Interview with Lynda Moffatt

Lynda is an internationally trained oil painter who studied with Harold Cooper of Wesleyan University, the founder of the New Albany Arts Council, who studied Portraiture under Ellen Cooper in New York. Lynda recently completed her second solo show at ASK, titled Wildlife and the Land They Call Home. The artist works tirelessly to document these creatures and raise awareness for their long-term survival. Pledging a percentage of her painting sales to conservation areas and parks.

Her ambitions as a wildlife advocate are lofty, and she is well on her way to achieving them with the acceptance to exhibit with The Artists for Conservation, The Federation of Canadian Artists, The National Oil Acrylics Association, and The Society of Ontario Artists. This year’s accomplishments celebrated include Winning International Featured Artist with Camelback Gallery of Arizona, including a one-year online residency, write-ups in several Artists Magazines, and promotional packages. Winning International Bronze Awards for The Power Couple (a painting of American Bald Eagles), International Faces for her Self – Portrait, and a Finalist in the International Acrylic Artist of the Year Award with Jr’s 1st Spring! (An adorable Red Squirrel spotted in Algonquin Park) Juried into national competitions, she has exhibited with her peers in Toronto Art Galleries and British Columbia, including The FCA Granville, Island Salon Art Show for 2022 and FCA’s Toronto Art Show Summer Pleasures 2022 at Etobicoke Art Gallery. The 65th Juried Art Show of the ECOAA, Lynda’s Eagles paintings were both juried into VAGA Gallery in Gananoque, Ontario and exhibited along the 1,000 Islands.
Lynda has been featured by Roam Gallery, Artsy Sharks, Camelback Gallery, and Blackburn Radio’s Corey Robertson. She was featured in Fresh Magazine as one of their 1st, 30 Canadian artists. She Co-authored the Best Seller book Pursuit:365 for two years in a row, and her art was chosen as the cover for the Haliburton Art Centre Directory in 2022. You’ll see her on another cover with a “How to Art” Feature soon!

Fort Malden Museum commissioned her to paint the War of the Rebellion Mural documenting it as a Labour of Love in the Windsor Star and stating it was the1st time for this subject to be documented in a Parliamentary Building. A joint collaboration and participant for 2 years, took place with a group of artists who used public murals to revitalize the city of Windsor. Working with Bowling Green State University, Lynda worked with a team of scuba divers to document to scale, the shipwreck “The Adventurer”. She also was awarded a grant to replace the ship’s propeller that she sought out to find. Documented in U.S. History books and with the Wisconsin Shipwreck Museum along with the Columbus Newspaper as the 1st of its kind to be done.
Lynda’s mastery of her subjects and mediums, international exhibits, and numerous international awards have made her work highly collectible.

An Active member of the ECOAA, Haliburton Arts Association, Collingwood Art Society, ASK, LAC, Art Space Chatham/Kent & Windsor/Essex County Plein Air Artists. Participation in the arts community as a Juror for the Chatham Kent Art House Project and LAC. Webmaster for The Kingsville Art Centre, including site redesign and maintenance. Working as a website editor for the Federation of Canadian Artists, Toronto Chapter.
Lynda enjoys working in oils, where she can capture the depth and character of her subjects with stylized realism. She continues to push herself with new subjects, techniques, and mentorships
Lynda is a true value in the arts community.

What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made starting or running your
business?
Interesting question here for certain. I feel my life is my sacrifice to
be a creative and say what I am supposed to say through my artistic voice.
What is your secret to staying hungry for success?
Looking at obstacles as an opportunity to get closer to where you want to be, where
you see yourself.
What is the biggest lesson you learned from failure?
Learning to build resiliency has been my largest lesson after failure.
What advice would you give to someone that is experiencing a roadblock in
their journey?
Check how you feel about this roadblock, maybe it’s there for a reason.
Maybe it’s one you need to overcome.
How did you choose your career path?
I truly believe it choose me! I knew when I was 3yrs old, this is what I would be doing.
No matter what else I did, Art kept me on the path I was meant to be on.
What was the hardest part about getting started? How did you resolve it?
Believing in myself, having the confidence to step up and put in the work.
Then, show it to the public. Overcoming this may have to be written in a book one day,
it’s a great story! The gist is, I did it for those before me.
What activity inspires and motivates you to be yourself and do what you
love?
Walking about in nature has always been my inspirational motivator.
I also, enjoy brainstorming with other creatives. I keep a small circle of true artistic friends
in all genres who help support one another.
Who helped you get to where you are today?
Oh my, So many wonderful angels have picked me up when needed, cleared the path, and led the way for where I am today! It’s a long list throughout my lifetime. They know who they are, 🙂 The list seems to keep growing!
If you could learn two skills overnight, what would they be and why?
Wow, where to begin, there are many skills I would like to learn, the one I would like to learn the most is Actively being present while listening and painting. Each on their own.
This will help in communicating with whom I am listening.
As well, it will bring me into the moment and not be passively painting.
This is my learning curve at the moment and is a wonderful life lesson.
What is your definition of empowered?
My definition of empowered derives from a verb definition of accreditation
qualifying to do something as in painting I am able to paint because I am able to do this.
Although, I do not have a degree in the arts. I’ve taken the time to pursue the fundamentals on my own. (Funny thing is, they were never taught in the art schools)
Learning this skillset qualifies me for being a trained traditional artist in oils.
As well, I paint in acrylics and test different mediums to give my paintings a contemporary look and feel. Combining both worlds.
What is your personal or favourite motto?
Believe in yourself, if you can envision it, you can do it!
If you could turn back time and start something sooner, what would it be?
I believe we learn from our trials and tribulations and that our road is laid out for us.
Through different paths and roads, we learn what we are supposed to at that time.
No looking back here to start over. No regrets.
Name a person or people, past or present, whom you admire or look up to
and share why.
My Ancestor’s for their courage for all they’ve done to give us a life of freedom and while doing so pursue their own art interests.
What are some of the challenges you have as an entrepreneur or in
business?
I usually take the bull by horn and don’t look back!
Whatever it takes, I do it.
Where there is a will I believe there is a way.
Being an artist, there is no laid-out plan to follow as there is in most businesses.
Finding your way, is really up to you and what you want to do and say with your life’s work.
On those tough days, what motivates you to get up and start your day?
Believing that I am here to say something with my art motivates me to get up
and get moving!
Motivating other’s is a huge part of this as well.
I believe we are all here for a reason and the world truly needs us to make it a better place.