Linda Infante Lyons facts for kids

Linda Anne Infante Lyons was born in 1960. She is a talented Native American artist from Anchorage, Alaska. Her family is Alutiiq, an Indigenous group from Kodiak Island. She also has Estonian heritage. The people of Kodiak Island faced big changes when new groups came to live there. These historical events are very important in Linda's artwork.

Linda's Life and Learning

Linda went to Whitman College in Washington state. There, she earned a degree in biology. Later, from 1996 to 1998, she studied art in Chile at the Viña del Mar Escuela de Bellas Artes.

Linda lived in Chile for about 18 years. She spent this time focusing on her painting. She also built a strong community there. After many years, she returned to Alaska. Today, she shares an art studio in Mountain View with her husband, Graham Dane.

Besides being an artist, Linda also works with the Alaska State Council on the Arts. She travels to schools to teach painting to children.

Exploring Linda's Art

Her Amazing Paintings

In my portraits, I simplify form to the most essential to describe a realm of spiritual realities. I am consistently lured by the promise of transcendence and the possibility of discovery in each new piece of work. ~ Linda Infante Lyons

People often call Linda a "magical realist" or a "regionalist." This is because of her unique painting style. She also focuses on the beautiful landscapes of Alaska. Linda herself prefers to be called an "emotional realist." This means her landscapes are inspired by her feelings and experiences. They are not always exact copies of real places.

Linda wants her art to make people feel things. She also wants them to feel both familiar and curious about the unknown. She once said her art is influenced by the "abstract of sublime." This means she uses strong images, like volcanoes, in calm scenes. This creates a powerful feeling. Her landscapes often feel very quiet because there are no people in them. You might see endless water, ice, plants, and animals in her work.

Linda has also painted many portraits. These paintings explore the idea of colonization. In these artworks, she shows Indigenous women in traditional clothes. They often hold animals with glowing halos around their heads. This shows her spiritual beliefs. It also highlights both Alutiiq and Russian cultures as equally important. She uses Russian Orthodox art styles and Alutiiq masks. This shows that she respects both parts of her heritage.

The women in her portraits are often her family or friends. They usually hold an animal. Many Native American cultures believe animals connect the physical and spiritual worlds. In all her portraits, the Alutiiq women are placed in the center. They are in a strong pose that was once only for men.

Linda believes that everything on Earth has a "spiritual entity." She thinks all things are connected. She learned about Alutiiq spiritual practices from her grandmother as a child. As an artist, she explores these connections in her art. She uses "simplified forms" to show how different parts of the world fit together.

Linda also painted the cover for Paul Brynner's book, Conception of the Sphinx.

Her Eye for Photography

Linda became interested in photography when she started taking pictures. She used these photos to inspire her paintings. Her photographs have been recognized by the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center. They were part of their yearly Rarefied Light Exhibits.

Art for Everyone: Public Art

Linda has created several pieces of public art. These are artworks that everyone can see and enjoy.

• At the Hispanic Cultural Center in Mountain View, she painted a mural of rufous hummingbirds. These birds symbolize the many different cultures in Alaska.
• She also painted a mural on a 100-foot wall. This wall is at the Government Hill Commons and Community Orchard in Anchorage.
• Linda painted a mural for the Healthy Alaska Natives Foundation. This was part of "The Water is Life" project.

Important Art Themes

A main theme in Linda's portrait work is "Decolonizing Alaska." Her ancestors from Kodiak Island were first impacted by Russia, then by the United States. Their culture faced big challenges as they were told to fit into new ways of life. This art movement helps people understand the effects of colonialism.

Through her art, Linda explores her heritage. She tries to "restore [her] culture" after colonialism. She uses old techniques and designs. She shows her Alutiiq and Russian heritage as equally important. By using Russian Orthodox art styles and Alutiiq masks, she starts a conversation. This conversation is about the challenges her culture faced. She explored this theme further in a collection called All Things Sacred in 2017.

Art Residencies and Shows

Linda has traveled the world as an artist. She finds inspiration in different cultures. She has been part of several special art programs:

• The Rasmuson Foundation Fellowship Art Residency in Santa Fe.
• The Denali National Park and Preserve Artist Residency.
• A residency in Germany at the Mayer of Munich Architectural Glass Studio.

