Katia Honour: Myth, Magic and Art
When we came across Katia’s art we knew we had found something special. The colours and imagery alone immediately pull the viewer into this other world, a world full of intrigue and questions. Of course, being the inquisitive (some might call it nosey) bunch of people we are, we just had to catch up with Katia and find out a little more about her, and she did not disappoint! See for yourselves!
What is your name and where are you from?
Katia Honour, Melbourne Australia
When did you start painting?
2007
What things inspire your work?
My oil paintings are born from either intentionally designed ‘magic’ or spirit inspired ‘mystic’ imagery.
Magic is the ‘art and science of creating change’. By working with the archetypes and deities, we can invite their transformative powers into our world. Many rituals consist if a re-enactment of a significant myth so that the participants can understand that archetype and draw upon its teachings – this same principle can be applied to creative activities, like painting.
The self-portrait “Temperance” was painted when my life felt out of harmony. Whether by magic, meditation or plain psychology, a sense of balance came during the process of creation. The image was designed based upon alchemy, tarot and kabalistic imagery to best represent the state of harmony I wanted to evoke into my life. Nurtured by hours spent contemplating and painting temperance, life began to imitate art.
The path of mysticism uses trance, dreams and meditation to seek union with Spirit to ‘receive’ guidance and images, which are then rendered as close to the vision as my skills enable me to do.
Who is your favourite artist?
It is hard to choose between the visionary masters, A. Andrew Gonzalez and Daniel Mirante. In 2011, I had the great fortune to study with both of them. Daniel guided me through the mischtechnik approach for “Temperance” while Andrew taught me his unique airbrush style for “Reclamation of Medusa”.
In your profile you describe yourself as a spiritually orientated oil painter; could you tell us a bit more about this?
My training is in spiritualism and mediumship, not fine art. After lifelong devotion to esoteric, occult and shamanic practices, I began to paint as a way to share the visions that I was receiving and to focus on the deities, spirits and archetypes that inspire me.
Designs are based upon diverse religious correspondences and/or images from trance or dreams. At times the vision is incomplete, so I use the traditional divination approaches of gentle trance states, randomness and scrying. These spiritual practices invite unforeseen elements into the art piece. For example, the first night of painting “Compassion”, all I knew was to make a blue ‘tear-stained’ canvas. Then, her face was revealed, and later a dream showed a lotus and her hand position. When searching on Google images for the same position, I realized that it was Tara’s compassion Mudra and I was then able to finish the whole painting.
I particularly like your works entitled ‘Mythic Archetypes’. Do you have a particular period from history where you draw inspiration for these pieces?
My greatest inspiration is the pervading essences within myths that repeat across time and cultures, so my art strives to merge the common traits to create a ‘meta-myth’. When Tara began to emerge, I researched across history and culture for the common qualities of this serene, sympathetic, loving and healing goddess in whites and blues with her hand in a giving gesture, and found Quan Yin, Isis, White Tara and Mother Mary. My inspiration was to weave these mythic beings as perceived by many cultures into one united spiritual identity.
Ironically, spiritual ideals seem based in love and peace, yet religions have been a source of war, politics and pain for centuries. I hope humanity is now evolved enough as a cross-cultural, global community that we can respect all faiths and myths, knowing that the Truth transcends any metaphor we use to describe it. Now is a great time to see the moon, rather than stare at all the different fingers that are pointing to it.
Within modern society people continue to be fascinated by myth, the unknown and magic. You only have to look at the popularity of ‘Twilight’ or ‘True Blood’ to see this. Why do you think so many people are intrigued by these elements?
Its curious how the vampire myth pervades across time and cultures. On one hand, perhaps it explains how people feel drained when someone energetically draws their vitality. Also, people can find themselves sensually attracted to seemingly dark and dangerous characters. Sometimes, we tell metaphors and stories to help us understand our true nature – even the deep, murky and undesired aspects of us. I think we externalise our shadow natures as ‘fiction’, yet the stories are often metaphors for what we experience, what we wish we could experience or what we are afraid to experience.
On the other hand, many phenomena, such as ghosts, are spoken about so frequently across cultures and history that one wonders how so many individual people can claim to see the same thing, even children who have not yet been told the ‘myths’. Is it possible that these unexplainable, curious events do actually exist?
As for the unknown and magic, perhaps we innately know that there is more to this world than we can see and understand, and that we are more capable of creating ‘reality’ than we think. Society seems to give us comfortable ideas of who we are, what we should do, what to expect, etc. Yet, if one has a more liberated mind and is open to noticing and experiencing the bizarre and unexpected, life seems to get a lot more interesting.
Finally, what is your favourite piece and why?
Shiva is an inspiring supreme Hindu deity that I had wanted to paint for many years, yet never felt I had sufficient time or was in the right environment for this highly sacred image. While holidaying in Bali, I visited the guru of a Shiva Ashram for a “Mahatma Therapy” massage – and he literally snapped the tendons off my right foot. His only rationale was that my ‘karma’ must have needed to be burnt away!!! Unfit to fly, I spent a month alone, bed bound in a bungalow in rice fields. The bungalow manager, whose name was Made Sinarnata, was a Shiva devotee who kindly cared for me. He sat on my balcony with the sun behind him as I chanted, observed silence and painted him with the characteristic of the Balinese Shiva. I have profound gratitude and love for Made, and for Shiva, and this favourite piece reminds me that some people are capable of acting in divine ways.
Want to see more and experience more? please visit: http://www.beingfunchina.com/magazine/the-getgo-vol-14/now!