Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda Jacobson.
Hi Linda, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
You know how we like to ask little kids what they want to be when they grow up? My answer was always the same… I want to be an artist. But it took years, decades, to get where I am now.
While I have always be an artist at heart and continued to work on my skills as an artist, it wasn’t until around 2003 that I left a full time job as a newspaper editor to pursue my dream of making a living with my art. In the years between then and graduating high school in 1975, I had numerous jobs and careers that almost always involved creativity of one sort or another, — writing, marketing, graphic design, art or teaching.
Along the way, I earned my BA with a double major in Art and Communications along with a minor in English at University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio and then spent a year in Nacogdoches, Texas to get an MA with a major in Communication Studies and minor in art and English. Over the decades, I was also a business owner (a wholesale/retail ceramic supply for 10 years); taught art at the high school and junior high level for 3 years; and taught journalism, communications and English at the Texas Lutheran University for 7 years.
I met David Jacobson on America Online in August 1995 (he was living on the Big Island of Hawaii where he was a partner in an exotic plant/tree nursery, and I was in living in Seguin, teaching at Texas Lutheran University.). The following February, he moved to Texas and we were married on Easter Sunday in 1996. Not only did he become by husband but eventually my business partner, as found we enjoyed being in together.
Within a few years, I left my teaching job and we relocated to Canyon Lake where I became managing editor for the local newspaper, the Canyon Lake Times Guardian. David worked at various nurseries in the area and as an ad sales rep for the newspaper. I continued to paint “on the side” and joined the New Braunfels Art League to display and sell my art. Soon, I began teaching painting to children and adults there. As my sales and class enrollment grew it finally came time to leave the “9-to-5” world and go out on my own. David continued to work in the nursery industry while I built the art business, supplementing with gigs in marketing, PR and freelance writing.
Around 2003/2004 I began to create a body of work that featured my own interpretation of fields of Texas wildflowers painted with bold, colorful acrylics. Soon, David and I were traveling several times a year doing large art shows around the country, selling direct to collectors and getting gallery representation. I also pursued licensing my wildflower designs and signed with an agent in the UK that I still work with. My wildflowers have been featured on a collectible series of watches sold on TV in the UK and Germany, on calendars and greeting cards, as wall art in Dubai and, most recently, featured on phone cases and accessories sold worldwide by Stringberry.
In 2015 we decided to take another chance and open our own small gallery in Wimberley. Since it would showcasing my paintings of mostly wildflowers, we named it Wildflower Art Gallery. When it comes to my art, David is my biggest fan, making it easy for him to sell and promote my work. David took on managing the gallery business and I continued to teach and paint from my studio in New Braunfels. In 2017 I relocated my Casa de Linda Art Studio to Wimberley, not far from our gallery. Our business partnership continues and David just celebrated 10 years of managing Wildflower Art Gallery.
As with many business, COVID impacted our day-to-day operations. While we could continue to operated both the gallery and studio (somewhat scaled down for several months), the national art shows we had been attending were cancelled. We took the opportunity to buckle down and give our full attention to our local businesses.
And that is where we are today. I get in as much painting time as I can at my studio when I’m not teaching and David opens the gallery daily and handles sales. Together we work with collectors and special commissions, do in-home viewings, brainstorm marketing and support each other.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Just taking the risk to go it on our own wasn’t easy or cheap. We had lots of late-night budget talks and had to keep each other on task. And that’s on-going. Of course, the COVID year took its toll. There have been a few health scares here and there and being self-employed that can create their own challenges.
We both try to “keep the faith” and be each others support.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My primary medium is acrylic on canvas. I create a wide range of sizes, from small 6-inch square canvases to as large as 4 feet by 6 feet gallery wrap canvas. Most are in what I call medium to large size, from 24×30 to 30×40 range.
In addition to acrylics, I also work with watercolors, gouache and pastels. Generally those paintings are small, either 5×7 or 8×10. These are not sold or shown in our gallery. While I do offer them for sale through my studio, my primary purpose in working with these mediums is to hone my skills and teach courses and workshops for adults wanting to learn how to handle them.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Arts organizations, chamber of commerce, and business groups are always good for networking.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lindacalvertjacobson.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindacalvertjacobson/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LindasWildflowers
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindacalvertjacobson/
