purchased my art from a gallery. I just want to keep painting, and if someone wants to own my art, then even better. Success means so many things, but just to be able to keep painting is a good goal.
When and where can our readers see your work (next exhibition?)
I am taking part in Open Studios the first weekend in June so will open up my new studio on Angel Hill. It is in complete chaos and there is nothing like a calendar date to make me tidy up!
I will be working on my series ‘Provence’ during the summer and am planning an exhibition later in the year in Bury, just negotiating the space. I am exhibiting in Hampstead, London in June, and am also represented by Michele Bailey at the Art In East Anglia gallery in Bury St Edmunds.
I am trying to put some discipline into my website, but I get over-excited by new projects and start painting instead!
Website: Lindaleongsonart.com email me at lindaleongsonart@gmail.com
Instagram: @lindaleongsonart
Instagram: @ginageelong
