From The Tribune staff reports
PINSON — Artist Lynthia Edwards, a Pinson resident, has been awarded an Individual Artist Fellowship of $5,000 from the Alabama State Council on the Arts.
Edwards is a graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), where she earned a master’s degree in arts education, studying under professor Gary Chapman. She has also earned degrees from the Art Institute in Atlanta and Auburn University of Montgomery (AUM).
After teaching Edwards at UAB, Chapman said it is a combination of technique and work ethic that sets her apart.
“Lynthia has developed a beautiful and seductive technique, a strong voice and a very powerful body of work,” Chapman said. “But what stands out beyond talent is Lynthia’s incredible work ethic. She is tremendously productive. There is a fire in her, and her paintings are the direct result.”
Having 30 years of experience as an educator, Chapman says he has seen much talent come through the painting studio at UAB, and Edwards stands among the “super-talented students who are more than memorable.”
Whether it’s paintings or quilted art, Edwards most often seeks to showcase black, Southern women. Her artist’s name is Black G.R.I.T.S (Black Girl Raised in the South).