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N orfolk,Virginia native Lynn A. Hembree first began painting professionally 13 years ago, working almost entirely with acrylics on canvas and with watercolors. Lynn chooses her subject matter from the things she loves most - nature, wildlife, the sea, the garden, and her animals. She particularly enjoys the acrylic medium because it allows her to use her technique of painting in layers, working "from the inside out", a technique she's found especially effective when painting commissioned portraits of animals and with detailed landscapes and wildlife art. This technique is best illustrated in her painting of a cardinal in the snow entitled, "Waiting for Spring", and in her portrait of a mixed breed dog entitled, "Sadie".
Lynn works almost entirely from photos she has taken, gathering material from around the area's various parks, nature trails, beaches, and country roads spanning the Tidewater area, the oceanfront, and historic Colonial Williamsburg. Lynn feels that Virginia has much to offer an artist with its vast mixture of habitats and its richly historic flavor.
Lynn also enjoys the kind of challenge that comes from doing a commissioned portrait of a cherished pet, be it dog, cat, or horse. She works with precision and attention to detail, but feels that it is most important to capture the essence of the animal's personality and expression. It must appear to come to life for her to feel she has accomplished her goal.
A painting can touch you in many ways. It can transport you to another place, another time, another emotion. It can make you think, or reflect, or remember. It can bring you joy. It is Lynn's hope that her work will do just that.
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