Elizabeth Grainger
Date of birth
1951
Biography
For over forty years my paintings have emanated from lucid visions which I receive when in a meditative or contemplative state. The term for my kind of art is Visionary Surrealism.
Art Historian, Michael Bell of the San Francisco Arts Commission says:
“There are three kinds of Surrealism: Social, Classical and Visionary. What distinguishes Visionary from the other two is that it is the most positive; it looks at the highest ideals of humankind, seeing the optimistic viewpoint above all others. Therefore there must be a religious or spiritual content.”
Even my so-called ‘New Zealand’ paintings, (1971-83, signed: Elizabeth Grainger), although dark and sombre by comparison, are as visionary as my present day paintings. During the time that I was painting Tears of the Albatross (1983) I had a Spiritual Awakening Experience. I had came to what I call the fatal fork in the road – which path to take, the left or the right? I made my decision.
My life changed and so did my art.
Suddenly I was seeing a broader, even limitless horizon; a more global view. I was looking to the future of the Planet and Her well-being. The colours became brighter; full of Hope and the symbols and archetypes reflected a more trans-cultural awareness. I still have the same source of inspiration as my earlier paintings, Mother Earth and Father Sky, but I have put on my ancestral robes. Now the visions I see have a Celtic/ Medieval/ Arthurian feel to them rather than that of my immediate surrounds. The archetypes and symbols take us back to our cultural roots, to our ancient myths and legends, and they also take us to our spiritual roots, our Essence, or Source. They awaken our emotions and feelings beckoning us to remember. Maybe we knew some things in the time before materialism and industrialization that we need to remember Now! I feel there is an urgency; that these messages are for the present.
[Sourced from her website:www.elizabethkyle.com.au]
Art Historian, Michael Bell of the San Francisco Arts Commission says:
“There are three kinds of Surrealism: Social, Classical and Visionary. What distinguishes Visionary from the other two is that it is the most positive; it looks at the highest ideals of humankind, seeing the optimistic viewpoint above all others. Therefore there must be a religious or spiritual content.”
Even my so-called ‘New Zealand’ paintings, (1971-83, signed: Elizabeth Grainger), although dark and sombre by comparison, are as visionary as my present day paintings. During the time that I was painting Tears of the Albatross (1983) I had a Spiritual Awakening Experience. I had came to what I call the fatal fork in the road – which path to take, the left or the right? I made my decision.
My life changed and so did my art.
Suddenly I was seeing a broader, even limitless horizon; a more global view. I was looking to the future of the Planet and Her well-being. The colours became brighter; full of Hope and the symbols and archetypes reflected a more trans-cultural awareness. I still have the same source of inspiration as my earlier paintings, Mother Earth and Father Sky, but I have put on my ancestral robes. Now the visions I see have a Celtic/ Medieval/ Arthurian feel to them rather than that of my immediate surrounds. The archetypes and symbols take us back to our cultural roots, to our ancient myths and legends, and they also take us to our spiritual roots, our Essence, or Source. They awaken our emotions and feelings beckoning us to remember. Maybe we knew some things in the time before materialism and industrialization that we need to remember Now! I feel there is an urgency; that these messages are for the present.
[Sourced from her website:www.elizabethkyle.com.au]
