SPOTLIGHT ON ARTISTS: KATHRYN LYNCH

Shelter Island is home to more than 40 painters, sculptors and photographers, according to a recent informal and by no means comprehensive tally by the Reporter staff. Some names will be well known to Islanders, others less so, but we decided to introduce them all to Reporter readers. This week we feature Kathryn Lynch.

Can the public view your work at any particular location?

Sears-Peyton Gallery.

What is your preferred medium?

Oil on canvas and paper.

Where is the most interesting place you’ve seen your art displayed?

J. Lo’s house. I also have two 6- by 7-foot paintings on the second floor of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Battery Park, New York City.

Where would you most like to see it shown?

I would like to see my work in major museums around the world.

What inspires your art? Why be an artist on Shelter Island?

Life inspires my art. An artist is an artist wherever they are; it is nice to be one in the summer on Shelter Island as it is too darn hot in the city.

What is your biggest challenge as an artist?

The biggest challenge I face as an artist is making a blank canvas come alive. I want it to scream out, I am here, look at me. I feel like a good painting lets you in on a secret.

What is your greatest joy as an artist?

My greatest joy as an artist is that I get to paint my life.

Who is your favorite artist?

My favorite artists are all the ones that came before me because they let me know that it is O.K. to spend all your time painting. Dead artists feel like my relatives.“Paint as you like and die happy” is a book of watercolors by Henry Miller. I think it is a good title for a book and a life.