Linda Hinson

“I have always loved to draw. After changing my major four times while attending Virginia Tech, I finally landed in art, feeling that passion was more important than practicality. A few years later, when practicality started to matter, I returned to school to pursue a teaching certificate. After the first education class, I knew I was meant to be a teacher. But that would mean setting aside one passion for another.

After teaching Art for 33 years in Montgomery County Public Schools and 3 years at Radford University, I am now finding the time to concentrate on my passion for drawing.

My most recent series is centered around animals. The ability to have subjective experiences is not unique to humans. If we include the understanding of the nature and consequences of an act or decision as part of the definition of intelligence, then we have more in common with other species than previously thought. Many animals show skilled use of reasoning and the ability to learn or deal with new situations. They are not solely instinct-driven.

Animals are not separate but connected to other species and their environments. They pollinate, create pathways, fertilize, and clean up. I am often struck by how many humans do not see themselves as part of an intricate system of interconnectedness but as a governing body falsely in charge of it.” -Linda Hinson