LYNN — Walkers and riders on the Northern Strand Community Trail might have trouble keeping their eyes on the path and off the art.
The section of the path in the area of Marsh View Park and Beaver Brook will soon feature 18 paintings created for a project called “Art Inspired by the New Lynn Bike Path.”
The paintings were made by local artist Emmanuelle Le Gal, who lives close to the path and uses it regularly.
“To have this area activated the way it is… it’s so transformative,” Le Gal said. “I was deeply moved by it.”
Le Gal said she was inspired by the path and the nature surrounding it, noting how amazing it was to have such a beautiful piece of green space in the area despite being in an urban setting like Lynn.
That inspiration culminated in the trail and its surroundings becoming the subject for Le Gal’s watercolor paintings. It took her nearly two years to complete the project using grant funding provided by the Lynn Cultural Council and a Lynnspire grant from MassDevelopment.
“Each of them has a little bit of a story,” Le Gal, who is originally from France and has lived in Lynn for more than two decades, said.
The artworks, which line the path for around a mile, display scenes and scenery on the trail from all seasons and times of the day. They show everything from kids learning to ride bikes to the view of lights from Wheelabrator across the nearby marsh in Saugus late at night.
Le Gal said her process for the project involved taking photos of scenes that spoke to her and then painting based on what she captured. She said the artworks on display are reprints of her paintings, a few of which have been sold.
The art Le Gal is displaying on the trail is the second large-scale public work she has completed in the city, her first being messages of hope and gratitude made on fences using tape in 2020.
Le Gal will talk about this project and her art at an event run by Bike To The Sea at Marsh View Park on Sunday, Sept. 24 at 10 a.m. According to Le Gal, the artworks will likely remain along the trail through mid-October, depending on how they fare in the elements.
