Two decades ago Lynette Graham was so captivated by a painting that it took her breath away. It was so exquisitely painted that she couldn’t tell if it was a painting or a photograph. She soon found herself the youngest by far in an art class full of retired people who were learning to paint with oils. Finding an instant rapport with that medium, she has been painting in oils ever since. “It is amazing to paint with,” she explains. “The colour is so intense and the depth of tone you can get is so rich.”
Colour is at the heart of Lynette’s work which is full of vibrant images of flowers along with landscapes, that fizz with the tones and feel of this region. She has also created a signature image of ‘Flossy and Flo.’ “They were a pair of very successful, live life to the fullest women who always looked amazing and loved to shop. I have immortalized them in my art,” she laughs.
Born in Nelson, Lynette moved away at ten years old but is thrilled to have returned with her family twelve years ago. “I get so much inspiration from my surroundings,” she explains. “Everywhere you look there are the most wonderful vibrant images to paint.”
These days those images get turned into more than works of art. Through the international website ‘Contrado’, Lynette sells the most inspiring active wear leggings in sizes from XS to 4XL, made from fabric that has been printed with her artwork. Always a “fabric junkie”, in 2017 she discussed the idea of printing fabric herself with her niece, who loved the idea. Tragically, the teenager’s life was taken at thirteen by cancer, only four months after being diagnosed. “It was so heart-breaking but it gave me an incentive to get on and develop my art practice so that I could contribute to a fund that would help children and families in similar circumstances.” All Lynette’s profits from the sale of her leggings consequently go to the ‘Make a Wish Foundation.’ “I love to paint and create but it is even better if the results can go to something really useful that can help others,” she says.
Lynette’s designs are now made into all manner of other things, including housewares, also sold through ‘Contrado’. With a unique range of fabric building up, it will soon be possible to buy metres of it online too, through Spoonflower.com. With a strong ecological focus, many items are made out of a beautiful and resilient fabric that contains recycled plastic bottles. The links to Lynette’s online shop via Contrado can be found on Lynette’s website under the ‘shop’ tab and her fabric via Spoonflower under her ‘homeware’ tab.
Although Lynette has always kept up her ‘day job’, despite years of a debilitating chemical poisoning, the cause of which wasn’t discovered until her thirties, painting has always held a precious place in her heart. “It became my escape, my happy place,” she says. “There is nothing like having a blank canvas and making magic on it, and now I can turn it into so much more.”
In addition to her own projects, Lynette enjoys undertaking commissions and is happy to meet with prospective buyers to discuss their ideas.
Lynette Graham
021 731737
lynettegraham.co.nz
