I want people to see the beauty in the everyday that I see.
Understanding an artist’s journey offers a deeper appreciation of their work- the influences, choices, and personal experiences that shape their creative path.
For Lynne, art is about perspective. Her work transforms everyday nature—rocks, skies, flowers—into something new, inviting viewers to see the world as she does. With a focus on semi-abstract landscapes and bold, expressive compositions, she has built a career blending passion with practicality. In this interview, she shares the slow evolution of her artistic focus, the challenges and joys of self-employment, and the unexpected opportunities that have shaped her path.
LSA: Your passion for art started in childhood, with strong influences from your family. What was the most valuable lesson you took from them?
When I look at how I teach children now, I realize I never learned that at school. From a very young age—four or five years old—my grandfather would show me how to paint with proper, good paints. My mom was always there, giving me guidance whenever I had an art project at school, offering tips and support. But I think the most important thing I learned, which I probably got from my mother, is to see.
A lot of people walk around and they don’t see. But I’m always looking—whether I walk into the studio, drive somewhere, or go on holiday. I’m looking at the sky, the contrast in colors, the reflections in water. I see the silhouettes of trees against the sky. When I’m in cities, I notice the chimney pots, the way the light falls on things. As an artist, you can work in so many different media, and you learn skills within those areas, but if you don’t see what you paint—really see—then what’s the point?
That’s the most important thing to me: observing my surroundings, being inspired by them, and finding joy in them. Even something as small as a piece of flaky paint on a door, a bit of rust, or some graffiti that’s deteriorating—it can all be beautiful. It’s about finding joy and inspiration in whatever’s around me. For me, that’s easier in nature. But it can be anything—a big sky or the tiny details in a gnarled piece of wood.
So that’s my best lesson: to see, because then I have a million ideas all the time. It usually happens when I’m out—whether walking or driving. And when I see something, it’s like a rush. Almost like a high—not that I’ve ever done any drugs, I’d like to point out! But I imagine it’s that kind of exhilaration, this desperation to capture it.
LSA: That feeling of inspiration—how would you describe it?
It’s like being completely consumed, like this overwhelming desperation to capture it. It fills you up, this need to create, to share that feeling with others.
Last year, I went on holiday alone for the first time—to Cornwall, a place I love. It was already emotional for me, but to be free to just look, without my children moaning if I stopped to take a photo for the hundredth time, was incredible. I could really stop, look, photograph, enjoy, and imagine things as paintings. Every second, I was looking—at a bit of rock, at the horizon, at the clouds. I was doing it so much that at one point, I had to tell myself, just shut up, stop looking! I was overdosing on inspiration—saturated. And that’s when I realized: this feeling, this overwhelming need to capture the world’s beauty, is what I want to put into my work.
That’s what I want to pass on. However something has made me feel—whether it’s a sky, a plant, or rusty metal—I want to package that joy, that inspiration, and share it with anyone who’s interested in seeing it.
LSA: When people look at your paintings, what do you hope they feel or see?
I suppose I want them to see how I see—for just a moment. You can’t fully make someone see through your eyes, but you can get close. I’ve been very inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe. Do you know her? She was an American modernist, very well known for her big flowers. I first discovered her during my A-levels, and it just made sense. She wanted people to see a flower the way she saw it—zooming in close, abstracting elements, focusing on the shapes. That’s what I do too.
I love rocks. I look at their shapes, their abstract qualities, and turn that into a painting. I do the same with flowers, wood—finding the shapes within, pulling out the details. It’s semi-abstract, but it all comes from nature. And then I transfer that to a canvas because I want people to see the beauty in the everyday that I see. I don’t want someone to just look at a lily and go, “Oh yes, that’s a lily.” I want them to notice the incredible shapes, the hollows, the contrasts. I want to take those elements and put them in front of someone, saying, Look at it this way. Look at it differently.
People walk past a rock and just see a rock. But if you look closely—really closely—it’s this whole world of beautiful shapes, patterns, textures, contrasts. So I suppose, for a brief moment—or longer, if they buy the painting—I want them to experience the joy and beauty I see in something. And I hope they feel some of that when they look at my work.
LSA: Your work spans a wide range of subjects and styles, from abstract pieces to pet portraits. Has that always been the case, or has your focus evolved over time?
First of all, my website is a bit out of date! It’s a good place to see where I’ve come from, but my Instagram is more current. I need to update the website, but yeah, my work has evolved.
Actually, I’ve almost come full circle to where I was during my A-levels and art school—with Georgia O’Keeffe and this whole idea of trying to get people to see how I see. That’s what excites me the most.
Over the years, I’ve done commissioned work, especially pet portraits. I had a horse and a dog, and people at the stables would ask, “Can you paint my horse? Can you paint my dog?” And I loved doing it, but it wasn’t as much an expression of me. Obviously, it’s still my painting, but you know what I mean—it’s not conceptual. I haven’t done any pet portraits in a while. I’m happy to do them if someone asks, but I don’t actively push them anymore.
Now, I’m really narrowing my focus. There are two main areas: big skies—whether it’s seascapes or landscapes—and the abstract or semi-abstract work with rocks, flowers, and wood. Those are the two directions I’m moving in. I actually sold a flower painting last weekend that didn’t quite fit in with the other work in my studio, and it felt like a step toward refining my focus.
