ART SPEAKS: The Emotional Power of Lynley Brahnam's "Obscuration of Grief"
It was towards the end of the day, on the last day of the art trail, and a couple approached the sales desk wanting to buy Lynley Bradnam's painting called Obscuration of Grief. Interrupting each other, they both went on to explain that they had seen it earlier, left and got almost home before they decided that they had to have it. It spoke to them. They had both experienced grief and the painting expressed exactly how they felt and continued to feel.
We gave them Lynley's details, carefully wrapped the painting and watched them walk out carefully holding the painting. Later that same day, the couple phoned Lynley to thank her for the painting and to let her know that they had immediately gone home and hung it on a wall in their home. The couple explained that they had both experienced deep grief and the name of the painting as well as the painting itself had resonated with them.
Lynley's description of the painting - "The idea of the painting was to visually describe the 'separateness' you feel from the real world when you are grieving a loss. How you feel like you are viewing the world through a mist or a veil. Life goes on around you, but you feel totally separate, in a bubble of pain.".
After 11 busy days at the Warkworth Town Hall, this memory has stayed with me. To me, it is what creativity is all about, connecting with people through emotional experiences of which grief is just one facet.
About the artist -
Lynley Bradnam started her creative journey in 2020 finding inspiration in figurative drawing and portraiture, she explored graphite and charcoal drawing, then began to paint in oils following traditional portrait painting methods. Lynley is moving toward using portraiture as a creative expression of the emotional journey through life from the feminine perspective.