Studio Visit with Iain Lynn

Photos by Jessica Nunn (@jessicanunn.x and @jnphoto on Instagram)

In the run up to The Art Society’s exhibitionThis is Art Soc! opening at Taste this March, our exhibition coordinator Elizabeth and Her Campus writer Taasia Thong joined artist and Art Soc member, Iain Lynn, in his studio. Read what Iain shared about his art-making process and journey below.

Iain in his home studio with recent sketches.

Iain is a self-taught artist currently undertaking a Charles Bargue drawing course with hopes of improving his technique and broadening his skill set.

A typical student artist, Iain primarily works from his St Andrews flat. His combined living and studio space makes for a cramped and at times chaotic set up, especially given Iain’s preference for larger canvases.

His high-energy, enthusiastic manner is reflected both in his space and in his work.

Several of Iain’s works hang throughout his flat, with the large canvases, including the Tongue Cutter exhibited last semester at Macabre, being a focal point in the relatively small space. 

A critical part of his practice is the woodworking which precedes his painting. For Iain, the building of the stretcher and stretching of the canvas are integral to his creative process.

He recently used some of his scrap wood to build a bookshelf, and described his forays into woodworking as just as much of an artistic process as his painting, with his painting also being as technical to him as woodworking.

He paints with a muted colour palette of oil paints, mixed from primary colours, painting self-portraits on large canvases. His work is partially inspired by Renaissance portraiture and the colour palette of Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. 

Iain usually paints standing in his room, with a full length mirror and easel allowing him to paint from life. He often paints spontaneously, without much planning beforehand–for Iain, painting is a dialogue between him and the canvas. His current work-in-progress is a smaller portrait.

We are looking forward to seeing Iain’s work up in Taste as part of our This is Art Soc: Artist Highlights exhibition in the coming weeks.

To see more of Iains work and find him on Instagram @iainlynnart.