In Santa Fe, she noticed how similar the "vast endlessness" was to Alaska. The land and warm colors inspired her art and photos. At Denali, she stayed alone in a cabin for ten days. She sketched and took pictures of the wilderness. At the end, she gave a painting called "Denali, the Source" to the park. In Germany, she learned how to turn her oil paintings into glass mosaics.

Linda's paintings have been shown in many Alaskan museums and galleries:

• Open Space/ Open Mind and All Things Sacred at the Bunnell Street Art Center.
• Ebb and Flow at the Alaska State Museum.
• Sites Unseen (a show with her husband) at the Alaska Humanities Forum.

Special Artworks

St. Katherine of Karluk (2016)

In St. Katherine of Karluk, Linda painted an Alaskan shaman. A shaman is a spiritual leader. The shaman is holding a sacred seal. This painting is now at the Museum of the North. The shaman wears red and gold traditional Native American clothing. Her chin is decorated, and both figures have halos. The halo around the woman has sacred Alutiiq symbols. These symbols come from Kodiak masks found in a French museum. The seal is important to Kodiak culture. The shaman holds it like a Christian Madonna would hold baby Jesus. The plant the seal holds is pushiki, a local Kodiak plant. The woman in this painting is Linda's great-grandmother. This artwork honors her family's Native roots.

The Alutiiq Madonna (2017)

In The Alutiiq Madonna, Linda mixes a common Christian image with Alutiiq art. An Alutiiq woman holds a European child. This shows how different cultures can mix. This Madonna has influenced both Native and non-Native people. The masks in the halo represent sacred Kodiak masks. The child holds a wooden doll. This painting is similar to others in her All Things Sacred collection.

Dandelions (2015)

Dandelions is a landscape painting. It was shown in Linda's Ebb and Flow exhibit at the Alaska State Museum. It is also at the Museum of the North. This painting shows dandelions reaching for the sky. Behind them is an unclear land formation. Like many of her works, the sky is painted to make you feel wonder. The green and yellow colors make the flowers stand out.

Serenity Bay

Serenity Bay is a landscape painting shown at the Alaska State Museum. It shows a calm bay between rocks. A smoking volcano is in the distance. Trees with round and cone shapes are on the shore. This art shows a calm moment before a storm. The water is still, and the sunset has light colors. The volcano adds contrast to the scene. Its top is surrounded by smoke. The colors are light purples and darker blues for shadows.

Sunset at Pyramid Mountain (2019)

Sunset at Pyramid Mountain was part of the "Nunat–Lands" exhibit. This was at the Alutiiq Museum and Archaeological Repository. This oil painting shows Chiniak Bay near Kodiak Island. The sky is orange with gray clouds. Mountains are behind the water. Plants are in the front of the painting. This was one of two paintings bought by the museum in 2019. The museum director, April Counceller, said Linda's art is "non-traditional." But you can still tell it's Alutiiq.

Featured Photography

Going Nowhere, Wales, Alaska (2014)

Going Nowhere, Wales, Ak is a photograph by Linda Infante Lyons. It was part of the Rarified Light Art Exhibit. This photo shows a red construction vehicle covered in snow. Alaskan mountains are behind it. A shed is also in the background. This image shows the huge, empty spaces of Alaska. Only one building is in sight.

Public Art Projects

Los Picaflores (2015)

Linda painted two picaflores, or hummingbirds. They are around a red flower. Hills and water are behind them. The rufous hummingbird was chosen to show Alaska's diversity. It flies between Mexico and southern Alaska. This mural is on the side of the Mountain View Hispanic Cultural Center in Anchorage.

A River Flows Through Us (2016)

This mural shows a view of water from above. It was part of "The Water is Life" project. This project helps people feel proud of their community's drinking water. The mural shows how nature and communities are connected.

Capitol Hills Commons Mural (2018)

This mural shows dark shapes of weeds. It is on a 100-foot wall next to the Praise Temple. This wall is the background for a community orchard. The design was inspired by weeds on the empty lot before. The Atwood Foundation grant helped fund this mural.

Awards and Fellowships

• Rasmuson Individual Project Award (2013)
• Denali National Park and Preserve Artist Residency (2014)
• Rasmuson Foundation Fellowship Art Residency Santa Fe Arts Institute/ Institute of American Indian Art Residency (2015)
• Rasmuson Foundation Individual Artist Award (2016)
• Native Arts & Cultures Foundation National Artist Fellowship (2018)
• Atwood Foundation Artist Grant (2018)
• Mayer of Munich Architectural Glass Studio