York University
Art Collection Online

Lyn Westfall (1942­– ) is a painter who was born and raised in Southwestern Ontario. Throughout over forty years of painting, she has explored a range of figurative and abstract subject matter. Drawing on personal experience, Westfall’s work explores the memory of her father who passed away during a World War II bombing raid, her young adulthood as a nun, and her experiences as a teacher.

Westfall was a member of the Sisters of Saint Joseph in London, Ontario, where she lived as a nun for twelve years. During this time, she worked as a primary school teacher while obtaining a BFA from the University of Windsor. Committed to a lifetime of learning, Westfall continued her art education after leaving the religious order in 1972, studying at the Banff School of Fine Arts under David Bolduc and pursuing sessional studies at York University, the University of Guelph, and the Toronto School of Art with Harold Klunder. Westfall went on to become a high school visual arts teacher while pursuing her career as a painter. Now retired, Westfall is able to paint full-time from her studio in Guelph, Ontario.