LINDA CHIDO ART
THE LEMON PROJECT
In the summer of 2024, my son Louis and I took a workshop on the craft of paper-making. Amid the laughter, experiments, and water stains, I fell in love with the delicate texture and subtle irregularities of each sheet. It was there, in that workshop, that The Lemon Project took root.
My first challenge was practical: how to honor the paper’s beauty while making it robust enough for oil paint. After countless tests, I discovered an acrylic-based medium that sealed the surface without compromising its natural character. With that solved, I set to work.
After completing the first five still-life paintings, a call for art was announced by the Creative Arts Society—a nonprofit artist group in Austin that partners with local businesses and galleries to offer exhibition opportunities to its members. As a member, I selected the following dates:
The Ruby Hotel & Bar
400 Fannin Ave., Round Rock, TX
Exhibition Dates: September 24 – October 29 (coinciding with the Austin City Limits Festival)
Artist Meet & Greet: September 24, 5–7 PM
Since the exhibition will be installed in a hall leading to the Ruby’s bar, I decided to create a companion cocktail painting for each of the original fruit still-lifes, pairing one beverage with each piece to add a playful and elegant twist to the theme.
Each of the ten paintings is rendered on a 10×7-inch sheet of my own handmade 100% rag paper, then mounted onto 12×9-inch Nuabari artisan paper. By limiting the scale and focusing on a single object, I invited a quiet dialogue between material and image. My indirect oil painting technique enhances the still life's form and light, while allowing the textured, colorful, handmade paper to remain present and integral to the final work.
Even though the paintings are nearly complete, The Lemon Project is still evolving. I’m currently developing a collaborative component and preparing a catalogue with cocktail recipes, both of which I’ll share more about as we approach the exhibition.
At its heart, The Lemon Project is a celebration of handwork and a meditation on transformation, resilience, and the beauty of the everyday. The full series will be featured September and October 2025, in a solo exhibition at The Ruby Hotel & Bar in Round Rock, Texas.