Ascension Portal

"Ascension Portal" 153 x 183 cm oil on canvas 2013

wave and seagull (detail)

lion/leopard hybrid (detail)

sacred trees (detail)

energy shifting (detail)

"Shady Portal" ~ collage, inspiration for the painting

The initial inspiration for "Ascension Portal" was inspired by the collage above named "Shady Portal".  I started this painting in the latter part of 2012, during the build up to the Winter Solstice date of 21st December, which marked the end of a time cycle predicted centuries ago by the Mayans. Many ancient civilizations such as the Aztecs, Hopis, Incas, Maoris and Egyptians studied the sky and planetary movements and were stunningly accurate with their projections. The galactic alignment of our sun with the centre of the Milky Way on 21.12.12 corresponded with the procession of the equinoxes that happens only once every 26,000 years.
I won't go into detail about this as an astrological/cosmic/spiritual "event", as there is too much information to cover, and plenty of information out there if you are interested. I do believe that we are experiencing an epic evolutionary leap into a new (fifth) dimension, which is predominately a spiritual leap as well as a physical shift for the Earth's axis. This shift has taken us into a higher consciousness urging us to live more in our hearts and less in the ego/fear based lower levels which have dominated and divided humanity for so long.

 Although I have an initial starting point, I rarely know how my paintings will pan out. I like to let the painting unfold intuitively and then later,  start my inquiry into the deeper meanings behind the symbolism that shows up. I feel I am a conduit to receive and transmit messages from the Universe and so like to be as open a channel as I possibly can. I feel very much that my work is a projection of an expansive healing process that starts within and reaches outwards. The more work I do on myself, and the deeper the connection I have with my own truth, the more the messages seem to draw on the wider truth of a universal nature.

In the collage, the central focus is the floating leopard/human head. In the painting, this morphed into a lion/leopard hybrid. Hovering with some authority at the top of the canvas, it seems to me like a knowing behind the consciousness of the painting.  I looked into the meaning of a lion and a leopard and they are both giving strong messages which are very relevant to the present time. The lion is a symbol of the sun and the female as a hunter. We are now entering into a feminine paradigm shift, having been dominated by the masculine/patriarchal for so many centuries and the sun and the female as hunter is a kind of fusing of the masculine and feminine principles. The lion also gives us life lessons involving living harmoniously in groups and working co-operatively. This is very relevant for today, in order to move forwards, we need to join together as a whole in order to live a sustainable life and have utmost respect for our planet and all the creatures that inhabit it. Lions avoid confrontation, but when absolutely necessary, they will fight. This I believe reflects the need to live together peacefully as a universal family, see an end to war and unnecessary bloodshed. Lions also symbolise courage, self-control, leadership, creativity and wisdom, they are the "kings of the jungle" so this is also a message to face your fears and live with absolute confidence and strength.
The leopard symbolises the ability to communicate with other dimensions. In ancient and modern Egypt, the leopard is seen as a sign of divinity. They are solitary animals and they are masters at negotiating their environment and they have an incredible stealth and ability to stalk. They possess vision which is six times as strong as humans and their hearing is twice as acute as humans, and one of the keenest of all land animals. They can literally see and hear things which others cannot. They are extremely beautiful and are camouflaged to protect them from predators, this symbolises the ability to out wit any negative forces in our lives, namely the ego or the false self.
The seagull crept into the painting quite a long time after I thought it was finished. Seagulls symbolically represent spiritual messengers who show us how to see above situations with a higher insight and teach us that there are many perspectives to consider. They, like lions show a sense of community and the co-operation that is needed to successfully operate as a whole. They teach us how to ride the currents of the mental,emotional and physical worlds and soar above your problems. They also give us lessons in the timing of action, awareness and being.
So this painting really symbolises a portal into a new dimension. There are omnipresent spirit guides (hence the swirling misty formations and notice the little faces in the trees and rocks) and the landscape is very dreamy and warm, suggesting an invitation to change our perceptions of our outer reality ~ which is really a projection of our inner landscape.  I decided to draw the 7 sacred trees in pencil as I wanted them to emanate a vulnerability and sensitivity which would contrast with the other rather unshakeable sacred tree.  I see the green tree as being very strong and rooted in its environment, healthy and solid, providing protection and longevity whereas the pink trees are a little uncertain and exposed symbolising the vulnerability and exposure we can encounter on our healing journey. We will inevitably face some great obstacles when we are on the spiritual path, from which we need to learn some important lessons, (see the black spikes coming out of the roots of one of the 7 sacred trees, the uprooted tree and the waves in the water).  But ultimately the painting contains everything and all is being held by an unchanging peaceful awareness so there is nothing to fear. The water element is symbolic of the vastness of ourselves as the ocean, and the waves are the expressions of consciousness.. Every wave that appears is an experience and an expression of the ocean, and every experience is already accepted by the deepest part of ourselves. The acceptance is what you are, not what you do.
When we accept the healing process as a gift, even the challenges which we may perceive as painful, can be transmuted into joy. Once we are on the path to finding out who we truly are, of surrendering and saying "yes' to every moment, we can really start to see the transformation in our lives.

