Linda Montemayor

“Making art makes me happy, and I like to sell art.”

The words of former Creative Clay Member Artist Linda Montemayor sum up a life well-lived. With a ready smile, and bright art to match a spunky personality, this Chicago native who joined Creative Clay’s Community Arts Program in 2011 created a vast body of work that was sold and exhibited in Creative Clay’s Good Folk Gallery and throughout the Tampa Bay area.

Inspired by visits to artists’ studios, galleries and museums, Linda’s drawings, paintings, ceramics, and mixed media often featured bright flowers and animals.

Linda’s hand-drawn cards, papier-Mache penguins, acrylic paintings, and ceramic sculptures were popular items in Creative Clay’s Good Folk Gallery. Many of her floral paintings were featured in Flower Power, a 2017 exhibit at the former Community Café in St. Petersburg. Linda’s work also was featured in a 2019 exhibit in Creative Clay’s Good Folk Gallery.

When health issues prevented Linda from attending Creative Clay’s Community Arts Program, the art came to her at her new home at Sabal Palms Health and Rehabilitation Center in Largo. This partnership allowed Creative Clay’s Member Artists, who were also beloved friends of Linda, to regularly visit the center to create art and socialize with Linda and other residents.

Linda loved the visits. Whether in the Creative Clay Community Arts Studio, or at Sabal Palms, Linda was an enthusiastic participant. She often joined her peers to try something new, like paper marbling. When she wasn’t making art, Linda enjoyed bowling, movies and helping her sister, Cindy, at home.

Linda died Saturday, June 24, at Morton Plant Hospital on Saturday after residing at Sabal Palms since 2019.

Her favorite saying: “Good thing I told you!”

Thank you, Linda, for all the “good things” you brought to Creative Clay and the arts community. Your fellow artists, friends, and Creative Clay staff will miss your bright light and beautiful art.