Lynn VanNatta has had a passion for the arts all of her life. As a child her favorite activity was drawing. Her exceptional artistic abilities were immediately recognized upon entering a Summit, New Jersey preschool. While in Summit High School she was selected to paint holiday murals on downtown storefront windows. She entered a college level ceramics program before graduating. Lynn made more advances in art at Colorado State University and the University of Massachusetts. Her concentration was in Printmaking, however she interned in Graphic Design. Lynn graduated with honors and awards from U. Mass. in Amherst, with a B.F.A. in Art Education.

In her twenties, Lynn supervised and taught the Northampton Massachusetts Recreational Department's art program. After relocating to Boxford, Massachusetts, she taught drawing classes in the public school enrichment program. Later she founded her own art school, the Crossroads Studio of Fine Arts. The school was a home based classroom/studio where she taught students from preschool to adult. In the meantime, Lynn freelanced in Graphic Design, creating logos, newspaper advertisements, and t-shirt designs for local equestrian enterprises.

While residing in Boxford, Lynn wished to concentrate on developing her oil painting skills. She sought Copley Master, Mark Hayden of Bradford, Massachusetts. She studied extensively with Mark for several years, taking evening classes in his Bradford studio and daytime classes at the Essex Art Center in Lawrence. Mark recommended Caleb Stone for Lynn's landscape painting instructor. Lynn has participated in Caleb's workshops on Monhegan Island, Maine, and Tuscany, Italy. She also painted in weekly plein air classes in Caleb's home town of Ipswich. Renowned artists Mark Hayden and Caleb Stone have had an impact on Lynn's painting. She clearly now understands the use of color to create depth and atmosphere, and successfully capture the individual's emotions in her portraits of people and animals. Though painting in her own strong style, the influence of Stone's Cape Anne style and Hayden's traditional realism can be seen in Lynn's work. She has shown at local galleries of the North Shore, in Rockport, Haverhill, Ipswich, and Boxford.

Lynn now lives in Brownsville, Vermont, where the rolling hills and autumn colors inspire her. Her work can be seen by appointment at her Shattuck Hill studio. She enjoys plein air outings with local artists, and paints still lifes and commissioned portraits in her Vermont Studio.