Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsay Burck.
Lindsay, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am a visual artist residing in Houston, Texas. A life-changing minor Traumatic Brain Injury occurred in 2015, and artwork that included a full spectrum of colors pulled me towards healing.
The paintings made by me include a bold statement that: having a life is an opportunity for endless possibilities of joy and peace, or anything else that is desired, and that it is each person’s responsibility for the spirit within to fully express itself in the world.
The artwork is created using aerosol and acrylic paints. First, backgrounds are laid down using brilliant colors that dance across the rainbow spectrum. Figurative elements are then painted into these colorscapes, which represent a bursting of joy for life. Prismatic elements are added on top for a full representation of clarity and brightness.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One of the biggest—or, at least the longest of the struggles that I faced included a way that I saw myself as an artist. For many, many years of my life—29 and a half years to be exact—there was a story that I told myself over and over.
The story went something like, “I CAN’T DRAW!”
It was repeated over and over in my head, year after year. It was repeated when I tried to draw animals as a kid and saw no possibility for them to look how I wanted them to look. It was repeated when I drew a self-portrait in fifth grade, and had thoughts about being proud of my work—and then didn’t see much encouragement or praise from other people.
It was repeated when my sister Stephanie took an art class, and I wanted to be able to draw like her but had given up years before that. It was repeated in high school art class where the teacher (God bless Mr. Sandoval at Calallen High School) showed me how to alter the most SIMPLE of lines to make a figure look ever-so-slightly more believable—and still, the story persisted, “I can not draw.”
Even in a painting class around age 21, the teacher said, “Burck, you’re a visionary.” It was impossible to see, as the paintings that I was doing at the time were sloppy, kinda abstract, and took incredible amounts of effort. I could see almost no reward for that effort. The story, “I cannot draw” persisted.
At age 29, a bicycle accident completely changed everything. Besides the moment of standing up and seeing my right arm completely hanging off, there were months—years, really—of recovering from the head injury that came along with the incident. The new way that light was seen moved me to begin painting, despite this lifelong story.
Who knows how a difference was made; it definitely wasn’t overnight. Three years after the accident, sometimes I can look at the evidence around me to see that this story is truly just a story.
Please tell us about Art So Electric.
The work that I do is inspired by living a created life. With artwork, I help others create the environment that they desire. With websites and other marketing materials, I help business owners create the desired experience for their customers.
The pieces that I’m most proud of include a combination of color-matching to rooms and healing symbols for the person receiving the piece. What this entails is to listen carefully to stories that are told by clients, and incorporating symbols that represent the best possible outcome for them and their life.
Another service that I love to provide is to look with people at their at spaces—living rooms, restaurant or retail shops, bedrooms, and outdoor walls—and to paint something that complements the colors, shapes and figurative elements for that is already present.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory from childhood was from one time on a long road trip, around age ten, when I started to ask my parents about an old and historic building, the courthouse in our hometown.
The place was dilapidated and condemned, and it stood in the city for decades and decades after it had been put out of use—an eyesore to the public, and yet still standing. I asked my parents what should be done with the building, and we ended up on the topic that someone should use this historically beautiful (if now totally rundown) building to open a hotel. They told me that I could be the one to take on such a project.
Never before had I seen myself as someone who could contribute much of anything to the public. At that moment, I had a new life, a new way to see myself—as someone who could take on projects and beautify the world around me. Although I lost interest in this particular project, I know that this moment changed how I saw and listened to myself.
Pricing:
- Tee Shirts for Men or Women – $25 each
- Sticker Packs – $7 each
- Magnets – $4 each
- Buttons – $3 each
Contact Info:
- Address: 402B Bomar Street Houston, Texas 77006
- Website: www.artsoelectric.com
- Phone: 3619461463
- Email: lindsay@artsoelectric.com
- Instagram: @lindsso_electric
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindsayannburck
Image Credit:
Thanet Thaout, Gerardo Arellano, Charles Atlarge, Eden Mancia
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
