With an undergraduate degree in biology and a longstanding interest in ecology and environmental studies, Lynne has spent many happy hours immersed in the images the natural world, but for many years her study of nature was more scientific than artistic.  Upon completing a Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Kansas in 1994, Lynne came to Minnesota to teach mathematics at Carleton College.  “Although I loved the warm and fascinating people of the Carleton College community, the fast-paced, high-stimulus environment seemed to be out of sync with my more contemplative and solitary nature,” she says.

In 2001, she left Carleton, and over the course of the next year, returned to her childhood absorption in closely observing and recording the natural world, but now with the eye of an artist.   She has taken classes at the Minnesota River School of Fine Art in Burnsville, as well as weeklong workshops with John Salminen, Mary Alice Braukman, Cheng-Khee Chee and Pat Dews, but her current method of working with watermedia is mostly the result of her own ongoing experimentation with the intrinsic behavior of paper, water and pigment to create edges and textures that can’t be created with brush alone.

For the past several years, Lynne has owned and operated Dragonfly Spirit Studio, a teaching and artist-resource facility in Hudson, Wisconsin.   Dragonfly Spirit Studio no longer maintains a teaching space of its own, but Lynne still teaches individuals and small groups in her home studio, and occasionally offers larger classes elsewhere as well.   In addition, she is available to teach at the location of your choice—your home studio, your club or church, or on location at your favorite painting spot.  For more information about teaching and artist resources click here. 

Lynne strives to bring the essence of the experience of being immersed in nature to others through her art.  “People of all ages and cultures respond with delight to certain forms and images from the natural world.  We all find healing and renewal through encounters with nature,” she says, “I hope to share that with my viewers, especially those who aren’t able to spend a lot of time outdoors themselves.” Lynne is especially happy for opportunities to contribute to a healing environment by displaying her work in hospitals, medical clinics, wellness or fitness centers, nursing homes, and other places of health and healing. “I keep striving to capture the feeling of being in nature even when a painting doesn’t actually represent some particular object. I hope people come away from my paintings refreshed, feeling like they’ve re-connected with the natural world in a healing and uplifting way.”   Her work is in the permanent collection of several healthcare facilities, including the Northfield Hospital, the Hudson Hospital, Hennepin County Medical Center and the Penny George Institute for Health and Healing at Abbott-Northwestern Hospital.