“Johanna’s work is evocative in the extreme. Her paintings of the coast are simple expressions of delight.”
Devon Life Magazine, January 2017
I'm Johanna, an intuitive painter based near Totnes in South Devon.
Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved drawing, painting, and telling stories with pictures. But for many years, I didn't paint at all. At the age of four, I'd decided I wanted to be a violinist, and as the reality of college auditions arrived in my late teens, I gave up my art to focus my creativity in one place.
Now I understand how counterproductive that was. Each of us is a creative being, and creativity is rarely limited to one form of expression.
At its source, it is limitless.
"Paintings are mistakes. You put a mark on a canvas, and it’s a mistake. Of course it’s a mistake, otherwise it would be wonderful, because it would be finished. But it’s not. After maybe 50 or 60,000 mistakes, you give up. Like Leonardo said, “Works of art aren’t finished, they’re abandoned.” That’s absolutely true, art is never finished. People say, “Oh, that’s a nice romantic thing to say.” But it’s not romantic. It’s like saying that physics can be finished. Real art is never finished... But that’s the only place that art lives, if it’s any good."
Larry Poons, 2009
This is my story…
I picked up my brushes again about ten years ago.
Clumsily at first, I began to rediscover the joy of painting, an activity where I can lose myself for hours at a time – an activity during which time seems to stop.
Gradually, my style began to emerge. What also emerged was the realisation that I was painting my feelings and experiences. When I felt conflicted or confused, I often found the answer through the process of painting. As my style flourished, I began to rediscover myself and my spirit. And to rebuild a connection with God.
This became more apparent when I learned to give Reiki healing. The energy – the life force – that flows through my heart, head, and hands during Reiki also flows when I paint. Often, I complete an image, only to discover in hindsight that the animals, numbers, and plants I’ve been guided to include depict a clear, cohesive, and relevant message.
Channelling messages through painting…
A few years ago, I was told by a medium that a Japanese lady in spirit paints "through" me when I paint. I'm open-minded, but didn't seek confirmation. Then, in summer 2023, I was working on a particular painting while my upstairs neighbour was visiting Japan. She returned as I finished the work and gave me a card she'd bought there. I was struck by the similarities. Not only was the card painted in exactly the colours of my painting, but the gestures and energy were the same, too.
Another moment that confirmed the gift of spirit messages was a portrait of my niece.
I didn't know why, but I painted her with a Jersey tiger moth. When my sister saw the painting, she said: "Your niece has had a Jersey tiger moth following her around for the last two weeks."
Painting with God…
Now, I understand my paintings to be a form of prayer and meditation. If prayer is the act of creating, meditation is surrendering to the message in each painting. Unlike many artists, I don't plan out my compositions or the contents of each work. I begin with a mark, an idea. And I allow my intuition to uncover what wants to come.
For a long time, I kept this story for personal telling. I had yet to share it on my website. But the clearer it becomes, the more I find I need to share it.
I paint because it's how I talk to God.
The results are sometimes unusual, often beautiful. They always communicate something common in the human and soul experience.
And for that, I am grateful.
“Great art, a panacea for the soul, and a hug on the wall.”
Carolyn Seager, Galleries and Events Organiser, The Castle, Bude