The Pine Lake Voice supports the creation and presentation of original art that is rooted in community. During the coming weeks, the Voice will be posting the art works of Linda Peterson (Ahlgren) whose long association with the arts began when she moved from Buffalo to New York City in 1962. Linda became executive secretary for one year at the National Arts Club. The high light of that year was when she greeted artist Salvador Dali to a gallery of his works. Dali walked up to Linda and handed her his Ocelot; Linda, to Salvador Dali’s surprise, was not taken aback and asked him if she could hold the cat during the visit; a member of the Dali entourage retrieved the cat from Linda’s arms and Linda proceeded to escorted Salvador Dali into the gallery.
Linda heard about a vintage clothing store in Pennsylvania that was selling its entire inventory. With the money she had saved and a loan from her parents she purchased the inventory and opened a vintage and antiques clothing store called Fifties East Ltd. AKA Transformations. Located in the East Village, near the Electric Circus and Fillmore East, the venture was successful and attracted customers like young Bob Dylan, Frank Zappa, Greatful Dead band members, Woody Allen and many others. During this period she met and employed Robert Beers who later became curator of the New York Museum of Modern Art movie collection and Ann Nitschke, accountant for Andy Warhol; they became life long friends.
In 1972 Linda moved to Marin County California. For the next few years she worked as designer and sales manager for Sunflower Boutique’s in San Fransisco and as a designer for Grossman’s Paper Company in Woodacre. It was during this time Linda met and married Calvin Ahlgren, a writer and interviewer for the San Fransisco Chronicle newspaper’s arts and entertainment section, becoming a mother to Calvin’s two young children.
Linda, an activist and teacher, is a Founding Member and organizer of the Marin Peace Center and Organizer for Women’s Party for Survival. She taught art at the National Institute of Art for the Disabled. Linda’s exhibits included Merit Award, San Francisco Woman’s Artists Gallery. Corporate Art Show, Knecht, Haley, Lawrence and Smith, San Francisco Hall of Flowers Golden Gate Park, Fairfax Library, to name a few. Between 1980 to 1993 Linda traveled extensively to Europe, Mexico, Central America and Indonesia, recording her travels on canvas and watercolors.
When Linda’s photographer brother, Will Roger Peterson, moved to California in 1989, Linda, with her many connections to the Bay Area’s arts and entertainment culture, helped her brother establish himself in California. Will Peterson met Crimson Rose, Larry Harvey and others who became the founders of the Burning Man art collective. The group of Burning Man Founders met and planned early Black Rock City events at Linda’s artist studios in Bolinas, California.
Linda Moved to Pine Lake in the year 2000 because she wanted to be able to swim in the lakes warm waters which gave relief to arthritic pain, swimming almost daily with her friend Inga Witt. Linda became an Art Station member where she showed her art work receiving a first place award and two honorable mentions in Members Juried Exhibits at the Art Station. Linda participated in additional shows of her works in Pine Lake and the Primitive Eye, Decatur.
Here is a brief summary of Linda’s education: National Arts Club: Life Drawing and Water Color, New York University: Child Psychology; University of Buffalo, Psychology.’91-’92 Paper Making with Kerry Vander Meer; 1990 Mask Making With Barbara Mulhauser; 1988-92 College of Marin: Drawing, painting, Design, Print Making, Sculpture, 1985-87 Water Color with Jackie Kirk, 1981-82 Water Color with Richard Yip. Most of Linda’s original art has been sold; however, she has retained a number of her original watercolors, canvas and mixed media pieces. The Voice will first feature Linda’s water colors from her visit to Bali where she lived for a time in a rural rice growing village and her water colors of ocean side Marin County.
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