Lynn Melbourne — A Gift for People - theHumm September 2020

By Sally Hansen

Art… and Soul

Re-gifting is frowned on in some circles, but when your gift is a talent for capturing the character, the strength and the internal beauty that people wear on their faces, sharing that gift becomes an act of kindness, empathy and generosity. When tragedy struck in March at Almonte Country Haven, a long-term care home with 82 residents, local portrait artist Lynn Melbourne used her talent to reach out to the devastated residents, their families and their caretakers.

The facility was among the earliest to experience a deadly assault by the COVID-19 virus. Long before management of the disease became better known, 28 of the residents had succumbed, leaving sorrow, fatigue and fear in its wake. According to staff, Melbourne‘s spontaneous offer to donate her original portraits of residents, both living and deceased, was met with sincere gratitude. Melbourne had no previous connection with the residence, and “the fact that she just reached out of compassion and kindness and concern – it was such a beautiful gesture.” ottawa.ctvnews.ca/portraits-honour-former-residents-of-almonte-country-haven-1.4982843 .

Lynn had long been fascinated by people’s faces, and in a fortuitous quirk of fate she had begun to paint portraits of ACH residents even before the pandemic struck. Years ago, her own mother had been cared for in a similar facility, and Lynn had decided to pay tribute to her and to the courage and strength of people of all ages who share her circumstances. While searching Facebook for subjects for her portraits, she was struck by the happiness and kindness that she saw in the faces of residents and staff alike at ACH, and began her project.

As the COVID-19 crisis worsened, Melbourne’s work became intensely personal and emotional, and she doubled down to produce over forty portraits within two months. The results are indeed a tribute — to the people whose lives have ended or changed irrevocably, and to the human spirit that responds with kindness and generosity. Copies of the portraits are on exhibit at the Residence, and the facility’s owners have gifted prints on canvas to the families. When life returns to some kind of normal, ACH would like to host an Exhibit of the portraits. This would give the families and staff a chance to get together, meet Lynn, and possibly help provide some closure. Melbourne will then gift the original works created in pastels to the survivors and to the families of the deceased. Staff have reached out to Melbourne with gratitude, and she is now a treasured member of the extended family of ACH supporters.

Happenchance

It actually is a word, and it neatly explains the circuitous routes some of us travel throughout our lives. Like many of us, Lynn Melbourne did not follow a straight path to arrive at her current destination as a portrait artist. She attended the High School of Commerce Art Course, but her 26 years of working as a restoration artist for antique dealers in Ottawa was largely a fluke. She became intrigued when she met someone who was working in the field and decided to teach herself. After doing work for a few antique dealers, an interview by the Ottawa Citizen newspaper resulted in an article that generated an unexpected clamour of requests for her services. She set up a business to provide restoration services to collectors, dealers and museums that she only retired from three years ago.

Many of her restorations involved repairing the heads of antique dolls, and that led to her continuing fascination with faces. She describes herself now as “…a people person — I love seeing the beauty — the good and the strong — in people.” Just a note for clarification — at that time her name was Lynn Chambers; she has since reverted to her birth name of Lynn Melbourne. Her move to Almonte was also a bit of an “accident.” Ten years ago she and her partner went for a Sunday drive, ended up at the Thoburn Mill, and moved in shortly thereafter.

Facing Your Fears

So how did Lynn become a portrait artist? “For the longest time I thought it was too late to become an artist, but one day about five years ago I just decided better late than never.”

She took classes to learn how to use pastels, practiced life drawing, did a lot of practicing, started renting studio space with painter Mary Pfaff, rented a spot in the Almonte Post Office, and now has a space at Carriageway Studios at 65 Mill Street in Almonte. However, at press time she is just in the process of putting their Thoburn Mill apartment on the rental market as they move to their new home on Malcolm Street where her new studio will be located.

Her experience with the residents and staff at Almonte Country Haven profoundly affected her. The outpouring of gratitude and positive feedback has validated her intent to continue painting portraits, but she always wants to continue learning and trying new things. And she is contemplating another project that portrays people with dementia and other mental conditions to show the darker side of the human condition. Lynn does not take commissions at this time. At the moment, her works are only available online at the CTV link provided above (also provided on the back of her Artist Trading Card with her other coordinates). The late Alan Mirabelli took the lovely photograph of Lynn that appears on the front of her Trading Card. Usually I enjoy photographing our featured artists, but these are very unusual times.