The mural on the wall of her workroom was a practice piece for Linda Palmer. She had been asked to paint a cottage scene for a young girl’s room. Since this was a new request she decided to paint a practice piece to better judge the time needed and materials to be used to establish a basis for her fee. She has completed many indoor murals since and realizes that murals, painted with acrylics, are probably highest on her list of preferred projects.

Considering herself to be self taught, Palmer has taken some short term classes, and then experimented with various learned techniques. She also referred to books, as she developed her own style. One class, at Anderson Ranch at Redstone, did last for two weeks. It was so expensive and not wanting to ask her husband to pay for it, Palmer took a bank loan, later wondering just how she would get that loan paid off.

While attending the classes, she met a woman who had a shop in Aspen and had no one painting decorative pieces of furniture. Here was the opportunity to pay that loan. Palmer supplied that need and continued to do so over many years.

Her enthusiastic love of painting started as a young child. “My parents had gone through the Depression, raising four children,” she said. “By the time I came along, later in their life, they were still adhering to many of the lessons learned. My dad brought home a roll of butcher paper and said, ‘This is your entertainment.’ Every night, I’d get out that roll of paper and draw, mostly cartoons at that point, Disney characters and such.”

She said that she has been fortunate to live in the mountains, born in Aspen, living in Redstone and Crested Butte, she has learned to love nature. “Living here in Cedaredge is the beauty of the surroundings, the art possibilities.”

Linda and her husband Dan now make their home at 815 W. Main, just a few blocks from downtown Cedaredge. Part of their home has been utilized as Palmer House Galley. Opened in October 2006, it is here that she displays and sells her own work and a wide assortment of consigned pieces created by other local artists. Prices are reasonable, offering excellent high quality items for the home or to give as gifts.

One room is devoted to her studio and is large enough to be used as a classroom. Her view from the studio and secluded backyard is inspirational with a view of several nearby ponds, and a background of trees and other vegetation located on the neighbor’s property. All this adds to their vista and encourages a variety of wildlife to the area.

Painting chef’s aprons is a current project. Her paintings have appeared on walls, furniture, swing seats, picnic baskets, greeting cards, most everything with a paintable surface. Her husband Dan builds most of the wood items for her. She designed the motif that was etched on the 2008 glassware for the gala at AppleFest. Fish painted using watercolors have been popular with customers. She enjoys taking little adventures, keeping her paintings fresh with new projects or experimenting with a medium other than acrylics on wood.

Palmer is looking forward to futuregrowth, seeking out ideas to benefit the art community and those who live and shop in the area. She wants to work toward marketing plans that will promote area artists and related area businesses. Plans for her own business are to hold more classes, add a sculpture garden to the backyard, to invite others to meet here for special events, maybe an art fair, perhaps even offering refreshments or light lunches. Growth will take place, she said, “. . . taking it one step at a time.”

Palmer is involved in the progress of establishing an art association for Cedaredge and the surrounding areas. A grant from the Council on the Arts has been received to form the First Gathering of Artists and Friends of Art. Palmer, Virginia Shaw Taylor, Pat Means, along with others, have been working on this with intentions to have the project ready to go this spring in conjunction with the Cedars Edge Art Show. Dr. Larry Smith and Palmer are hoping to engage school children to make flower posters to help promote the organization.

Palmer embraces her community projects with as much enthusiasm, joy, and heart as she gives to each of her paintings.

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