Saturday, January 24, 2004
I Will Miss You, Lynn
Red Self - Lynn Donoghue, 2000
Physical State: felty
Mental State: regretful
Music: Chet Baker - Let's Get Lost: The Best of Chet Baker Plays and Sings
Fashion sense: black sweatshirt, blue jeans
Upon looking up some fine artists on the net earlier today I decided to see what one of my favourite Canadian artists, Lynn Donoghue, was up to. I sadly discovered that she had passed away last year on November 22 from a diabetic coma. I am not sure why I didn't hear about this, read about this or anything. Makes you wonder what you were doing. Her name should have been everywhere when this happened (on the news, in the community, etc). I will now regard this day as an important memorial day from now on. You see I was a student of her's for Painting back at York and she has been and always will be a huge influence not just on my art but also on my life. She was always honest, supporting and kind. It had been many years since I saw her last and sadly had not kept in touch. I had often thought I should see what she was up to but she hadn't had many shows over the past few years so I had fell out of touch with her. But I thought of her often and fondly and the thought of that year in her class always made me smile.
She challenged me to do some great work and to see things differently and for that she has my lifelong respect. She inspired me to seek out artists like Lucian Freud, Franz Hals, Alice Neel and Manet among others which I also thank her for. My very core of art appreciation and knowledge that I have today I owe in no small amount to Lynn. A portrait painter by trade she did many beautiful works of Canadian celebrities, family and friends. She was as important to the history of portraits as Goya, Sargent or others were.
It is with deep regret that I learned this news and I wish now that I had bugged her by dropping in to her studio (which ironically is very close to where I now live). This is a great loss to Canadian Art and to me personally and even though it was 2 months ago, just learning it today has dealt me a nasty blow. If you were connected to her in any way you might consider making a donation to a trust fund set up for her son Luca. You can check out her work (and find donation info) by clicking here. You can also check out memorial articles from the Globe and Mail here and here. I will miss you, Lynn and thanks for your time and inspiration.
