Lynette Barnard was born on the 21st day of May 1963 in Bloemfontein, the good old capital of the Free State. She matriculated in 1981 at Oranje Meisies Skool and then studied art with ceramic design as her main focus.

Lynette Barnard got married in 1985 and moved to a farm in the Rustenburg area where she worked as a full time studio potter. She lived there for 14 years and was blessed with two beautiful girls. Jarmila the eldest, born in 1991 and Karsia, born in 1993.

Lynette Barnard was uprooted in 1998 and had to move to Bronkhorstspruit where Lynette Barnard and her two girls are staying since then. The beautiful tranquility and rural feeling of this town has become part of me. "Working all day with clay the 'stuff we are all made of' captured my spirit and I always knew there was a higher calling on my life than just my ordinary walk on this earth. Surely we are to become vessels of honour for the Master's use." Circumstances brought Lynette Barnard to the point where Lynette started my 'Walk with God' in 1988. Although Lynette Barnard has been playing with paint all her life, Lynette Barnard started to paint more seriously in 1988.

Lynette Barnard was inspired by the freedom feeling of Father Claerhout's work. Lynette Barnard called mine Beginhoute and have been working since then in all media's - acrylic, oil, gold leaf, pastels and oil pastels. "To paint is to be in another world, a world where you need to lap into a forth dimension, which I call the store house of God. He's already got all the paintings I need to make in store, even the ones in the far future - it just needs to be dropped into my spirit." It was on such a day that Lynette Barnard was called out of the congregation, first by a prophet called Ed Traute and later years by one by the name of Mark Labuschagne. "Both of them spoke directly to my spirit, saying that the Lord is taking me into a prophetic way of painting." "There are days coming that God will show you visions, put these visions on canvas, these will be prophesies in the lives of people' But as we all know God's timing and ours differ a bit." Very slowly this prophesies are falling in place. Over the past two years these words have been repeatedly confirmed by the prophetic word that was going out over Lynette Barnard's life. "God always takes us through seasons and there is a constant flow of different trials that He puts us through. As I look back over the years I can see that He is releasing more and more of His glory through my hands.

This prophetic anointing is running through my work into the homes and lives of people. I know I've still got a long way to go - I know that I'm not where I want to be, but I'm not where I used to be. I'm okay and I'm on my way!"

John West Art Galleries has been selling Lynette Barnard's art since 2003. Feel free to view original paintings of Lynette Barnard at www.johnwestart.co.za and contact West at +2782 9295124 or +2782 831 2585. We bring the art to your house or office through our mobile art gallery! Call to view your favorites.