Lyn Smith Biography
Many people are afraid of Gypsies, but I, as a child, always wished to be carried off by them to a life of wandering and adventure. I have never lost this dream, but now it is my camera that takes me wandering.
In my first life I was a dancer, and first began to study film and photography in order to document dance performances. I also found that Gypsies now settled in cities, such as Los Angeles , where I lived at the time. Happily, I was accepted by this reclusive group, and was allowed to photograph them at their functions and in their homes. My photographs of Gypsies have appeared in publications, in the archives of the Gypsy Lore Society, and in a number of exhibits. I have been invited to include them in the Carlson Library of the University of Toledo, Ohio, "Gypsies and Travelers" educational website. I held the position of Advisor/Researcher for the major motion picture, "King of the Gypsies", a Dino De Laurentis production, 1979.
I moved to Seattle in 1994, and rediscovered "nature", badly missed for many years, and my interest in photography was renewed. Another of the dreams of my childhood was to live on a farm, but it was not to happen. Therefore I gravitated to the agricultural areas of Eastern Washington , The Palouse, in particular. Barns became a passion, and I have documented many of them in different seasons.
Seattle has given me the opportunity for a number of exhits of my work in various venues, in both solo and group shows. Included have been Dance abstracts (early work from Los Angeles ), as well as landscapes of agricultural areas in Washington .
I have been an "environmentalist" since the early 70's, and was active in groups that specifically emphasized the problems of overpopulation, i.e. Zero Populations Growth, the Sierra Club and others, but unfortunately that most important movement seems to have died, although it is a more urgent problem than ever. I had also hoped that there would be more interest and support in the Northwest for preservation of open space, wildlife, natural resources, and especially farmland.
February, 2006
