Business Showcase: Seaside Garden Studio & Gallery

Linda' Z’s husband, Dave Williams, retired last July from the banking industry and that finally prompted the couple to head south from Maryland.

Linda, ever the artist, changed her last name to Z. Art was her hobby for years — she says when asked how long she’s been doing art, “I began mixing colors with my crayons,” — but she recently made it a full-time job.

“I’ve been painting with my children,’’ Linda said, “but they are all grown up so I’m doing it for myself the last five years.”

She uses her husband’s last name at times. But he encouraged her to get creative with her maiden name, Zylich.

“Google Linda Williams and see how many names come up,’’  she said. “Then google Linda Z.’’

After two years studying fine arts and two years of visual communications at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington DC, Linda worked for 30 years as a graphic designer. So getting back to her artist roots helped her feel right at home among Cocoa Village’s 150 or so artists who are in co-ops. She joined the Historic Cocoa Village Association and the Central Brevard Art Association.

And ever the lover of warm weather, it only became natural that much of her art now centers around seashells and boats. Speaking of boats...

"I get a lot of people, when they see (our 53-foot boat) tell me they always wanted to do that,'' Z chuckled. "We got tired of the cold weather and moved down five, six years ago.''

That 900-square-foot boat, named Dock Holiday in honor of Dave’s Texas roots, is in the nearby marina. And it’s not a toy. It is their home. They left Annapolis in October and arrived in Brevard in mid-November, after sailing down the Intracoastal Waterway.

Williams has turned most of his spare time into buying many of the pieces for their home, adding the love.

Celebrating Seaside Garden Studio & Gallery’s fifth anniversary, Linda keeps busy painting, making metal and 3-dimensional pieces and teaching 15 to 18 students each week.

"I have them ranging in age from 5 to 75-something,'' she said.

Four of the benches placed in Cocoa Village were painted with the help of students.

She’s also helping put on a children’s cultural event being planned by Cocoa Village.

"I taught my children you can do anything you want to do,'' said the proud mother of Kyle, 31, Matt, 29, and Sara, 27.

And she continues to be a living example of just how special that attitude can make an artist’s life.

“She’s always busy,’’ Williams said proudly. On this day, work was being done on the Dock Holiday but Linda quietly  slipped away, back to the studio for time with students.

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