Lynn Rattray
PARACHUTE GALLERY CORE ARTIST
Lynn Rattray · Tampa, FL
Lynn Rattray is an accomplished artist, specializing in oil, acrylic, and mixed media painting. Using painterly strokes to create a feast for the eyes, she delights in capturing unique color palettes and deep emotion to tell a story. Her portfolio includes contemporary and abstract works inspired largely by nature. Lynn takes particular joy in capturing the personalities of our Ybor chickens. Included with each painting is a chicken “bio,” telling a little of each chicken’s story.*
Lynn’s award-winning Ybor City chicken paintings were featured in the internationally circulated Chickens Magazine. One of her most cherished awards is her first place portrait of The Colonel, awarded in the Heart of Ybor Community Art Contest, sponsored by Ybor City CRA. As a member of Ybor Chickens Society, early on Lynn spent most Friday evenings in Ybor’s Centennial Park, broom in hand, tidying up the park. When dusk settled in, she saw the chickens to bed as they flew up, one by one, for their nightly roost in the trees. While observing the chickens go about their routines, Lynn set a goal to capture their individual personalities in her paintings, and pledged to donate a portion of each sale to support the Ybor Misfits 501(c)3, helping to provide for sick, injured, and abandoned chickens. 20% of the sale of her paintings at Parachute Gallery goes to the Ybor Misfits.
It’s easy to recognize the style and energy of Lynn’s art. Her vision is that her use of rich vibrant color, painterly strokes, and the nuances of artistic interpretation capture the imagination of the viewer and delight the heart. Lynn states, “If you feel a sense of joy when you view my art, or if it causes you to pause and think, my work is done….until next time!”
*Thanks to Dylan Breese, founder of Ybor Chickens Society and the Ybor Misfits 501(c)3 for partnering with use of reference photos and chicken bios.
ARTIST STATEMENT
As a mixed media artist, I love exploring all the possibilities of art making and am greatly inspired by nature. Palm trees, florals, and our local seascapes are favorites, with my paintings a mix of abstracted reality. I take particular joy in capturing the beauty and personalities of our Ybor City chickens, whose ancestors arrived in the late 1800s with the first cigar factories. Having spent much time in observation of our street chickens, I begin each portrait with a goal of capturing not only their jewel-like beauty, but more importantly, each chicken’s personality. My partnership with Dylan Breese, founder of the volunteer-run Ybor Chickens Society and the Ybor Misfits 501(c)3, assures that I have a full understanding of each chicken before I begin a painting. All truly a labor of love!
www.lynnrattray.com · @lynnrattrayart
[Updated September 2023]
A sneak peek into Lynn’s studio and process:
