Linda Rous

My career started just out of high school with a scholarship to the Columbus College of Art & Design in Ohio that I did not take.  Self-taught in most mediums, I settled into oil painting to become a “gypsy artist,” hitting art shows and craft fairs across the country for about 45 years.  I wore out several vehicles and many suitcases.  I taught workshops, summer children’s classes, and adult classes at junior college.  A major illness stopped it all.

Three years into recovery, in 2005, I retired from the shows.  I was bored stiff. Three-dimensional work has always called to me. I have an attraction to Kachina dolls, but I do not have the strength in my hands to carve cottonwood.  Out of curiosity, I picked up a couple of blocks of balsa and carved a Kachina - I was hooked.  But, I am not Hopi and would not be able to sell what I would make.  Being a prolific worker, I amassed a lot of dolls.

In 2007, “My People” came from a place of my ancestors deep inside of me and consists of 7 tribes and a line of pillow dolls for children.  Great-grandmother’s people, the Iroquois, made No Face Dolls of corn husks.  Combining my love for Kachina and the “no face” concept was a natural step.  Trial and error were my teachers.  “My People” emerge from the wood with very sharp knives.  Tradition holds that power tools are not allowed so that each doll will receive its own spirit.

I always thought I would work in porcelain, but I find wood a fascinating medium. It grows mostly in one direction but can turn on you; it has soft areas but can show up hard without warning. It will throw a knot hole in my path and change my original design. Years of hours upon hours are spent researching museum and auction records for authenticity of design and color. Characters are from Native American folklore and history.

“My People” represent all nations across the North American continent and are sold internationally, bridging the gap of understanding between peoples.