Linda Trent

Linda K. Trent, a remarkable and courageous wife, daughter, sister, aunt and friend, lost her short battle with cancer on Monday, January 14 at her home in Bratenahl. Those who knew Linda understood the central and vital role that color played in her life: from childhood, it was her passion and, in adulthood, it became her profession. A Cleveland native, she relocated with her family to the San Francisco area, where she attended art school at the California College of the Arts. There, she learned design and color relationships that not only would underscore her 36-year career as a color professional, first with Glidden Paint and later as director of color marketing with The Sherwin-Williams Company, but also serve as the foundation for her life-long dedication to painting. An intuitive and talented artist with a gift for complex abstract styles enriched with shades of color, Linda's work hangs in galleries, professional offices and residences across the country, and, as recent as December of 2012, was the focus of a gallery show in Cleveland. Color, though, was far more than just her profession and passion; it is also the lexicon for describing her life: the warmest and most vibrant shades of red define her love for her husband and partner in life, R. Lane Blackburn, as well as her love for her family, including her mother, Sylvia Dudas, her sisters Lisa Brickley and Brenda Rice Steve, and her nieces, Leah Trent Hope, Jessica Rice, Jaclyn Fiondella, and Rachel Brickley . Verdant greens describe how she nurtured her friends and friendships, forever encouraging both to grow. The brightest blues showcase the joy she found in travel, in cooking, in dancing, in forever learning -- things she dove into fully and without reservation, absorbing each experience. Like a prism, Linda's life was multi-faceted and filled with color, making the lives of those she touched, those she influenced and those she loved deeply all that much brighter and more vivid for knowing her. For those who may wish to do so, the family suggests a donation in Linda's name to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 11150 East Boulevard, Cleveland, OH. 44130.


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