Picture perfect – the Kurrajong artist who channels her inner spirit into fine art

It was only back at Christmas Lisa Ryce decided she wanted to paint. She’s never trained as an artist but during the festive season she chose to channel her inner creative ability, sat down with a canvas and got started.

Since then the specialist make-up artist, colourist, and Reiki spiritual master, has produced an amazing 21 paintings and sold seven so far to new clients across the country.

“Over Christmas through meditation I was very much guided to go and learn how to paint and draw,” Ms Ryce told the Post.

“Through mediation I thought this is how I’m going to get my healings out there, so when I paint I meditate, I tune in and I channel through the Reiki healing energy and that gets then channelled through my paintings.”

And what fine works of art they are, but when she starts a new painting Ms Ryce has no idea what is going to flow through her meditation to the canvas, and that makes it all the more exciting and ultimately revealing.

“As a make-up artist and colour consultant and painting furniture, I have always been great on blending paint and colour, and I guess fine detailed work through special effects make-up, but I never thought I could draw a tree or feather or anything like that.”

Ms Ryce paints at the moment exclusively on canvas because she wanted her art to be easily available to potential customers – the paintings can be rolled up and posted.

She also has several of her paintings for sale featured on the walls of the recently opened Schembraes restaurant in Kurrajong where they receive a lot of attention.

“I’ve been told by other people that artists can sit there for months and months and not get anything, not produce anything. Paintings can sometimes sit there for months.

“I go and meditate and ask clearly for guidance and colours, and then all of a sudden I’ll just start and then a thought will pop into my head.

“One of my best paintings, in Schembraes at the moment, is called Open Heart. With that one, I pulled out the canvas and I thought I’ll go and do a meditation and then I was guided to practice some water and next minute I’d created this dam with dam banks, and six hours later – I stayed up until 3am – I finished and I stood back and I went, oh my, look at the detail and there are two hearts in it.”

“The open heart artwork is about not only being open to receive and give equally, but being open to allow love in and allow yourself to shine.

“I feel it is some form of expressionist art because it’s about expressing. Because I am painting them I am expressing what I’m feeling or channelling at that moment.”

For Ms Ryce the process begins when she goes into a meditative state.

“But I don’t need to deliberately go into a room and light candles and sit there going omm. But I get out of my thinking mind and take a few deep breaths and I just will allow myself to connect with my creativity that way. I guess a place of stillness and presence. You can meditate with your eyes open, it just means you’re above the chitter chatter and out of the thinking mind.”

And from there the art flows.

“In some ways it maybe goes back to make-up and special effects, fine work, fine detail, eye liner marks and making lips perfect, so I have a very steady hand and I love the finer lines. It’s a fun rewarding thing for me. For example though, I thought how could I ever paint a fine feather, which I’ve recently done. What I do know is, if I go and use my thinking mind to paint it ends up in the bin – it’s all about allowing your creativity to surface.”

Ms Ryce believes her finished art can bring many pluses to a potential buyer.

“My paintings are a bit quirky and different, and they are there to raise the vibrational frequency of the space that they are hung because of the Reiki energy and light codes that are infused in the painting, so I guess they are a little different.

She also produces paintings on commission.

“I do personalised ones for clients where they will send me a photo and I’ll meditate and tune in and do a reading on them and then do a painting for what is specifically going on in their life.

“I put my music on, I have incense going, I have candles, and then I’m just in that creative connection, that creative flow. I guess most artists would have to be somewhat in that state as well. They might have been formally trained and have some idea of what they are going to paint but the only difference is, I’ve got no idea what I’m going to paint.”

Whatever forces are at work here, there’s no doubt Ms Ryce is a brilliant artist and the unique way the artworks come to life means any potential owner has a piece of original art which truly is infused with not only beauty but also real meaning.

You can see more of Ms Ryce’s work here.

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