A broken microphone led to something better – an unscripted hour with artist Lyn Hiner at Pebble Beach, from her 2012 comeback story to the two new works she just debuted, including a bold blue take on a Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder.
Amidst the many events and venues I attended during Monterey Car Week, I was most excited to have been granted the opportunity to interview renowned artist Lyn Hiner, who debuted two exciting new artworks at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance RetroAuto Pavilion inside Concours Village.
While I have conducted many interviews with varying degrees of formality over nearly 20 years as a professional auction-catalogue researcher and writer, my time with Lyn marked the first time I interviewed anyone for my personal projects, the Motorcopia website and email newsletter.
I arrived at Concours Village on time for the interview and fully equipped with my camera and wireless microphones, one of which seemingly malfunctioned. Or maybe it was the user who malfunctioned. I could have sworn that I had fully charged them up earlier that day!
After introducing myself to Lyn at her RetroAuto display space, we stepped outside to find some very comfortable chairs and simply talked with one another, with no video recorder rolling, no microphones, and no virtual safety net. Just two people enjoying a great conversation, which we found more natural and enjoyable, anyway. While about 15 minutes were initially allotted for the interview, we ended up talking for the next hour, which passed quicker than we both realized.
During our time together, we discussed Lyn’s automotive background, beginning with youthful rides she enjoyed in the Porsche her dad restored and her prior career as Trade Show Manager for the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) organization – a role that, for a time, set her artwork aside. Classically trained at Pratt Institute in a field historically dominated by self-taught illustrators, Lyn treats every commission as a portrait of the owner’s relationship to their car rather than a straightforward visual replica. It was a serious mishap she suffered in 2012 that returned Lyn to artwork. During recovery, Lyn methodically developed and refined her unique painting style and artistic vision, while transcending her extremely painful injuries, multiple surgeries, and occupational therapy sessions.
Beginning with her floral-themed Petals collection, initially titled “Beauty from Ashes,” Lyn perceived and captured beauty in sometimes seemingly opposed visual cues. Her ongoing conversations with God about her journey back from that difficult experience led to Lyn’s understanding that there is a wealth of beauty to be found in the midst of life’s struggles.
As her recovery progressed, Lyn combined her lifelong automotive passion with her unique palette-knife impasto technique, with which she builds each piece in eight to ten layers of acrylic paint, yielding greater depth and impact than other techniques. Capturing not just the car, but the essential feelings it evokes, Lyn’s bold colors echo an abstract impressionist style while capturing images of beautiful bodylines, speed, and adventure in each painting.
Predictably, demand for Lyn’s unique artworks has outstripped her inventory. Before we met at Pebble Beach, she was sold out and working exclusively on custom commissions out of her studio in San Clemente, California. However, two of her most recent artworks were debuted at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance RetroAuto Pavilion this year – including an entirely new, one-of-a-kind Porsche painting created specifically for the event. The second unveiling was just as striking: an original Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder, boldly rendered in blue rather than the expected Rosso Corsa. The painting appeared fresh and distinctive, yet classically Ferrari all at once – striking a rare and difficult balance. In addition, Lyn displayed and offered a series of limited-edition giclees from her most coveted works at RetroAuto.
Looking back, I’m glad the microphone failed. It forced the conversation I actually needed to have – unscripted, unhurried, and far more revealing than any recorded interview would have been. I sat down expecting a fifteen-minute interview and left an hour later having made a friend. That, more than anything else at Pebble Beach this year, is what I’ll remember.
Having exhibited her unique artworks at many of the top concours, shows, and venues across the United States, Lyn will appear next at the November 3–6 SEMA show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, followed by the inaugural North American edition of [Rétromobile – confirm spelling], one of the world’s leading collector car events. Coming to New York City’s Javits Center from November 19 through the 22nd, this event is the first European-American event of its kind, and anticipation is high. Look for Lyn there – and be sure to secure your place among her many clients. To learn more about Lyn Hiner, her journey, and her artistry, visit www.lynhiner.com.
Author’s Note: We wish to express our gratitude to Mateja (Mattie) Lavelle, Founder + Creative Director of Curator & Co., who made my interview with Lyn Hiner a reality.
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