Illuminated Paintings for Loulou's ~ Robin Birley's new Mayfair club

The top two paintings are my latest illuminated paintings commissioned by Robin Birley and Rifat Ozbek for Loulou"s ~ Robin's new private members' nightclub in Mayfair which opened in June. It is in the basement of 5 Hertford Street in Shepherd Market.
The LED lights are programmed to gracefully slide across the canvas and subtly change colour. These works hang opposite each other either side of the dance floor, a room inspired by a Tibetan temple. Rifat oversaw the interior of the club which is a feast of juxtaposed colour, textiles and all out sumptuousness.

The lightning painting is one of my own pieces, currently in my studio in Dollis Hill. Please email me at: trickypainter@gmail.com  if you wish to make an appointment to view my work.

The Water Element

"Dying to Live, Wishing to Fulfil" oil & mixed media on canvas, 153 x 183 cm 2004

I can't believe this painting is 8 years old. I remember so clearly the impact of the messages I was downloading for this. As it transpired to be a prophetic painting. It also informed the larger painting I went on to do called the "Wishfulfilling Tree With Auspicious Offerings"  in 2005 (scroll down to see this in an earlier post).
I started with the island, which apparently resembles Koh Phi Phi in Thailand.  I'd never been there and had never seen a picture of it, but became curious about it.  On completing the island, I remember I was then going to paint it suspended in beautiful clouds...but here's where the message kicked in. I was guided by my inner voice to paint the island embedded in a choppy sea. That wasn't how I'd planned it as my head wanted the clouds. It was probably the early stages of my on-going obsession with painting clouds. However, I followed the guidance and painted in a wild sea. I was aware of a powerful feeling of foreboding, and I kept imagining something terrible had happened on the island, a strong sense of death was lingering.
That's when I added 13 little skulls bobbing on the high seas. The people  had unfortunately not made it to the wishfulfilling tree which offered salvation and an end to their suffering.
On reflection I realised this painting contained all five elements of the universe: Earth, Sky, Fire, Water and Air. Without any one of them, the universe would cease to exist. The knowledge surrounding them runs deep. When the five elements are in balance, we are able to function at our highest level as human beings. When we are out of balance with the elements, disaster can strike. The water element is nurturing energy, but when out of balance it can cause tsunamis, floods and hurricanes.

On December 26th 2004 one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history occurred in the form of a colossal earthquake in the Indian Ocean. This triggered a series of devastating tsunamis hitting Indonesia the hardest, followed by Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. The waves reached over 30 foot high, killing at least 230,000 people in 14 different countries and it prompted a worldwide humanitarian response.

I completed this painting one week before the tsunami happened. On the 29th of December I was boarding a plane to Bangkok, Thailand, with the image of this painting not far behind me.






Waterfall of the Whispering Dragon

"Waterfall of the Whispering Dragon" oil on canvas, 153 x 183 cm, 2008

This painting is inspired by both western landscape and eastern mythology. The boulders and rocks were inspired entirely by a trip to Mount Stuart on the Isle of Bute. There is an amazing shoreline which is full of these powerful rocks which vibrate with colour and texture. I am not too hot on geology but I believe the rocks are scarred by the ice-age. They have all manner of encrusted seaweeds and slimy algae growing on them and I happily studied them for hours, whilst under the watchful gaze of half a dozen seals.
The waterfall was inspired by a picture in National Geographic of an Icelandic waterfall.
The waterfall is a very dramatic force of nature; it is full of grace and beauty yet so wild and untameable. They are persistant as an entity but in constant flux. The best place to meditate is by a waterfall as the noise will dissolve the chatty mind and their presence is very uplifting and healing. In Japan there is a Shinto ritual called Misogi, where ascetics stand underneath a waterfall for purification. Ouch. Waterfalls are one of the basic motifs of Chinese landscape painting, and it seems as if I have adopted them into my own personal symbology.....unwittingly, they mysteriously appear in almost every painting I have done of recent years. This is the same for the water element. Perhaps I am constantly needing to cleanse my inner landscape.
Now to the dragon. Why did he appear? I started this painting before I went to China, and completed it on my return. A message came through for me to paint a dragon at the foot of the waterfall. I do love the aesthetic of the Chinese dragons, all curves and colours and mystery. I knew that the dragon was a predominant symbol of auspicious power in ancient Chinese folklore. I didn't know that they were the rulers of moving bodies of water, such as waterfalls. The dragon overcomes obstacles until success is his. He is energetic, decisive, optimistic, intelligent and ambitious. I was happy that he found his way into this painting. You will perhaps be able to see a suggestion of The Great Wall of China creeping into the bottom of the canvas.
Whilst I was painting the dragon, a curious thing happened....he started whispering to me; it was rather ethereal and quite surreal and it made my brush strokes very gentle and delicate. This was the inspiration for the title.

