Artist of the Month - Linda Sackman

I was born and raised in then Czechoslovakia. I'm a Velvet revolution generation when the "Iron Curtain" lifted and we were suddenly able to travel. It must have awakened my great grandfather's wandering gene.

I left for London when  I turned 18, then Prague for school, France and back to Prague where I met John, a soulmate I married a decade later. He has been my muse, my biggest fan and life co-artist. The Yashodhara piece that you will see below is dedicated to him. We lived up and down the coast of California for 8 years and then came back to family in Florida some 7 years ago.

I have no art education whatsoever.

My masters is in clinical psychology,  which I have never actually practiced on people as I started working in zoos with great apes.

Shortly after graduation I joined my husband in the US. Here I spent most of my career in animal welfare - wildlife rehab, vet clinics and companion animal sheltering. I made a decision to "retire" due to a *near fatal broken heart* that line of work can bring.

My art is how I debrief myself, sit and make friends with my shadows. The process starts with a dark space of black paper where the eyes and thoughts can rest. Then I draw and cut until a truth comes out. I have no conscious recollection of how this technique started, but it has been practically my only medium until very recently. By twists of good fortune I stumbled upon Maxine in the dog house studio and got introduced to glass work.

Since then, I've been experimenting with merging my monochromatic style with the wild colors of stained glass. Its a work in progress and a lot of fun.

Yashodhara, Cycle of Water

This stunning stained glass piece by Linda (on left) is entitled, "Yashodhara, Cycle of Water".

Here is the story behind this piece.  

Yashodhara…know her name…for she was there when Siddhartha was just a prince. The day she bore him a son, he left the palace without a word of explanation to
go seek enlightenment.

There are scant historical reports of her, as is the case for many women, so much is left for imagination. I am choosing to see her in her
humanity:  post-partum, breasts sore with milk, alone, stricken with sorrow.  Some claim her and the future Buddha shared many eons together and this incarnation, with its heartbreak, was mutually agreed upon. Perhaps she really did understand the magnitude of what her husband was aspiring to do, but could not help to cry oceans of tears.  Moving water through our bodies to cleanse grief, that is our shared birthright.  Yashodhara held space and set the stage, developing her own dharma and attaining liberation.  One of many deeply consequential stories, under-told.

Check out Linda's artwork and designs through the QR Code (left).