Loralee Jade, a Brisbane based artist, is inspired and motivated by the healing powers of water. Water is a nourishing force for her creative practice.
We had the pleasure of spending some time with this water loving pisces during her visit to Melbourne. We spoke to her about her daily routines, fondest memories and her rituals for creativity. Loralee shared with us her commitment to an artistic practice that listens to her own rhythm and energy. We have longed admired Loralee's art for the way it captures the sense of truly being.
“If I’m feeling anxious or upset, I always head to water, whether it’s the ocean, a river, a waterfall, a bath or even a shower. The sound of water moving softens me instantly.”
On what she does...
I’m an artist working predominantly in oil paint. My painting practice is concerned with the places in which we reside - physical, mental or otherwise - and the impacts our chosen surroundings imprint on us, and vice versa.
The application of paint suggests layered movement through glimpses of memory, snippets of thought and traces of hope. My art practice is inspired by the spaces that we need for survival; the nooks of comfort, the spaces that are uncomfortable and demand expansion and the nostalgic reminiscent spaces.
In this way my work creates connection between wellness and creation, luxury and necessity. Which can be seen through the amalgamation of spaces visited, remembered or inhabited.
On her daily rituals...
I do have rituals in my day but I’m not so structured with them anymore, instead I just go with how I’m feeling. I now allow myself to wake without an alarm, usually around 6.30am. I meditate, journal, practice ashtanga yoga then drink a hot drink, either a dandelion, matcha or chai latte. I always make time to read a novel or poem especially if I’m in the studio that day, it helps me to drop into myself.
At the moment my studio is a large deck off my living room. Which means that I can work most days. It’s beautiful to hear the birds chirping and the waves crashing while painting. Working in this space has definitely changed the flow of my works, they’re softer now and the colour palette earthier.
I don’t have rituals in the studio as such, more habits. I always have a journal beside me to jot down any thoughts, ideas, titles that come up while I’m working. Working outside means that when the sun goes down I stop working.
In the evenings I meditate, shower and read or watch a movie with my boyfriend before sleeping.
Rituals for creativity & inspiration...
It’s such a cliche, but walking in nature, swimming in the ocean or sitting by a river is my go to for ritual for inspiration. Likewise, I find that reading poetry creates space in my mind to wander into new ideas. I like to read a few poems before painting. My favourites are ‘Some questions you might ask’ and ‘The world I live in’ by Mary Oliver. But honestly, the best thing to do is to just start. Make a mark and then another and then another.
Rituals to rejuvenate...
If I’m feeling anxious or upset, I always head to water, whether it’s the ocean, a river, a waterfall, a bath or even a shower. The sound of water moving softens me instantly.
Meditation is an obvious one that helps me a lot too. Even just sitting or laying down and letting my mind wander, letting myself daydream, like I did as a kid. Some of the best ideas come from this.
Rituals for productivity & organisation...
Letting myself rest and do nothing if I feel like I’m forcing myself to be productive has been the most productive thing for me. It sounds counter intuitive but I’ve learned that nothing good comes from force. You have to listen to your body and trust that it’ll work out. In the same way that leaving a painting that I’m struggling with for a few days and coming back with fresh eyes, helps me to see what the next mark needs to be. Resting until I feel like I have energy to work again makes me more productive. Also just braking things down into small steps, I just look for the next best thing to do and do that until I’ve completed what I set out to do.
On her favourite memory...
There is not one specific memory, however, as a kid my family and closest family friends would all go camping together. Every school holidays we would set up beside our family river for a month. My days were filled with bathing in the river, Mum showing me how to make paint from rocks on the riverbed, braiding my sisters hair, climbing trees, sitting by the campfire, sleeping in the sun, floating down the river on blowup mattresses, singing and dancing with my siblings and making chains from wildflowers. I think all of my works lead me back to that feeling in one way or another.
Where she draws inspiration from...
Memories like the ones I just shared are a huge source of inspiration for me. The way memory works fascinates me. How it almost makes time irrelevant, that by remembering a moment you are taken straight back, you can feel the sun, the water, the tall grass. Memories that feel like you can almost bump into them they’re so vivid. Also how memories change every time you remember them, they’re changed by your current thoughts, perspectives and emotions. I like to imagine time to be just thin layers overlapping each other, like looking down through a body of water, they ripple and shift and taint each other. One moment in your childhood makes a series of changes that create the exact moment you’re in as an adult now.
