Laying down a life of colour A family tragedy turned Lynette Graham’s life and art practice upside down. But now the Mapua artist tells Charles Anderson how she hopes her work can still make a small difference. Lynette Graham was inspired by the idea of having ‘useable art’ that was bursting with colour.
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n oil painting of a group of tulips still sits on Lynette Graham’s mantlepiece in Mapua. It is small and bursting with colour. It’s also a reminder of her first foray into art, more than 20 years ago. The Mapua artist was then living in Wellington and headed along to a gallery. “There was a painting and it was amazing. I didn’t know if it was a photo or a painting.” The gallery told her that they did art classes. So, Lynette headed along. She ended up painting at any opportunity. When her work colleagues would leave for the day, Lynette would pull oil paints out of the office fridge and get to work. “I knew that if I went home, I would never get around to it. I knew that if I wanted to get better, then I had to practice.” So, she found herself getting lost in the work. Lynette’s ability increased and so did her curiosity about what other mediums she could experiment with. For some time, she had thought about putting her vibrant colours onto fabric. But it was a family tragedy that cemented the change in her work. Her 12-year-old niece Emma was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. Lynette flew to the United States to be with the family and it was there that she told Emma that she was thinking about working with fabric. “Her eyes lit up. She was so excited about the idea. That became my motivation. She was a healthy young woman with her life ahead of her.” Emma died only four months after the diagnosis. Before then, however, the Make a Wish Foundation organised a trip for her to go on a Disney cruise, which Lynette says was just an amazing experience for Emma. When Lynette got home to New Zealand, she set about learning how to transfer her work into the digital realm. She learned photoshop and about supply chains for fabric printing. Soon she had created useable art. “The idea was to have something unique that you can’t just go out anywhere and buy. With painting you have to be connected to it, otherwise it’s just a picture and it doesn’t have any soul to it. So, when my designs come out I want them to have a bit of substance and not something that can just be taken off the rack.”
Lynette creates cushions for couches, or pets or floors. She makes blankets to get cosy under — all bursting with colour. She even pivoted to making face masks. Her work can be found at Gravity in Mapua and once she starts making a profit on her work, she plans to donate the proceeds to the Make a Wish Foundation. “Even if it makes a difference in one child’s life that is something.” And in that way, she can keep the spirit of her niece Emma alive too. CHARLES ANDERSON
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