McDonough resident, Lynn Bourn has always had a passion for art and has recently made her dream into a reality.

  Since high school, Bourn has had a love of art. Having grown up spending much time in nature, she saw its influence in her artwork throughout her life.

  However, as the years passed and life got increasingly busier, Bourn placed her art to the side to focus on other demands.

  But, in 2019, Bourn once again felt the call to create and began by making a Facebook group to share her artwork, called Native and Nature Inspired Art by Lynn Bourn.

  She describes working on her art as being “calming,” and enjoys the time spent working on her commissions.

  “I just love spending time down in my art room, working on whatever my project might be,” said Bourn.

  Much of what can be seen on her Facebook page include decorative gourds, southwestern landscapes, wild animal portraits, and portraits of domestic pets.

  Bourn mostly uses color pastel pencils to draw her portraits, but occasionally uses watercolor pencils and oils.

  “My favorite go-to is the pastel colored pencils, because I can get more detail with those, and it takes many layers to get to the finished product,” she said.

  She takes commissions for all animal-related work, but the commissions of beloved four-legged friends are her favorites.

  “[Clients] send me pictures of their pets and I go from there,” said Bourn.

  Requests for artwork comes from pet owners with pets that are currently living, as well as those that have passed away.

  One of her most memorable pet portraits, completed in 2019, was a grey tabby cat from the Henry County Humane Society, where she volunteered at the time.

  A photo was taken of the tabby and Bourn got to work on drawing his portrait.

  “The tabby cat was one of our favorite cats. One of our volunteers that took a photograph, she saw [my artwork] and wanted to buy it,” she said. “Now she has that picture to remember that he was her favorite cat as well.”

  The cat has since been adopted into a loving home.

  An animal lover herself, Bourn connects deeply with the families she works with and the animals that she has rendered.

  “I’m a very emotional person when it comes to animals,” said Bourn. “I do every portrait with love.”

  Bourn states that she is grateful to be a part of each of the families stories, as well as be able to provide memories for families to cherish once their pets have passed away.

  “I feel privileged to be able to do it for the people,” she said. “I’ve had many dogs and horses and cats over the years and they’re like family, so when you lose them, it’s really hard. That’s the worst thing about having a pet is having to say goodbye.”

  She regularly donates artwork to various animal rescue organizations to support their fundraising efforts, which is where she receives many of her commissions.

  Bourn also works as a dog trainer, using her salary to purchase more art supplies.

  For more information or to view Lynn Bourn’s artwork, visit her Facebook page, Native and Nature Inspired Art by Lynn Bourn.