ELLEN LYNCH

Ellen Lynch was raised in a rural community in Western New York, where forests, fields, and the dairy farm where she worked from the age of seven, fostered her curiosity and innate embrace of the natural world. Trees and creeks were her playground, and dogs, cats, horses and cows among her companions.

Ellen’s family of perpetual crafters and makers nurtured her creativity. Gifts and toys were made rather than purchased, playing outside was the norm, and rainy days produced plays or birdhouses made of popsicle sticks. It seemed natural to enter college as an art major, and Ellen received her fine arts degree from the State University of New York at Purchase. Upon graduating, sensing the need for a larger world, she pursued her career as a graphic designer in New York City.

After a decade of relishing the City, and having earned acclaim in her field, Ellen was called back to the natural world, relocating to the Teton Mountains in southeast Idaho. While maintaining her client base in New York, she wanderes the mountains on horseback, camera in tow, capturing the grandeur of the granite peaks, the dramatic skies, and the animals who make their home there.

Horses in particular are favorite subjects. She’s fascinated by their duality—their power coupled with their willingness to carry us. They are mythical beings yet grounded deeply on the Earth. She is at once in awe of them and happiest when partnered with one or accepted as part of their herd.

Ellen’s work has been exhibited and collected internationally, and she recently bought a building in Ashtion to open a gallery, Warm River Studio. It will feature her photographs, as well as other artists. The gallery will also host musicians, writers, and creatives. Her work can be viewed at www.EllenLynch.com.