Art as a Portal (and Other Strange Truths)

More than Just Something to Look At

Art isn’t just something we look at. Sometimes, it’s something we step into.

I’ve stood in front of paintings—mine and others’—and felt something shift inside me. My body feels different, my mind quiets, and my soul whispers, “Oh, there you are.” In those moments, the painting becomes more than pigment on canvas; it becomes a portal. A doorway into memory, feeling, or truth. A gateway to something bigger than ourselves.

A Doorway Through Time and Culture

This idea isn’t new. Across cultures and centuries, art has been regarded as a threshold—objects like ancient cave paintings, sacred icons, and ritual masks have served as conduits to other realms, spiritual states, or ancestral wisdom. There is something deeply human about using visual language to connect us with the unseen.

I particularly enjoy ancient greek and roman art and sculpture, I love to incorporate these influences in my work

When Art Speaks Without Words

When we engage with art this way, we bypass the noisy logic of the mind. Instead, colours, shapes, and forms reach directly into our subconscious, stirring feelings and memories that words might fail to touch. It’s a strange kind of communication—a silent dialogue between the viewer’s inner world and the piece before them.

“Art is a silent dialogue between the viewer’s inner world and the piece before them.”

An Invitation to Step Inside

I invite you, next time you encounter a painting or sculpture, to try stepping inside it. Let yourself feel what it might be showing you beneath the surface. What does it whisper to your heart? What memories or questions arise? You don’t need to understand it with your mind—just be with it.

At an annual exhibition I had the absolute gift given to me that I treasure forever in my heart from a viewer of this piece, she told me that she loved it and had seen it the previous year at a show and that it had been on her mind since ~ that's magic in action to me.

Creating Portals Through My Art

When I paint, I hold the hope that my work can be such a portal for others. I try to create space for many kinds of experiences—joy and playfulness, mystery and seeing yourself (even if you dont realise it!)—without dictating a single meaning. For me, art is an open door, a place to come home to yourself, even if just for a moment.

“Art is an open door, a place to come home to yourself.”

Where Might Art Take You?

So yes, art can be a portal. And who knows where it might take you next?

What doors might art open for you today?

Have you ever felt like a painting or artwork was speaking directly to your soul? Share your story!