Conversations
Linden Dean

Art is a great forum to project a voice. Through an artist’s work, the focus of the voice stays visible for much longer.

My challenge is to create work that draws the viewers in to have a conversation. My naive style has always been narrative. It’s my way of expressing ideas, impressions and feelings. My work usually says something personal, social or political.

I try to do this using colour, pattern and imagery. I am also interested in using a variety of media and experimenting in ways that are new to me.

I am a contemporary naïve artist based in Bairnsdale in East Gippsland, Victoria.

I have always enjoyed creating art of some kind. In my youth I majored in art at Melbourne Teacher’s College and was encouraged to paint in oils. Later when I took up art again more consistently, I worked in oils in the naïve style. I worked with well-known naïve artist, Gwen Clarke and other local naive artists.

Over time I developed a more contemporary naïve approach and began to experiment with different mediums such as watercolour, ink pens and Japanese washi.

More recently I have begun working in ceramics. I joined the East Gippsland Ceramic Group and with the help of their combined knowledge and talent I have been able to develop pieces in my own style.

“And No-one Noticed”, Watercolour, 75cm x 65cm, 2023

Based in Bairnsdale, East Gippsland, Linden Dean, creates naïve style paintings which are the result of artistic efforts that began in 1992 with naïve artist, Gwen Clarke. Over the years Linden has developed her own style and experimented with mixed media in her signature contemporary naïve style.

In the past four years Linden has been shortlisted for five national art awards: the John Leslie Landscape Art prize in Sale (2024); the National Contemporary Art Prize in Canberra with two entries accepted (2023); the Wildlife Art Museum of Australia award in Halls Gap (2023) and the Elaine Birmingham National Watercolour prize in Landscape painting in Brisbane (2021).

Linden has been involved in many exhibitions with the Contemporary Art Naive group, from Lakes Entrance and Bairnsdale, to Cowwarr and Melbourne, and has had four solo exhibitions in Bairnsdale. Linden’s artworks take on a narrative style and often depict images focusing on social issues. Her artworks have been represented on cards, book and magazine covers and international calendars. She has sold locally, nationally and internationally, with work currently in collections in Italy, Slovenia, India, Japan, Argentina, Canada and the USA.