Cosmic Trigger

Full Moon - illuminated painting 153 x 183 cm 2007

"The Floating World" - illuminated painting  153 x 183 2008

"The Forgotten Land" - illuminated painting 153 x 183 cm 2008

"Temple Retreat" Illuminated painting 153 x 183 cm 2007

Illuminated Waterfall Painting 153 x 183 cm 2010

I started working on illuminated paintings in 2006. I first showed these at Mollie Dent-Brocklehurst's house in London in 2008. There is quite a cosmic story that unfolded in my studio, marking the birth of the idea. Here Antony Leyland, co-founder of Big Sky Studios and Blank collective, describes succinctly the course of events:

Katy Lynton’s work wilfully yet playfully sidesteps the mainstream of 20^th Century Art History, all its conceptual obsessions and preoccupations with abstraction. Instead it links directly to the romantic traditions of both Occidental and Oriental cultures, finding emotional, symbolic and mystical meaning in the natural world.

These links can be traced back to the ancient Japanese religion of Shinto, in which all objects, animal, vegetable and mineral are understood to possess souls, and no distinction is made between spirit and matter, life and afterlife. Once Japan’s state religion, this belief system runs through the work of artists such as Sesshu, Hokusai and Hiroshinge, whom Katy cites as some of  her most important influences.

These artists’ use of colour, design and self-symbolism imbue the Nature with a meaning incomprehensible to the west’s rational and dualistic worldview. A new direction in Katy’s work resulted from an event which, from the rational perspective, would be considered accidental; but from the animistic universe within which Katy operates, can only be seen as divine intervention; at 5.10pm, on the 17^th October 2006, Katy was participating in a universal consciousness event known as the Cosmic Trigger. At that moment, the peak hour , Katy sat down to meditate when her work in progress inexplicably fell off the wall, ripping its canvas violently against a table. Initial feelings of anger and betrayal gave way to a moment of literal enlightenment, when on picking up the canvas from the floor, a light shining through the ruined canvas from behind transformed the painting into something timeless and magical, and redirected the course of Katy’s work.

This new series of works combines traditional oil paint and canvas with lighting and electronics to create theatrical and hypnotic installations. Serenely timed cross-phasing of front and backlights transfigure raw canvas and partial gestures into full-blown visionary hallucinations. The light shining through the canvas, through the pigment, punctures the superficial to summon forth the inner life force of all things.

These works aim to disarm our intellect and revive our intuitive connection with a deeper world; a world in which the personal and universal are merged, a world which is free from contamination, totally pure, clear and present.

The exhibition was a success and all of the paintings sold. The waterfall painting was a bit later and can still be viewed in my studio along with "Searching for the Pink Cloud". Please contact me for an appointment if you wish to view the paintings.

Searching for the Pink Cloud

"Searching for the Pink Cloud" (by day) 153 x 183 cm, oil on canvas, 2011

"Searching for the Pink Cloud" (by night) oil on canvas with internal lighting system, 153 x 183 cm, 2011

This painting was an experiment to see how the landscape would change from day to night. The floating mountainous landscape, influenced by the Far East has a mystical quality by day and takes on more of a romantic feel by night. The predominant colours are green and blue with the pink cloud providing an unexpected burst of energy. At night it glows brilliantly within the relatively moody palette of the canvas.

Wishfulfilling Tree with Auspicious Offerings

Wishfulfilling Tree with Auspicious Offerings- oil on canvas , 183 x 153 cm, 2005

Tree Spirits (detail)

