Bio
Linda Ogden has always seen herself as an artist in one form or another. She was born and raised in Miami, Fla., attended college later in life and graduated from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with a degree in visual communications.
After working in advertising for more than 20 years, she began seriously searching for a more personal means of self-expression. Linda dreamed of becoming a professional sculptor, so she began by taking a three-month sabbatical in Italy to study marble carving. Over the years she returned to Italy from time to time and eventually moved there for five years to continue her education. Her initial sculptures were abstract studies in form, texture and movement, but her fascination with the human face and figure naturally led her to figurative sculpture. Italy was the perfect place to study classical figurative sculpture with some of the world’s finest artisans and professors. She enjoyed experimenting and creating in many mediums and techniques. The colors, shapes, textures and movement of nature itself has always influenced her work.
From Italy, she applied for and was accepted as an apprentice at the Johnson Atelier Technical Institute of Sculpture, in New Jersey. She was later hired as a staff instructor in the modeling and enlarging department and as a technical assistant to Seward Johnson. Her work included modeling portraits, bas-reliefs, maquettes and life-size figures. She also assisted with the construction of monumental sculptures, mold-making, casting and restoration. As in Italy, the Atelier was a great community of artists working together.
Linda moved to Kentucky in 2004 where she bought an old house, restored it and built a studio. She found what she was looking for: a house, a home and another community of artists. She is a member of the city of Paducah’s Monument Committee and was selected as one of the first eight artists in the Mayors Art Club. In 2008, she was asked to teach sculpture at the Paducah School of Art and Design.
In both her abstract and figurative work, Linda tries to interpret emotion and feeling into a three-dimensional form, which can be a challenge, but the result is memorable. Her works of art are in public, private and corporate collections in the United States and Europe.
Linda says, “I’m an artist because my need to create is to my soul as breathing is to my life, a necessity.”