Lorraine Goddard
Lynnwood, Washington | Oil | Landscape & Plein Air
“Plein air painting is one of the deepest ways to experience nature.”
Lorraine Goddard’s paintings celebrate the color of light in the natural world. A Pacific Northwest native and avid traveler, she draws inspiration from the forests, mountains, waterways, and expansive vistas of the Puget Sound region and the American West.
Her connection to plein air painting is at the heart of her work. Whether painting in the studio or outdoors, Goddard says every painting is grounded in the plein air experience—the sights and sounds of a place, the color of the light, and the feeling of a particular moment in time.
Goddard teaches and lives near Seattle and holds a Master of Education degree from the University of Washington. She is a member of Plein Air Washington Artists, the Puget Sound Group Northwest Artists, and the American Impressionist Society.
Painting En Plein Air
For Goddard, painting outdoors is more than a way to create a painting; it is a way to fully experience a place.
Standing at her easel in a forest, overlooking a canyon, or with her toes in the sand at the beach, she becomes immersed in the landscape. She hears birds and passing people, smells the sea air or a warm grassy field, and experiences the changing light firsthand.
That experience stays with her long after the painting is complete. She describes the ability to look at a finished painting years later and immediately remember what it felt like to paint it as “the magic of plein air.”
A Creative Process Built Over Time
Although Goddard’s plein air paintings are typically created in the field in less than three hours, she believes the true process behind each painting is much longer.
When collectors ask, “How long did it take?”, her honest answer is: “Years!”
Every painting carries the accumulated knowledge and experience of all the paintings that came before it. The quick decisions made outdoors are built upon years of observing, practicing, experimenting, and learning to see.
A Few Highlights
Goddard’s work has been juried into exhibitions and competitions including the Carmel Art Festival, Driggs Plein Air, Pacific Northwest Plein Air, and Plein Air Edmonds. Her paintings have received awards in regional exhibitions including the Northwest Lavender Festival Plein Air 2026, Evergreen Association of Fine Arts, Plein Air Whidbey Island, and Plein Air Edmonds, as well as group exhibitions with Plein Air Washington Artists and Puget Sound Group Northwest Artists.
Beyond the Easel
Before becoming a visual artist, Goddard went to college to study music rather than art—a surprising bit of her story that hints at the importance of rhythm, observation, and expression across all forms of creativity.
Today, those artistic instincts find their way onto canvas as she captures the light, atmosphere, and emotional experience of the places she loves.
Website: Lorraine Goddard Fine Art
Instagram: @lorrainehgoddard
TikTok: @lorrainegoddardart
Facebook: Lorraine Goddard Art
