We had the good fortune of connecting with Jamie Lindholm and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jamie, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
I think about the decisions I’ve made over the years with regard to my studio practice, clients and business, and more than once, I have been grateful for my decision to get a Business Degree prior to studying art. I earned a Bachelors degree in Business Management and Marketing prior to spending years studying art in the atelier system, and then recently getting a MAFA at Regis University. First, it allowed me to be employed full-time while I pursued my art studies, and second, it gave me the knowledge to fully integrate professional practices into my own studio practice when the time came. That BSBA has been vital in so many ways. Ultimately, an independent artist creates, but they also have to run their studio and clients or relationships, and that is a business — one that requires juggling the creative side with the bookkeeping, inventory, logistics, marketing, sales, promotion, etc. This balance can be daunting for most artists, who always prefer to only concentrate on the creative side. Already successful artists have no problems delegating these to others, but artists that have limited resources often have to do this themselves and it is important to know all of this to be a fully-functioning professional studio.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art has evolved tremendously over the last few decades, though I have always worked towards a high level of realism. My early love of the Flemish and Italian master techniques coupled with Nelson Shank’s use of color, Norman Rockwell’s expressiveness and these inspired images in my head are the recipe for the ultimate goal for my work. It has taken me a long time to perfect my process and fully release my creative voice, and I have learned to trust and follow my instincts and not listen to others’ ideas or any nagging negative voices that creep up out of fear. I haven’t always done things in the order that some would expect. However, I have learned that my timing is perfect for me, and I am especially excited about all the new work in progress in the studio. The evolution of the work over the last two years is currently in my solo exhibition at The Hartman Gallery at Regis University (up until March 25, 2021). It has been described as ‘a timely and beautiful examination of our nation’s graces and challenges’ (Bleckley) My upcoming body of work is definitely unique and different from all others that I have seen. It is completely conceptual from my perceptions and experiences and incorporates both the micro and macro — the energy of quantum physics with humanity and the global concepts affecting us. As my artist statement says, “The result is not a snapshot of the individual, but rather the entanglement of the totality. They are intertwined, projected and woven connections of subject with environmental and color energies.” I am trying to be a very high level observer and what I notice and study informs the work along with little glimpses of hope and optimism. It has been a long, simultaneously wonderful and challenging, road to get to where I am professionally. I have come a long way, and yet I still have a way to go to achieve many of my professional goals. Living, working, studying and painting through five different moves to five different states along with marriage at 39, the birth of our son at 42, representation, commissions, exhibitions, students, volunteering, and getting a Masters at 59 have all flavored the soup of my experience. Was it easy? Not at all, but I loved every bit of it. Ultimately, I asked for help when I needed it, and kept my expectations realistic and acknowledged my limitations when encountered — always trying to be honest with myself. I learned not to be too hard on myself and to remember that each day is a new beginning. I just kept showing up at the very difficult times, knowing that everything changes, and I knew that I could always get lost in the zone of painting and pushing paint, as we say. I’ve learned to keep showing up, keep painting, keep learning, and keep evolving. I’ve learned to remain open to the quiet voices of inspiration, and to pay attention to and trust that bright light of the epiphany that flashes within me when least expected. I’ve learned to rely on my authenticity, knowing that there are others that will recognize it and relate to it. I’ve learned to always remember why I paint and that it has nothing to do with whether the result will be liked or purchased or selected for awards. That is usually up to others. I ‘ve learned to embrace the opportunities that come my way, for there’s always something to learn. Going forward I will be exploring more gallery representation. The world is so different than it was when I started that I will see where this takes me. Ultimately, I want my work to be seen by the world and for the world to know the work is about all of us. I would love it for viewers to recognize something of themselves mirrored somewhere in the work. Through the energy of quantum physics, I know that the paints have energy and I want the viewer to feel it in hopes that they then carry that through to their own interactions with others.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We have only lived here for three years and two of those three years was completely consumed by my Masters work and Covid, so we have a LOT of exploring still to do. I’m not sure I’ve lived here long enough to really give a complete itinerary. When I think about favorite places that we HAVE visited though, and they are probably very touristy, they include: Breakfast at Snooze, an A.M. Eatery;Visits to the Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver Art Museum, the Museum of Nature and Science; A walk through the Botanical Gardens; Visits to the galleries; Dinner and drinks at Morin; Always a stop into HR Meininger (because I can always use more art supplies)😎;  Hockey games; A drive through Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge to see the Bison; Stays at the Stanley Hotel in Estes for the ghost tour and drives up to the Alpine visitor center in RMNP; Strolls along Pearl St in Boulder with stops into Oak on 14th, Riff’s Urban Fare, and all the other shops along the way.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

There are so many in need of a Shoutout here… First and foremost, the biggest shoutout goes to my husband, partner, friend, and general biggest supporter, Jonas. {please remove the sentence about Sweden} He encouraged me to follow my heart and take the leap to open my studio in 2009. He was right there when I wanted to renovate the space. He’s been my biggest cheerleader with the wins, and the biggest bear-hugger for the losses. He’s a fully engaged father and I have never doubted that our son was in great and loving hands when I was not present. With the peace of mind that he provides, I am free to explore all the crazy, out-of-the-box ideas I can come up with.
I am forever grateful for my mother, who passed in 2008, who throughout her life exemplified the spirit of giving and volunteerism. I learned through my own volunteerism that there are so many experiences and people I would not have met otherwise. I have volunteered for a number of organizations over the years. The longest for The Portrait Society of America. where I was first their Jersey State Ambassador, and later, the National Coordinator and International Ambassador for their Ambassador Outreach Program. The PSofA is committed to providing educational resources to anyone interested in technical information, traditional aesthetics and the history of figurative art and portraiture. Most recently, through their Cecilia Beau Forum Mentorship Program, I have mentored and encouraged other women artists. This Mentorship Programs fosters relationships between established and emerging artists in a nine month program.
Another Shoutout goes to an organization that I am so proud to be a signature status member of — American Women Artists. In 2017, AWA launched 25 in 25, which is a bold initiative to secure 25 museum exhibitions for women artist members, over the next 25 years. They did this because work by women artists makes up only 3 – 5% of the permanent holdings of art museums in America. They now have museum shows booked through 2024, and I have been blessed to have had my work shown at the Rockwell Museum in Corning, NY. Additionally, AWA celebrates, unites, and promotes women in the visual fine arts through diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Shoutout to all of my teachers. It’s interesting how I have absorbed different information from the varied teachers that I have had. When I first started studying I had a dilemma; all the institutional university art programs were focused on abstract expression. I wanted the Flemish Masters. I wanted to paint and draw from life and I also knew that I had big paintings in my head but my technical abilities weren’t at that level required. So, I entered the atelier system and first studied with artist David Zuccarini at his studio at the Howard County Center for the Arts in Maryland. After moving to New York City, I studied with Robert Neffson at the Art Students League and then finally at Nelson Shanks’ Studio Incamminati. The skills learned have been invaluable.
There are sooooo many more individual people to mention, but I will give a final Shoutout to my very special artist friends that are always there when the walls of the studio start closing in. We independent artists generally work within very solitary environments and are actually happy to be there. However, it is a wonderful thing to be able to reach out to a trusted and respected colleague when I need an extra set of eyes, or a sounding board to work out a compositional decision.

Website: www.JamieLindholm.com

Instagram: @JamieLindholmArt

Linkedin: Jamie Lindholm

Twitter: @JamieLindholm

Facebook: Jamie Lindholm Studio

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