It is my great pleasure to introduce a very Special Guest today. Please help me welcome visual artist Lynda McKinney Lambert back to The Write Stuff. Lynda is going to tell us in her own words (and poetry) about her amazing and beautiful work as a visual artist, and how she accomplishes this with seriously compromised vision. I think you’ll be inspired by what determination and a positive attitude can accomplish, so without further ado, please tell us your latest news, Lynda!

UPDATE: Lynda’s beautiful beadwork tied for first place in the Crafts Division of the Insights 20 international art website found HERE. Please check out her finished work after you read her post. It’s absolutely marvelous! Congratulations, Lynda!! 

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Hi, Marcia! Thanks for having me here today. The InSights 20 is an international art exhibition held each year in Louisville, KY, by the American Printing House for the Blind. The show opens on October 7 – online this year due to restrictions caused by the pandemic.

The artwork will be on the separate InSights Art website,  located HERE.  This website will be open at 8:00am, October 7, which is the first day of APH’s Annual Meeting, of which the InSights Art exhibit and Awards are part.

All artists in this annual exhibition have sight loss. I have “profound sight loss,” but I can do my intricate work by using technologies for the blind. In my case, I use an Acrobat Closed Circuit TV.  I will attach a photo of how this looks as I am working. 

Using this CC T V, I am able to see colors and objects, which I cannot see without such magnification.  My husband, Bob, helps me initially by pulling the colors of beads I want to use for the project.  This is my palette that I work from.

I can only work with one tiny bead at a time and use only one colour at a time on my desk.  This keeps me organized so that I don’t get the beads confused since I cannot see them without the equipment.

Marcia, I wrote a poem that describes how I create a talisman and the thought process that takes place as I work.

“A Talisman”
by Lynda McKinney Lambert

Visualize a talisman-
precious stones and crystals
woven in bold patterns
plenty of Japanese glass seed beads
tiny drops of perfect symmetry.

I select flawless beads
stab them onto steel needles
hundreds of stitches
thrust them one at a time
upwards into the heavens
endlessly.

I plunge my thin needle
deep through layers of stiff cloth
make my stitches sure
hold tight.

I’m a warrior woman
thumping my spirit-drum
made of dappled starlight.

I measure timeless days
counting beads in
a mystical circle
held together
with a bronze toggle clasp.

A Talisman brings
protection from evil
healing for weary spirits
nourishment for aching bodies
courage for new directions
on a pilgrimage
over treacherous pathways
guides my dimmed eyes
and nervous steps.

Black onyx ovals
are like a vintage fan
unfurled with a flourish
or a sacred victory flag
prepared to cast an invocation.

my fingers stroke cold stones
glossy-smooth, polished, faceted.
gifts for a King.

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A Talisman – August 2, 2020
Written by Lynda McKinney Lambert
Copyright August 2, 2020. All rights reserved.

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Visual Artist and  Author Lynda McKinney Lambert

I am a visual artist and hold the BFA and MFA degrees in painting. I also write and have 4 books on Amazon at this time – I have the MA degree in English. I’m a retired university professor of fine arts and humanities (Geneva College, Beaver Falls, PA)  and I retired in 2008 after sudden and permanent sight loss.

My MISSION STATEMENT

• I am the keeper of memories. I distill and share them  through  art and writing.
• I reveal what is forgotten, lost, or unseen.
• I write  spare poems and thoughtful personal essays.
• I create art with  brilliant colors &  precious materials, one stitch at a time.
  

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“I can see why this (talisman)  captured first place. It captures the exact discipline of  the oriental master. Every stitch exact. Every stitch with a meaning. Every stitch with history behind it.  Bravo.”  ~  Leonard Tuchyner,  A Journey to Elsewhere: Poetry Through the Seasons of Life. 

“Throughout this book (Star Signs: New and Selected Poems, DLD Books, 2019) of poems , these gems of poetic creation shimmer like beads on her fabric art, like bold brush strokes on her prize-winning piece of mixed-media  fiber artwork,  It seems this entire collection is like a multifaceted  mural.”   ~  Wesley D. Sims, Taste of Change

“Lambert notices the colors and sounds that surround us., those odes that barely register through our buds and pads, and windshields , and she names them for us and she remembers them for us.” ~  Russell Streur, Editor, Plum Tree Tavern Literary Magazine

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My thanks to you, Lynda, for sharing your story and your art with us today. I know others have found this as interesting and inspiring as I have. Folks, I encourage you to click on the link to InSights Art and check out Lynda’s work and that of other visually compromised artists. And if you’ve enjoyed learning about Lynda and her process for creating her beautiful beadwork, please let her know at one of the links below. Also be sure to check out her books of poetry, as well. You’ll be glad you did! 🙂

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You can reach Lynda online here:
E-mail: riverwoman@zoominternet.net 
My website: http://www.lyndalambert.com
My Authors Page at DLD Books:  http://www.dldbooks.com/lyndalambert/

Lynda’s  Books Are Also Available on Amazon.com

Star Signs Available on Amazon HERE

Walking By Inner Vision Available on Amazon HERE