THE RETURNING LIGHT
The story behind the work
Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, I grew up in a landscape that shaped the imaginations of both David Hockney and David Whyte. Long before I understood why, I found myself captivated by the same changing light.
I spent my childhood wandering the hills, cycling through the valleys, and climbing the tallest trees, watching the light breathe across the landscape— unknowingly falling in love with the conversation between light and shadow.
"The light in Yorkshire doesn't ask permission. A fleeting burst across the fields, and suddenly everything is revealed. That moment of revelation is what I paint towards."
– SUSAN SMITH
Only later did I realise that the landscape had been teaching me how to see. The same conversation between light and darkness that unfolded across the hills was unfolding within me.
The Returning Light is the story of how painting became my way of listening—and of making sense of the light and darkness that have shaped my life.
The practice
The Returning Light emerges from the meeting place of homeopathy and painting. Drawing upon years of study in spirituality, symbolism, and the healing arts, I seek to capture essence so completely through paint that it acts as medicine to the soul—Prescriptions of Light.
My colours and materials are chosen intuitively, responding to the energetic truth of each layer. From deep blues, hints of light blue violet, subtle pinks, to bursts of cadmium yellow, every brush stroke is a communion with the canvas in service to the painting itself.
Central to my process is a way of seeing shaped by my background in homeopathy. Inspired by Martin Miles' vision of homeopathy as an art that transforms patterns and elevates consciousness, I approach painting with the same depth of observation—attuning to subtle shifts of energy, light, and form.
Just as the homeopath perceives the hidden order within symptoms, I trace the underlying frequencies within my subjects until their essence reveals itself through colour and gesture.
Painting is not simply how I express what I know; it is how I come to know.
Just as the homeopath perceives the hidden order within symptoms, I trace the underlying rhythms within my subjects, allowing their essence to reveal itself through colour and gesture. Painting is not simply how I express what I know; it is how I come to know.
My paintings are doorways into consciousness, inviting the viewer beyond habitual perception into a quieter way of seeing. As attention deepens, the viewer and the painting stop being two things. Form dissolves. Essence reveals itself. Something greater is encountered.
Through the intimate process of potentising paint, I imbue each work with the energetic signature of its subject. My immersive films invite the viewer into a deeper encounter with each painting.i
Inspired by the Yorkshire landscape, I am always searching beyond the horizon, surrendering to the unknown, the next impulse, the next colour, and the next possibility of revelation.
Every painting is another act of listening—an invitation to discover that the light we seek has been quietly revealing itself all along.
BIOGRAPHY
Born
Education
Halifax, West Yorkshire, UK, 1972
Birmingham University, UK, Graphic Design, 1994
College of Practical Homeopathy, UK, LCHE, 2014
Resides
Professional background
Lives and works in Somerset, UK
Over 25 years as a graphic designer and creative director
Practicing homeopath and mentor at the River School of Homeopathy
Author of Soul Signatures - A Journey into the Soul of Remedies
Exhibited
Unity Conference, Glastonbury, 2024
DNA of the Soul - Acrylic on canvas