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. In addition to painting, Mrs. Coates has successfully homeschooled her, now, 1st year college freshman daughter.
Mrs. Coates is a member of the Arlington Artists Alliance (AAA-www.arlingtonartistsalliance.org) and a past member of the Black Artist of DC (BADC).
In November 2015 - April 2016, Mrs. Coates was a part of the exhibiting nine artists in the group exhibition of The Art of A People: Finding A Way Out of No Way with featuring artist, Lilian Thomas Burwell at the Banneker Douglass Museum in Annapolis, MD.
In 2012-2013, Mrs. Coates participated as a working partner for Master artist, Lilian Thomas Burwell (www.BurwellStudios.com), in the Art Cart: Saving the Legacy Project, an intergenerational research and art preservation project sponsored by the Research Center for Arts and Culture (RCAC).
Mrs. Coates has had a solo exhibit at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis in January 2013. She has participated in solo and group exhibitions in various venues in Arlington. She has served on the AAA Board of Directors from 2008-2010 and was chair of the Grants Committee. She was also the AAA curator for the Lenox Club Apartments from 2009 – 2012.
Mrs. Coates’ artistic talents are expressed in oils, acrylics, pastels, and charcoal. Her favorite subjects to paint are figures, landscapes, and still lifes.
She lives in Arlington, Virginia with her husband and daughter.