Taming the Minataur with Goddess Wisdom by Linda Storm
- Linda Storm
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Article by Linda Storm
By weaving myths, nature and music into my art, I transcend the mundane and reach for the divine. I paint goddesses as ancient stone figures onto canvas transforming them into dreamlike life forms. Wonder and possibility are my most important tools.
I grew up in Alden, New York, USA. I loved to read enchanting stories about powerful female deities. I secretly questioned the religion I was taught to believe about the male divine almighty, and thought it completely absurd that it was a man.
Our ancient ancestors told of goddesses who gave birth to seasons, healed disease, created the arts, and protected the innocent. Goddesses foresaw the future, grew magical golden apples, arched over earth as a blanket of stars, and offered eternal life. Their legacy continues, thousands of years later.
Today, as an artist in Santa Fe, New Mexico, I resurrect the divine feminine from ancient cultures. My paintings are visual parables. They are solace in a stormy world. They are silent conversations.
My art exemplifies my life, which is a constant epiphany. All of my actions, words, and my attitude derive from a place of self-awareness, and gratitude. They lead me down a path unfolding according to my aspirations.
I favor solitude, and time with my beloved husband. When I am with others, I celebrate sharing time and space with them in this world of 8 billion people. We are specks in the cosmos, yet immense with life. As I breathe in the next moment, I feel eternity, and am filled with wonder at how we are all made of the same elements as the universe. I think of my ancestors’ dreams sparkling in my bones.
News of wars and humans harming each other hurts me to my soul. I know that it affects us all. I seek solace in cultural places around the world. I absorb inspiration from ancient sites, explorations in nature, and from the creations of others.
Being artistic has been a driving force in me since childhood. As I reached adulthood, a monster deep inside the labyrinth of my mind often whispered to me that my art was not good enough, which translated to me not being good enough, because my art is me. For years I lived with Imposter Syndrome. Rejections from curators fed the monster. Then I took a workshop that was life changing. I was told to practice saying aloud, I am an artist, and to repeat it until I felt it, and said it confidently to others. I am thankful for the opportunities my art has given me, and have come to terms with the fact that I am a professional, internationally recognized, award-winning artist.
In 2018 I had a major life pivot. A gallery owner invited me to debut my goddess paintings in her gallery in Italy. Her idea was to bring two countries together through art. She chose mine to represent the USA. The bi-solo show was in September, the same time I was to begin another school year as a Montessori teacher. I had to make a decision. So, I said goodbye to my students, and opened the door that led me to life as a full-time artist.
At the opening, an Italian art critic arrived with a television crew to report about the exhibit. The gallery owner told me he was also a priest. He did not speak English and I did not speak Italian. He went to each of my goddesses and discussed them into the camera. He snickered and smirked.
My intuition told me to trust my art, for it is born from ancient knowledge and holds truths. I realized it was just another situation in which goddesses can be scary, especially to those who believe only a male image can be portrayed as a god.
I also watched others. One woman cried as she stood before one of my paintings. She told me she understood why I painted a barbed wire rosary. I didn’t tell her there was no rosary, but there was no wrong in her seeing what she needed in order to feel her sorrow. Others offered cheek to cheek kisses, and said Complimente! A man told me I was a misteriosa femina. The experience confirmed that my art is a language and that an intimidating experience can be enriching.
There is no bigger thrill for me than sharing my art. It connects us in that place where human meets divine. Every stroke of a paintbrush, every action and reaction is worthy. Feeling like an imposter is insulting to me and to those who have given me prizes, and collect and exhibit my art. We artists must tame the Minatour within us.
As I write this a painting I started 4 years ago stares at me. Ideas come to me all the time, but that one challenges me. It is my version of the Three Graces. I am resurrecting them in a landscape devastated by a forest fire. As they come to life, so does the forest. It is large, 60x48 inches.
Visitors are welcome to my gallery in a historic adobe house in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. It is open by appointment and invitation. People can see my paintings, installations and murals, and sign up on my website LindaStormArt.com.
Website : https://www.lindastormart.com/
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/stormartist/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/lindastormartist/