The thing is, I’m inspired by too many things! I’ll paint this, then that. Some pieces have come from art courses where I was experimenting, which is great, but not all of them feel like me. I do murals too, and I’m very versatile—I love that, and I’ll happily take on different projects. But as an artist, for myself, it’s the big skies and the semi-abstract nature pieces that I want to focus on. And that actually takes me right back to where I started, back in A-levels.
It’s about taking nature as a starting point—developing shapes, colors, turning clouds in the sky into something more solid, shifting things just slightly away from what they actually are. You can almost see what it’s come from, but it’s not quite realistic. That’s where I want to go. That’s what I want to promote more.
That said, I’ll always happily take commissions for whatever people would like! But for me, those two areas—big skies and semi-abstract nature pieces—that’s where my focus is now.
LSA: It must be fascinating to revisit your early work and see how your perspective has changed. Have you ever reworked older pieces?
Oh, absolutely. It’s interesting, really—literally bringing an old piece up to where I am now. There was a painting I did when I was about 20. It was a gift for my boyfriend at the time. We’ve since parted, and I got the painting back. It’s too sentimental to sell, but someone came into my studio, saw it, and wanted to buy it. I told them I couldn’t part with it, but I could create a new version inspired by it. And in doing that, I was able to adjust things I wasn’t happy with the first time around, and I love the new version even more.
I think there’s something really special about coming full circle like that—revisiting where I started, but with all the experience I’ve gained since. Earlier in my career, I sometimes created work based on what I thought people would want to buy. But I’ve learned that the work I’m most passionate about—the work that feels right—is what people actually connect with the most. So now, I just do what I love, and if someone else loves it too, that’s amazing.
LSA: When you start a painting, do you have a structured process, or is it more instinctive?
I usually work from photographs—I do a lot of photography. I wouldn’t call myself a technical photographer, but having worked as an art director, I understand composition. I know how to capture the image I want in-camera. That’s the first stage—seeing something, capturing it, knowing it’s a moment I want to paint.
I have thousands—literally thousands—of photos that I’d love to turn into paintings. The hard part is narrowing them down! Once I decide on an image, I might do a quick sketch to emphasize certain shapes, but often, I go straight onto the canvas and figure it out as I paint. I don’t do a lot of pre-planning. The planning happens in that initial moment—when I see something and know I need to capture it.
I don’t really use a sketchbook, though I’d like to. I’d love to have more time to experiment, push myself, and develop ideas without the pressure of finishing a piece. But right now, I tend to go from photo to canvas, letting it evolve as I work. I’ll add texture, gold leaf, iridescent paints—whatever the piece calls for.
I think for me, it’s about keeping that initial feeling alive. If I got too technical—if I overworked it in a sketchbook first—that feeling might fade. So instead, I trust my instinct, put it straight on the canvas, and work it out as I go. If something isn’t working, I just keep going until it is.
That said, I do want to push myself to loosen up even more—rely less on the photograph and let things flow more freely. Sometimes, nature has already perfected an image, and I just want to say, Look at this! Look how incredible this is! But I’d also love to explore how far I can take that and still keep the essence of what first inspired me.
LSA: Do you have any advice for someone who’s thinking about taking the leap into becoming self-employed or starting their own thing?
I don’t think there are many practical guides out there because there are so many different ways to approach it when you’re self-employed. But for me, I was only able to take the leap because I was married, and my husband was in a position where he could support me. Also, I had been on maternity leave for a year with my daughter, so I had already stepped out of work. The timing just worked out right. My job was no longer fulfilling me, and my husband’s career had reached a point where we didn’t need me to replicate my old salary.
Not everyone will be in that kind of position, but for me, it’s been a slow and steady process. I built it up gradually, which has given me solid foundations. I started doing commissions, which I had been doing since I was a teenager. It was occasional work, but it wasn’t enough to sustain me. However, the turning point for me was when I was invited to teach at a school and they paid me. That was a huge moment—I had been used to volunteering and doing things for free, so being paid for my teaching opened my eyes to the possibilities. That led to more recommendations from that school to others. I’ve never advertised my work. Every student I’ve had in my art club has come from word of mouth, and every school I’ve worked with has come from recommendations.
Because I truly love what I do and pour my heart into it, people can see my passion, especially when I work with children. They see the joy I get from teaching and the energy I bring, which makes the experience enjoyable for everyone. Over time, I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t. As I’ve built my reputation, I’ve refined my focus. Now, I’m making it work financially. However, I couldn’t have just quit my job and jumped straight into self-employment without having some financial backup.
I think it’s about being practical—making sure you can support yourself while you transition. It’s a gradual process. I didn’t just walk away from a job; I worked part-time and built up my art business until the two could balance out.
LSA: It’s great to hear how you’ve built things up so carefully and thoughtfully. Is there anything else in the works that you would like to share?
I’m continuing with my art club, which is actually fully booked at the moment, but I would love to promote it more. I’m also working with schools on different projects, and things are booked up until July. On top of that, I’ve got a ton of ideas for paintings—mainly abstract ones. Right now, I’m working on a sky-themed piece that’s a work in progress.
I’m really looking forward to the residency. It’s going to give me the chance to focus more on my painting, which I don’t always get to do with all my other commitments. Running a household, taking care of my family and dog, and managing the art club means I don’t get as much time in the studio as I’d like. I’d love to have someone else take care of everything for a month—just bring me food and cups of tea while I focus solely on my art. But that’s a bit of a dream!
So, I’m really excited for the residency, because it’ll give me the time to progress and develop my paintings. I can’t wait to block off time to focus purely on creating.
