Sequim artist finds new horizon line after tragedy

Following a tragic event and a simple act of kindness, Linda Stadtmiller, 68, knew she couldn’t give up her passion.

For 25-plus years, Stadtmiller painted professionally and most recently has worked in acrylics and mixed media, but on Memorial Day 2015 she almost lost her ability to paint.

Stadtmiller was with her husband Leonard cleaning their home while they readied to replace their home’s flooring, when without warning, she collapsed.

“My right carotid artery was blocked in my neck,” she said.

“I remember waking up in the ambulance on my way to Swedish and they were talking about the traffic.”

But the next few days in Stadtmiller’s life were a blur following her stroke, she said.

Stadtmiller spent 10 days in the hospital before being admitted to intense rehab where she’d spend almost a whole month learning basic functions again. She lost most function in her left arm and has limited mobility in her left leg.

“It took two people to get me in and out of bed,” she said. “I needed to relearn everything. Rehab was 3-5 hours a day learning to take a shower, get dressed, walk. It’s the things you take for granted.”

But her second day in physical rehab, Stadtmiller recalls being handed a business card of sorts.

It was a postcard with art by John Tardif of Seattle with his story on the back. He was an architect until at age 46 when he had a stroke. Tardif hadn’t painted before then but took it up and now works in watercolor, oils and pastels. He visits stroke victims like Stadtmiller in the hospital to encourage them.

Her first thought after reading the card, she said, was, “I’m not going to stop.”

And she hasn’t.

Left to right

In rehab, she began practicing using her right hand drawing basic circles and squares.

Stadtmiller had to make a switcheroo in her lifestyle because she’s been a lefty her whole life.

“I’m not ambidextrous like my husband and son (Allen),” she said. “We live pretty much in a right-handed society.”

Through hard work and perseverance, Stadtmiller learned she’s a lot more versatile than she ever believed.

“I don’t give up so easily either,” she said.

Even though she was confined to a wheelchair at first, Stadtmiller returned to her home gallery/studio in July 2015 at The Landing Artists Studio in the Landing Mall in Port Angeles where she’s been working and selling art for about four years.

Since the stroke, she’s been at the gallery at least three days a week painting. She’s created about two dozen pieces since the stroke, including seascapes and abstracts ranging in size from 5 inches by 7 inches to 12 inches by 12 inches and up. She’s also done series of works based on themes such as the seasons or music.

Her first completed piece post-stroke went to a special person in Stadmiller’s life, too. Amie, her daughter, asked for the piece, which Stadtmiller said it was the first time Amie had done that.

New push

Now that the stroke is more than a year in the past, Stadtmiller says she’s going to keep pushing herself with art.

“I want my art to grow in new directions,” she said. “It’s time for me to do something for me. I like being here (at the gallery).”

Previously, she was an active volunteer with the Sequim Museum and Arts Center, and Sequim Arts, now the Olympic Peninsula Arts Commission, but plans to focus more on her own art.

Pam Dick, a fellow Landing Artists Studio artist, said Stadtmiller is an inspiration to her and other artists.

“We lift each other up to achieve things we didn’t think we could do before,” Dick said.

Stadtmiller is walking with a cane now and can drive on her own thanks to tips from her husband, who works part-time as a driving instructor. She says rehab on her arm is at a standstill but she did start water aerobics at the YMCA of Sequim and finds it may be helping.

Along with Tardif, she turns to her father Lawrence “Lolly” Giovanni for inspiration because he had a stroke, too.

“He used an electric cart and I’d go pick him up and take him on a trip every year,” she said. “He never complained. There are a lot of people with disabilities people don’t see and they’ve learned to adapt.”

Stadtmiller said while living in Europe as a teenager her father took them to as many cathedrals and museums as possible.

She encourages others like her who may have had a stroke or physical ailment to push forward.

“No. 1, don’t give up,” she said. “No. 2, you’re disabled, not dead. There’s a lot of things you can do. You can adapt.”

More about the artist

Stadtmiller moved to Sequim in 1998 from Saudi Arabia where her husband was working for Chevron. She’s owned her own business, worked as a substitute teacher and in offices.

For more on her art, look for Linda Stadtmiller in the Landing Artist Studio, 115 E. Railroad Ave., Ste. 103, Port Angeles. To contact Stadtmiller, email lindastadtmiller@gmail.com.

Reach Matthew Nash at mnash@sequimgazette.com.

Sequim artist Linda Stadtmiller works on her latest piece “The Three Muses” at her studio space in the Landing Artist Studio. Following a stroke, she’s switched hands to paint. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash