About

BIOGRAPHY
Lynn Dewart, a San Diego native, self-taught intuitive artist, has followed her muse and passions from a young age. Born into an extended family of artists and independent thinkers, studied fine arts under the tutelage of Belle Baranceanu (1964-1970); left for Paris, France after high school in 1973 to wander and experience a different world of culture and was greatly influenced by the predominance of South American artists residing there in exile and escape; studied fiber arts and taught weaving at the Galerie Raymond Duncan (brother of Isadora) in Paris, France (1973-1976); and resided in Venezuela and Nevada before returning to California in 1984. She worked in heavy industry as a Journeywoman Plaster Patternmaker (after being the first woman to complete the Apprenticeship Program) and Coordinate Measuring Systems engineer at ROHR Industries Aerospace company in Chula Vista, CA. A personal unravelling and an unquenchable desire for meaningful work and life compelled her to devote herself to the arts full-time. She found the world of costuming – construction and design and created her internationally recognized and collected mixed media storyteller dolls that arose from her life story embracing trauma, tragic loss and depression, abundance, bliss and transformation. Her work honors myth and folklore, goddess and god, shadow and light, the mundane and the sacred in the totality of the human experience. Her figures have healed wounds and opened rooms too long dark and forboding. She began to share her process in art-full therapeutic workshops based on her experience. She has taught altered book and bookarts workshops as well as initiating Artist Trading Card groups in San Diego.

In 2008 she was accepted into the Expressive Arts Institute of San Diego and the European Graduate School in Saas Fee, Switzerland and is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Expressive Arts Therapy and fulfilling practicum requirements to become a Registered Expressive Arts Therapist and Practitioner.

Lynn has been facilitating workshops for 15 years, sharing her process and teaching about the cross-cultural use of dolls as tools for transformation with family, women’s and therapy groups, in schools and galleries and is now pursuing a Master’s Degree and certification as an Expressive Arts Therapist at the Expressive Arts Institute in San Diego, California and the European Graduate School in Saas Fee, Switzerland.

In her first year at the Expressive Arts Institute, Lynn is currently fulfilling the course practicum requirements by dedicating her time and talents at SDYCS and in conjunction with the ALBA school and in eating disorder treatment facilities. She has worked with Service Partners at the Storefront in the Expressive Arts Therapy groups, constructing the giant Genie Puppet and helping SPs sew their own creations. She has also assisted with the Hands Photo Project and the LGBT Rainbolution Zine group at HYC. She has also recently co-facilitated an 8-week adolescent group at East County Community Center in Drama work, helping create masks, costumes and stories for a group film project and is planning curriculum for the next 8-week session which begins October 26, 2009 which will include sculpting characters, storytelling, set design and helping the children create their own pro-social interactive game out of their own imaginings.

Lynn has has recently begun creating giant puppets which can be seen performing throughout San Diego and is pursuing voice, movement and performance art in conjunction with her education requirements and continuing journey befriending what terrifies.