Lorraine describes her paintings as metaphorical mindscapes that materialise from a profound desire to share with others the awe she feels for the natural world. It is a wonderment fuelled by interests in both the natural sciences as well as in the metaphysical realms of fantasy and imaginary realism.
To Lorraine they are intertwined, she believes that to acquire an understanding and appreciation of the earth and its ecological systems and to be cosmically curious is to inevitably bring oneself closer to spirituality, for an awareness of the interconnections throughout the natural world cannot be held without an awareness of ones being beyond the self. To be curious of our place in ‘the grand scheme of things’ is to recognise an identity beyond the ego and to surrender to the mystery of the unknown and unknowable.
Natured and nurtured amid the tranquil surroundings of rural Eastern England, an affinity with the natural world was perhaps inevitable for this artist. A self-confessed dreamer Lorraine admits that she has always lived with her head not far from the clouds both literally and metaphorically speaking!
Much of her childhood was spent out of doors cycling, walking, and climbing trees. Lorraine describes herself as a quietly observant and escapist child who loved to read, write, and draw. Her creative abilities and drawing skills were recognised by a high school art teacher who encouraged Lorraine to pursue an artistic path.
In adulthood she trained in the visual arts, contemporary dance, and aerial circus arts. She went on to have a varied performing career in theatre, circus and later in stunt wing walking. Alongside this she produced her first professional body of artwork which was a collection of finely rendered Wildlife Art drawings inspired by some time spent in Africa. Lorraine was delighted to receive international sales for her drawings but her performing career took precedence over her painting career for a number of years.
Lorraine eventually returned to professional painting with a style now rich in colour and imagination. She attributes her new artistic approach to her experience as a performer, her good fortune to have travelled extensively and to the regular practise of yoga.
As a dancer and aerialist, the practise of yoga helped Lorraine to maintain the strength and flexibility to physically support her career but it also served to provide her with a means of meditation and thus a gateway to accessing her intuitive artist within. She explains her current creative process as being a synergy of physical observation, mindfulness, and intuition. At the heart of Lorraine’s philosophical and richly symbolic art is a process that beats to a palpable rhythm of spirituality.
Lorraine believes that there is an essence to all of nature, an elemental pulsating spirit tangible through vibrating forces and endless interplays of subtle energy. The human experience is but one thread woven within a wondrously diverse tapestry of life rich in patterns, colour, and texture. Lorraine hopes to incite appreciation and mindfulness of the systems and rhythms of our beautiful existence.
By merging studies of nature with philosophical ideas and elements of the esoteric her paintings are journeys of connection. She endeavours to reintroduce the human spirit to its cosmic origins and to unify the soul with its physical environment.
Lorraine has recently worked in collaboration with a US publishing company to have a collection of her work printed as an Oracle deck. The artist authored inspirational passages to accompany each of her 52 selected paintings. The deck will be released for public sale in early mid-2023. She is currently working on an epic 78 new images for an upcoming contemporary tarot deck for the same publisher.
