Australian fashion icon, Linda Jackson develops tropical images for her paintings and art textiles.I first studied the work of Australian fashion icon, Linda Jackson, at Edith Cowan University in WA, some decades ago. The beautiful images of her Bush Couture range were larger than life on the huge screen in the auditorium and we gasped in admiration as the essence of Australian bush and culture floated before our eyes. 
For Linda had managed to brilliantly capture the colour, line and form of the landscape of the desert, of forests, of snow covered scribbly gums, of the flamboyant waratah and age-old banksia, which are so iconically Australian. 
The results were stunning and formed the basis of her collection at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. Such spontaneity and apparent ease with which artforms evolve is, in my opinion, the premise of a true artist. Some ten or so years ago I was delighted to meet Linda in person when she came to live in the Douglas Shire in North Queensland. Dreadlocks held back by a self-printed bandana, sculpted off-the-shoulder costume and bare feet, she was charming and friendly, modest and self contained, aware of her own worth, grounded but poised to fly.
And fly she has. Linda gains inspiration from the Kuku Yalangi people, with whom she works and from her surroundings, resulting in exploratory semi-abstract tropical paintings, some of which have been displayed alongside selected archived costumes at Cairns Regional Gallery…who knows what may be next? See Linda Jackson's virtual gallery
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