E. Lynn Coates

E. Lynn Coates was born in historic St Mary's County of Maryland, where the plentiful farmland bordered by the Shores of the potomac river, supply endless nurture to the spirit and the eye.  It is no wonder that the love of nature, the element of water and the human form are the principle concepts of the work of Mrs. Coates.  After studying finance at Hampton University and gaining almost a decade of corporate accounting/finance experience, she decided to take her career in a new direction by completing a drawing class at the Smithsonian Institute in April 2005.  Her instructor, Trinka Margua Simon, encouraged her students to, “Show your work!”  Mrs. Coates followed her advice and sold 3 paintings in her first show in April 2006.  She has also taken classes at the Art League in Alexandria, VA with instructor Kurt Schwartz, as well as the Washington studio school (Dc). In addition to painting, Mrs. Coates successfully homeschooled her, now, college graduate daughter (who is pursuing her masters in creative publishing at the New school-nyc fall 2021).

E. Lynn Coates served as Deputy Director of Gallery Underground and Gallery Clarendon from November 2017 - August 2018. In 2007, She joined the AAA and served on the  Board of Directors, as Grant Chairperson from 2008-2010.  Mrs. Coates has also served as  curator for the Lenox Club Apartments (Arlington, Virginia) and Capitol Rehab of Arlington (VA).   She has participated in solo and group exhibitions in various venues in Arlington.    From November 2015 - April 2016, Mrs. Coates was a part of the exhibiting nine artists group exhibition of The Art of A People:  Finding A Way Out of No Way with featuring artist, Lilian Thomas Burwell, Washington sculptor and painter  at the Banneker Douglass Museum in Annapolis, MD.   Mrs. Coates served as Working Partner to Mrs. Burwell, in the ART CART: The Legacy Project, an intergenerational research project of aging artist professionals (http://artsandcultureresearch.org/art-cart/artist-working-partners/).   In addition, Mrs. Coates worked as a volunteer teaching artist at the Sitar Arts Center (Washington, DC).  Currently, Mrs. Coates is a member of the Arlington Arts Commission (https://commissions.arlingtonva.us/commission-arts/arts-commission-members/). She lives in Arlington, Virginia with her husband and daughter.