Working across painting, printmaking and collage, Lyn Hodnett’s practice centres on the enduring presence of female archetypes, figures that move between the personal and the universal. Drawing on mythology, folklore and lived experience, her work brings together recurring characters such as the mother, the daughter and the crone, each carrying layered narratives that unfold through symbol and suggestion rather than fixed interpretation.
Her compositions are rich with visual language. Birds, fish and florals drift between foreground and backdrop, at times decorative, at times quietly active within the scene, creating a sense of continuity between the human figure and the natural world. This connection to instinct, to the ‘wild’ self, remains a constant undercurrent, while the tone shifts fluidly between the contemplative and the playful.
Recent works extend this exploration into questions of identity and visibility. Faces constructed from torn fragments of vintage books, maps and collected papers suggest lives assembled through memory, concealment and reinvention. Masks appear not as disguises but as structures of protection and expression, hinting at the complex ways women have historically reshaped and redefined themselves.
Through a layered approach to material and process, Hodnett’s work invites a closer reading, where narrative is not declared but gradually revealed.
Are you self-taught, or did you undertake formal artistic training?
I was awarded a BA Hons in Fine Art at Sheffield Hallam University 1985 and then went to Brighton Polytechnic to study Printmaking for two years. Since graduating I have been a self-employed artist, regularly showing and selling work. Throughout my career I have been involved in Arts Education, working with galleries, arts festivals and in schools and colleges to facilitate creative projects. I have worked with municipal galleries to deliver workshops in painting, drawing and printmaking. Currently I am an Associate Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University and I also teach life drawing classes at Sheffield Millennium Gallery.
How would you define your visual language or conceptual approach?
Making images of women and exploring personal and universal stories, has always been an important element of my work. I think that my love of literature, stories and music has significantly influenced my visual imagery. Story, phrase, fable or lyric, often being a catalyst for a series of work. The knowledge that is passed down through storytelling through the female archetypes and characters in folk tales, have most definitely inspired my visual language. Researching books such as ‘Women Who Run With Wolves’ by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, love of dictionaries and books of Phrase and Fable, Baba Yaga tales, and Greek myth have been important elements in informing my painting and printmaking. I am also influenced by research on Eco Feminism and my/our relationships to nature and the wild self.
Can you describe your creative process from conception to completion?
At first ideas are inspired and informed by stories or sayings I have read, seen or heard, that might be universal or personal, often both. I research the origins of the stories/phrases which can lead me onto other ideas. I then sketch in my journal, working out composition ideas, finally drawing the image onto artboard or watercolour paper. I underpaint the portrait with white acrylic and use charcoal to add shadow. I then work into the piece with shellac varnish, acrylic paint and crayon, building thin layers until I feel the piece is finished.
Does narrative, symbolism, or storytelling play a role within your work?
I enjoy using symbolism to give layers of meaning to the paintings. There is such a rich history of the symbolic meaning of plants and animals, shapes and colours etc. it is fascinating to research ideas and play juxtapose meanings. I sometimes like to add humour or irony through use of symbolism, word play and double meanings, the narrative is not always as obvious as it might seem.
As a child I loved reading fairy tales and being read to. I loved the words, rhythmic language and metaphors in these stories, and I found images and illustrations can do this without words. Pictures can cut across language and mean something to everyone even if they don’t know/can’t read. In both words and illustrations, women and girls have a strong presence in fairy tales that often contain warnings and the passing of knowledge from mother to daughter, through my work, I wish to tell my stories, the ones I feel are relevant to pass on.
Which artists have most influenced you historically or contemporarily and why?
I have been inspired by lots of artists and for different reasons, but I am always draw to women artists who tell stories of life experience, who create both portraits of themselves and of other women, such as Kathe Kollwitz, Freda Kahlo, Paula Rego, Eileen Cooper. Literature and music have also significantly influenced my work. I am a vocalist/musician, performing with several free improvisation ensembles.
What personal, cultural, or environmental influences shape your practice?
I don’t really come from an ‘Art’ background, although my father when he was 14 was offered a place at an art school in 1930’s but was not allowed to pursue it, instead having to follow the family trade. No one else in my immediate family went on to study a college or uni. Growing up there weren’t many other books in the house, (just my story books) and no paintings or musical instruments. I am dyslexia but it wasn’t a recognised condition when I was at school. I was in a remedial class at a secondary modern, but my saving grace was that I was creative at writing poetry (despite spelling!) and I found that I could draw very well. My love of literature and stories and my love of drawing has continued to be a huge inspiration for my work.
I live both in Sheffield and North Wales and live between the city and 1300 ft up a mountain. I teach in Sheffield, but my partner and I have a studio near Bala. This means a good deal of traveling/commuting, and I do find myself painting the landscape, flora and fauna of the Welsh hills in my current works. In Sheffield my work area is in the attic space of a small terrace house and so the size of my paintings are restricted to what I can manoeuvre down two flights of stairs.
Where is your studio based, and how does the space inform your creativity?
In Sheffield my work area is in the attic space of a small terrace house and so the size of my paintings are restricted to what I can manoeuvre down two flights of stairs.
In Wales, the rural environment and its concerns, the isolation, the sky, the landscape and symbolism of the birds and flowers and Welsh mythology is becoming more influential, the studio is remote and high up, overlooking the Berwyn mountains, it is the area Taliesin is said to have lived.
Do you have any rituals or rhythms that anchor your studio practice?
I find music a distraction and I become influenced by the rhythm of it, therefore I avoid music when I am working. I like the sound of speech, and I prefer to have a film or TV on in the background which is much more relaxing, and I can tune it out. I love working at night, when it feels like all the world is asleep.
What bodies of work or projects are you currently developing?
I am currently working on collected collaged papers and vintage book pages. The books are classic stories where the central character is female, such as Jane Eyre. The papers are from fragments of wrappings, maps, notes collected from my mother’s house after her passing. These collaged works are along side the portraits of women in the Welsh landscape, with birds and wildflowers. I have also started a series of paintings of women in masks which look at what in our nature we are identifying with and also hiding.
Where can collectors encounter or acquire your work?
I show at Arts Fairs such as Wirksworth Arts Festival in September 12-13th 2026, The International Eisteddfod July 7-12th 2026 and Coal Aston May 23-25th. My work is represented by Cupola Contemporary Art Gallery Sheffield and I regularly hold open days for visitors at my studio, by arrangement.
