Linda Griggs

Linda Griggs creates paintings that tell stories about family, relationships, sexuality, and place by combining image with text. Griggs is influenced by the narrative form of such artists as Carrie Mae Weems, Jacob Lawrence, and Faith Ringgold. The 2001 painting Scarlet Runner, which emotively recalls a 17th century Dutch still life, depicts a dimly lit table with red beans slewn across the surface. In a characteristic gesture, Griggs overlays this image with text that tells the story of how her grandfather murdered a fellow railroad worker for stealing his beans.