Linda Claire Morris, feels that she has been given a genetic gift of painting. A descendant of Western Massachusetts artists, Jonas Joseph (J.J.), William, and Marie LaValley, Linda grew up in Wyben, an idyllic, small Berkshires community surrounded by apple orchards at the foot of Montgomery Mountain.

      After living in eastern North Carolina for much of her adult life, Linda has recently returned home to New England, and has chosen to settle in Vermont's Champlain Valley, where her childhood impressions of New England's colors are enhanced by the quality of light created by proximity to the lake.

      Linda's artistic training began in 1990 when she joined a painting class at the College of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Her teachers, Margie Sawyer and Peggy West spotted her innate talent and strove to develop the full potential of her abilities. Diligent instruction followed over a five-year period resulting in successful art shows with ribbons won and paintings sold.

      A new business was born, Blue Door Studio, inside a restored 1820's barn.

      In 1995, a small group of community- involved persons met in Perquimans County, NC, and created the Perquimans Arts League. Linda served as both Secretary and President of this organization.

      In the Year 2000, Linda relocated to Bridport, Vermont, where she purchased another old barn, renovated to contain a fully-equipped artist's studio.

      Like her LaValley forebears whose works emulated the style of the Hudson River School of Painting, Linda's style, though less romantic and more impressionistic, continues to evoke the pastoral beauty of the rural New England landscape.

      Her Artist's Statement:

"I paint because I must."