Although I completed this painting in 2005, it still remains one of my favourite pieces and I have managed to hold onto it even though it was hanging on a collector's wall for a few weeks once but I decided to withdraw the sale (which was quite a tough decision) as I couldn't imagine it being anywhere other than with me. It is like that with some paintings. The tree represents knowledge and wisdom, strength and growth while the 7 exquisite blue lotus flowers symbolise the victory of the spirit over wisdom, intelligence and knowledge. They also represent the perfection of nature, beauty, purity and spiritual awakening. I had just come back from Thailand when I painted this, having been inspired by their reverence of the tree which graces many a temple courtyard. They lovingly wrap the trunks with exotic material and place all manner of deities at the base. The deities in this painting are all personal to me. Ganesh of course is a well loved Hindu deity, who symbolises the Remover of Obstacles, patron of arts and sciences and the deva of intellect and wisdom. The Blue Angel (a fictional character) is followed by the Buddha in seated meditation, a pencil drawing of a cat-bear with flying fat angels above his head, a Victorian wooden rabbit with a dog which belonged to my Grandmother, and Little Tree (another fictional character) with a mass of hair made from grass. The tiger was inspired after a trip to a temple near Burma where the monks take in orphaned tigers - a truly magical place. Then I added the most Ancient Superman, the Hindu deity Hanuman. He symbolically stands for pure devotion, complete surrender and absence of ego (or lower self).  Next to him is a wooden sculpture which also belonged to my Grandmother, I love this piece, it is really simple and the leaning stance of the figure is genius. Next up is Ronald McDonald, (note the arrows in his chakras) whom I found to be quite sinister with his hands in prayer. Finally I threw in a peacock which is a symbol of immortality because the ancients believed the peacock had flesh that didn't decay after death. It also has many other meanings including the all-seeing eye in the feathers (rather like the all-seeing eye in Egyptian, Greek and Roman mythology) warding off evil spirits. I am loath to sell this painting but if the right buyer came along, who knows I might reluctantly decide to part with it. I would consider doing a personalised version if someone was interested.

Collages ~ now available to buy as prints

"The Mighty Revelation" collage on paper, 229 x 305 mm

"Act 1, Scene 1: Duplicity" - collage on paper,  229 x 305 mm,  2011

"Shady Portal" - collage on paper, 229 x 305 mm, 2011

"The One That Got Away" - collage on paper,  229 x 305mm, 2010

"Speak to the Earth, and it Will Teach You, or Let the Fish of the Sea Inform You" - collage on paper,  2011

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"One is All, All is One" - collage on paper, 229 x 305 mm, 2010

"Weary Time Traveller" - collage on paper, 229 x 305 mm,  2011

"Happy Ending" -  collage on paper,  229 x 305 mm, 2010

"Time Was Away and Somewhere Else" - collage on paper, 209 x 305 mm, 2010

"Midnight Marauders" - collage on paper, 209 x 305 mm, 2011

"Giving Truth an Outing" - collage on paper, 209 x 305 mm, 2011

"Cheetah Chiquita of Shinto Falls" - collage on paper, 209 x 305 mm, 2010

"Garden of Unearthly Delights" - collage on paper, 209 x 305 mm, 2011

"The Persistent Illusion" - collage on paper, 209 x 305 mm, 2009

"This is not Death, it is something safer" - collage on paper, 209 x 305 mm, 2011

"I Drove This Car all over Los Angeles And Fell in Love (with the car)" 2009

"Calmer Cobra" - collage on paper, 209 x 305 mm, 2010

"God's Little Messenger" - collage on paper, 209 x 305 mm, 2011

"The Painful process of Growth" - collage on paper, 209 x 305 mm, 2011

"Searching For Amelia" collage on paper, 209 x 305 mm, 2009

"Mellifluous on The High Seas" - collage on paper, 209 x 305 mm, 2011

"The World is Too Much For Us" - collage on paper, 209 x 305 mm, 2009

"Raphael's Angel of Abundance" - collage on paper, 209 x 305 mm, 2011

"Ask The Animals and They Will Teach You" - collage on paper, 209 x 305 mm, 2011

"Aham Prema" - collage on paper, 209 x 305 mm, 2011

"Delicious Solitude" - collage on paper, 209 x 305 mm, 2010

"Things Are Looking Rosie" - collage on paper, 209 x 305 mm, 2010

"The Last Romantics" - collage on paper, 209 x 305 mm, 2009

 These collages are now available to buy as limited edition digital giclee prints using archival ultrachrome inks. They are printed on Hahnemuehle German Etching paper, a heavyweight (310gsm) fine art paper which is slightly textured.  They will be available in A1 (841 x 594 mm),  (A3 (420 x 297 mm) or A2 (420 x 297 mm). I am currently doing small editions of 35. Please contact me at: trickypainter@gmail.com for prices and orders.

I have been making collages for the last 3 years and I really enjoy the process as they come to me quite effortlessly; what I find is that a universal visual language seems to continuously crop up from the unfathomable depths of my psyche. This could be likened to Jung's observation of the Collective Unconscious, where certain archetypes seem to reoccur in the form of dreamlike imagery that is derivative of ancient myths, folklore, religion etc. 

These collages provide me with material that has tapped into a surreal, mystical, dreamy and childlike aspect of my psyche. It feels like they could hold some kind of hidden message or guidance from my subconscious just as we have that opportunity with our dreams. We are all co-creators of the Universe and now, more than ever, we need to channel and download this continual stream of information that seems to be flowing forth offering us an opportunity to expand and heal from within. Interesting times.......