Artist expat Lynn Smith loves her life in Mauritius

Tell us about you, Lynn.

Bonjour! I'm Lynn and I am an artist from the UK. I moved to Mauritius ten years ago and just love it here!

What brought you to Mauritius?

 My son is a pilot and was working for Air Mauritius. I came to visit for Christmas and New Years' 2010 and ended up staying for four months. I love it here. A year later, in November 2011, I made the move permanently.

What do you do in Mauritius?

I run an art studio, Artspace Mauritius, in Calodyne. We currently have classes six days a week and an evening class. We accommodate for all profiles from absolute beginners to accomplished artists. We have three experienced tutors working with us and working during the day. We also offer space to experienced artists. We share costs of portrait and figurative models. The studio is a very relaxed environment where people come to learn or practice their art but also to meet new friends with the same interest. 

How has the sanitary crisis affected your work at the studio?

As well as local tutors I also bring over top international artists to tutor one and two week workshops, so sadly these all had to be cancelled. However, we did set up online art challenges which was great fun and kept everyone busy drawing and painting at home. Classes have grown considerably lately and we have not suffered too much, luckily. Thankfully, we are able to welcome international tutors again and we have a workshop in November which will be run by wildlife artist Steve Nayar from the UK, and I am currently arranging dates for Lachlan Goudie and Alan McGowan, both very high profile artists and tutors from Scotland. I'm really looking forward to some great workshops for 2022. 

What's your favourite part of Mauritius and why? 

I live on a small island connected to the mainland at Butte a l'Herbe, Calodyne, in the north of Mauritius. To get to my house I drive through a forest and my house is at the tip of the island looking out towards Coin de Mire. It's very peaceful, no traffic, only the sound of birds singing, and it's my favourite place to be. I love living in the North but Mauritius but the whole of the island is just beautiful. 

What are the main challenges you have faced as an expatriate in Mauritius? 

Luckily I cannot think of any challenges, only positive things, which is why I love it so much. I suppose one thing could be the fact that I don't speak French or Creole but even that isn't really a challenge as most people speak English too. I find it amazing that the majority of people speak three languages!

What are your plans for the future? 

I love living in Mauritius and am currently applying for citizenship as I intend to live here long term and would love to expand and start a small art academy bringing over international students as well as tutors to work together with local tutors. I would absolutely love to do that, it's my dream!