Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsay Ekstrom.
Hi Lindsay, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Four years ago, I bought a bag of Bob Ross oil paints at a thrift store. At that point I had never drawn or painted before. I had just had a surprise baby and sold my event styling business. Perfect time for a new hobby, right? At the time, I was listening to A n Abraham Lincoln biography . I was so intrigued by the details of his life that he isn’t necessarily ” known” for. These details surprised me. How he struggled with depression, his devastating losses, how he trained himself to become a lawyer. Those were different times, man. Well, when I bought the paints, I had every intention of painting glorious abstracts for my home. Something messy and bright. But after getting to know Abraham Lincoln better I started to picture him as a friend. Someone who I could relate to a lot. An image filled my mind of Abe in a tracksuit he wore chakra cleansing beaded bracelets and was flashing a peace sign. So, I painted that. I watched a lot of YouTube in order to learn how to paint, learning to paint people is rough. Mostly it was just trial and error. I have painted hours every day for almost four years now. That one Abraham painting was just the beginning. I have researched then painted dozens of historical figures selling them to collectors around the world. This process of learning about each person I paint then finding just the right way to present them on the canvas has completely changed my life. I am thrilled to now be a full-time artist, working on a waitlist of commissions for the past two years. I moved to North Dallas almost two years ago and rented a studio on the square in Historic Downtown McKinney. I outgrew that space recently and my husband decided to quit his job in the Civil Engineering field to manage the sales of the art prints. We expanded to a large studio in the historic Cotton Mill in Mckinney providing more room and we love working together.
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?
I would say navigating the Dallas “art world” as a self-taught newcomer to Texas could have presented challenges, but I have to say it has been amazing. The creative community here has been so welcoming and so inspiring. The amount of talent here is incredible. I was born and raised in Alaska so sometimes I think I’m just easy to impress when it comes to access to museums and creative groups, but I am so happy here. We have local stores carrying my art prints, as well as a collector base here in Dallas including designer Jessica McCarthy of Modern Swan design studio, Coach McCarthy of the Cowboys and Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones. Dr. Thomas Grant of Frisco commissioned 6 pop art pieces for his stunning new office. I have been overwhelmed by the amount of support and opportunity Dallas has offered.
I’ll be showing at the Other Art Fair in Dallas, and we’ll be auctioning off two pieces for Mathew McConaughey’s charity gala next month!.
Dallas is so full of opportunity and
It was challenging to scale my art from commissioned paintings into a business selling art prints in stores. Now that my husband Aaron is onboard, we’re scaling even more and now offering stickers, t-shirts and were developing NFTs of my art. I am so grateful for my North Dallas community that has helped me as I have grown and supported my work.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My absolute joy in my work is the research. When I commit to a commission, I spend a couple weeks in research. Listening to audio books, watching documentaries, reading everything I can find that has been written about that person. I specifically look for details not widely known. On the flip side I have found that some of the things that get repeated over and over about historical figures just aren’t true or completely accurate or maybe are not the most important thing to remember about them. What more is there to their story? Ben Franklin and the lightening bolt, for example, George Washington and the Cherry tree, Frida Kahlo and the unibrow. Ben Franklin learned French on the pillows of his lovers while serving as an ambassador in Paris. George Washington was a master of Branding. He would ride to each new American colony in a carriage, then a half a mile outside of the town square, he would mount a huge white steed, presenting as the handsome war general. Frida felt so strongly about the liberation of the people of Mexico she changed her birth year to correlate with the Mexican Revolution. I try to get a sense of the whole person. After I have a sense of who they were, not just what they were famous for, I’ll get an image of them in my head. What they wear, how they act etc. Then I get to painting! If it is a commission, I send a “Mockup” inspiration board to my client and we hammer out details like colors on tattoos, etc… Each of my pieces takes 40 hours to paint. I’m getting faster at it as I improve as an artist, but rather than spending less time on each portrait, I’m now able to add finer details in that same amount of time. I sold my first original painting just over three years ago for $375. That same size painting is now selling for $12,000.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I love history, bright colors, fashion, and jewelry. Portrait art but make it fashion? I love old frames, I still hit the antique malls and thrift store when I have time, but now it’s to frame my art.
Pricing:
- 8×10 paper print $35
- 36 x 48 inch commission $12,000
Contact Info:
- Email: lindsay@lxartworks.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lxartworksig/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lxartworks
- Website: www.lxartworks.com
