Local Sanford Artist Dlynn Roll

When local Sanford artist Dlynn Roll was a little kid, she wanted to do something that would make people happy, whether that was becoming a June Taylor dancer or illustrating a bible. Meeting her today, it’s not surprising to hear that after a path paved with hairdressing, acting, and even fire extinguisher school, Dlynn eventually grew into an artist, making people smile with her whimsical renditions of birds and dogs, expressive abstract and clocks, and one of a kind earrings made from found materials.

Dlynn, who currently has a studio in the Gallery on First, is sponsoring the very first Themed Selfie contest prize of the Sanford Selfie program, and I had the honor of sitting down with her to learn more about Dlynn’s Fine Art. I found that in addition to our liking for Sanford and our shared history with the Hotchkiss Block, both of our childhoods were filled with scrap paper, from vellum to the backs of legal pads. “That’s my advice if you think a child is an artist,” she said. “Give them paper!”Local Sanford Artist Dlynn Roll

I asked her at what point she went from being an artistic child to choosing to be an artist, but Dlynn thinks of the matter a little differently. “You’re either driven to create or you’re not,” she said simply. However, she does acknowledge a turning point in her career, when she chose to create art full time. After a battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and a life-saving bone marrow transplant, Dlynn took the plunge and decided to do what made her happy, with the support and help of her husband, Jim. They had always been attracted to Downtown Sanford, and chose to showcase Dlynn’s work at Gallery on First, among eleven other working artists. “I like the artistic energy of the building with other creatives buzzing around me,” Dlynn said. She also mentioned that being located on First Street with other businesses is a draw on its own. She likes “popping in” to neighboring shops like String Theory Creations and meeting friendly shoppers. And what about visitors to her studio? “We like it!” she said. “I love to see them smile and hear about their pets when they see my pet portraits.”

Speaking of which, Dlynn is offering an amazing prize as part of her Selfie sponsorship: a custom 8″x 8″ portrait of the winner’s pet!

Local Sanford Artist Dlynn Roll Say You Love Me

Enter the contest by uploading your pet’s #SanfordSelfie below (max. file size 1 MB).

Submission period ends on April 23, 2015 at 11:10AM EST.

We will collect all selfies and post them in an album on Sanford365’s Facebook on April 23, 2015. The picture with the most Facebook likes wins, so invite your friends to vote for your pet’s selfie to increase your chances of winning!

Voting starts on April 23, 2015 and ends on April 30, 2015 at 11:59PM EST.

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Please be sure that your selfie was clearly taken in Sanford (feel free to add an address, place or business name!)

Dlynn renders these fun portraits in acrylic on a birch-pine cradleboard using photos of the pet sent in by its owner, then infusing them with her own style. For this prize, Dlynn said she is open to painting any sort of pet, from dogs and cats (yes, she does care about the cat people!), to hamsters and iguanas. Can you imagine hanging a one of a kind, custom portrait of your beloved pet, painted by a local Sanford artist in your home? (And the many many compliments you’ll get from friends and family?)
Local Sanford Artist Dlynn Roll

Sanford365 is very very thankful to lovely Dlynn for sponsoring the Sanford Selfie Competition and giving us the opportunity to get to know her better! We can’t wait to see who will win her prize and how the pet portrait comes out!

A big Thank You also to Alive After 5 for making the themed #SanfordSelfie possible. Next month’s event is the annual “Sanford de Mayo” on Thursday, May 14th, 2015 so mark your calendars because you won’t want to miss that one 😉

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Read the complete #SanfordSelfie Contest Rules here.