Lynn Malin: A life shaped by art and Alberta’s landscapes
For Lynn Malin, art was never just a hobby — it was a calling. Growing up in Edmonton, Lynn felt drawn to creativity early on, but her family encouraged her toward more traditional careers. “They thought I should do one of the regular things women do — be a teacher, be a nurse,” she says.
Discovering her path
Despite those expectations, Lynn never let go of her artistic instincts. She studied science, philosophy and history at university, always slipping in an art course along the way. Eventually, she earned a degree in education and taught art at Harry Ainlay High School for years. But when she had children, Lynn made a bold decision: she left teaching to pursue art full time.
“I gave myself a few years to see if I could make a go of it,” she says.
That leap of faith became the foundation for a career spanning more than four decades.
From pottery to painting
Lynn’s creative roots trace back to her mother’s pottery and a formative experience in Grade 10 at the Banff Centre for the Arts, where she fell in love with ceramics. Over time, painting became her primary medium. She started with watercolours — which was easy to manage while raising kids — and gradually moved to oils on canvas. Her early works were traditional landscapes, but her curiosity pushed her further.
“I started out painting like a landscape painter — foreground, middle ground, background as you would normally see it — but eventually I wanted to look down on the land,” she says.
This shift led Lynn to explore aerial perspectives inspired by photographs taken from planes and helicopters. Her paintings began to capture not just nature’s beauty, but its patterns — grids of farmland, winding rivers, scars from floods and wind.
“I’m fascinated by how the land evolves, how natural forces and human development leave their marks.”
Painting on the road: Vista near Pine Lake
One of Lynn’s favourite ways to work has always been painting on location. For years, she packed up her supplies and headed out in her van, turning Alberta’s backroads into her studio.
“I’d bungee a canvas to the back of the van, lift the top and paint right there,” she says.
These trips took her to Pine Lake, the foothills and countless hidden corners of the province. Sometimes she joined workshops in places like Blairmore or even travelled abroad, spending a month in Mallorca, Spain, painting every day in a small residency.
For Lynn, these experiences were about more than making art — they were about immersing herself in the landscape.
“Those moments stay with you,” she says. “The smell of the air, the sound of the wind — it all becomes part of the painting.”
One of the works born from this approach, Vista Near Pine Lake, now graces a wall at the Covenant Community Health Centre. Painted on-site during a bright summer day, the piece radiates warmth and optimism.
“It was a beautiful day with a nice blue sky,” Lynn says. “I think it’s a happy painting.”
The painting’s vivid blues and greens evoke Alberta’s open skies and rolling fields, offering viewers a sense of calm and connection.
Art that heals
Seeing her work in a health centre feels deeply meaningful to Lynn.
“It’s perfect. It’s where I want to be,” she says. “People might come in on a hard day, and a bright, joyful piece can make them feel better.”
Lynn believes art in public spaces fosters comfort and community, reminding visitors of beauty even in challenging times.
“A beautiful piece of work makes you feel glad to be alive,” she says.
Continuing the journey
Even after decades of success — including exhibitions at the Whyte Museum in Banff and galleries across Alberta — Lynn hasn’t lost her passion. She paints almost every day from her home studio and still ventures outdoors to capture the land.
Her current focus remains on aerial perspectives and experimenting with lexan, a smooth, durable surface that allows her to layer and play with transparency. These works often explore the tension between natural forms and human intervention.
“I’m really interested in the concept of human-made grids,” Lynn says. “When you look down at the land, you see patterns — roads, fields, bridges intersecting with rivers and forests. It tells a story of how we shape the land and how nature responds.”
Through these pieces, Lynn invites viewers to consider the evolving relationship between people and the environment, a dialogue written across the earth itself.
“I wouldn’t be able to live without art,” Lynn says. “It’s wonderful to know people enjoy what I do. That appreciation — it keeps you going.”
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