Last week, I offered Aura Portraits at the Kozuka Art Festival. This is not a kind of Drawing Meditation that I can teach. It is something of my own that I’ve developed through years of intuitive art practice and a lifetime of experiencing energy in the world.

Intuitive Aura Portraits are a two-part creation. First, I sense someone’s aura and paint it on paper. Then I overlay a drawing of a stylised face and intuitive elements. The result is a colorful and meaningful drawing of a person in that moment.

Seeing an aura is almost instant when I open up my awareness. In a portrait session, the sitter and I take a moment to bring our breath into sync and while we do that, I take note of the colors, their position and movement that I see in their energetic field. Then I grab my watercolors and try to put that all onto paper.

After the colors are done, the intuitive portrait portion starts with an abstract, mask-like face with a resemblance to the sitter. Then I sit quietly and wait until a shape, a pattern or a flourish comes through and I can draw the details. Sometimes that wait is long and uncomfortable. Other times there is a flash of insight and I understand all at once what to draw. Usually, though it builds gradually: place an element; add details; repeat until it feels finished. I truly don’t know how a drawing will end up until it feels complete.

At the Kozuka Arts Festival I painted eleven portraits over three days. Each one was unique. Some were surprising. Sometimes I feel compelled to ask the sitter some questions about themselves after the portrait is done. The two below were both unexpectedly strong. The gentleman’s just about drew itself – a forward-moving line forming a double star of nine points. It felt to me like mathematics or a journey. I asked about his profession afterwards: he is in logistics.

And the lady’s was a slow build that ended up as waves and wiggles and bubbles connected to her head with eleven bridges. It felt so joyful! Oceanic, seaweed? She is a massage therapist. Perhaps they are fingers. I never really understand what comes out of my pen. She said she would sit with it and see what felt right.

Aura Portrait FAQ

Lots of people have questions about aura portraits and how they work. I don’t have good answers, but here are a few of the most common questions I get asked:

When did you start seeing auras?

When I was very little, I had lots of psi and sixth sense powers. Auras were among them. It was hard to explain to the grown-ups and although I continued to experience energy in various ways, I stopped believing it was real. In my pre-teens, I figured out how to switch off my ability at will. It was like putting on an imaginary hat. That’s still how I imagine it.

What do auras look like?

I can perceive two kinds of auric energy. One is an outline around the body – like the silver lining of a cloud – that is very bright and shiny and I believe it represents life force because I have seen it around all living things. The other aura I can see expands further from the person and is like clouds but colorful. The aura clouds shift and move around a person and they change color depending on mood, health, and other factors in a person’s life. These clouds are the aura that I paint for the portraits.

I heard that auras are (insert different perception)

Absolutely. Yes. Everyone who can discern auras sees them differently. There are many theories and interpretations. Some of them are very elaborate and there are well established, even famous, factions. All of them are correct and probably all wrong, too.

How long does it take to draw an aura portrait?

Usually 20-30 minutes for these small round ones with watercolor and pen. If I’m using other media or making larger drawings, it takes longer.

Why does my aura match my outfit?

I feel a little sheepish when that happens, but I swear that I don’t base your aura on your clothing. However, you might have based your outfit on your aura. Many people are naturally drawn to their aura colors and wear them without even realising.

Do you need to be near a person to see their aura?

Actually, during the pandemic, I discovered two strange things. One, I can perceive auras over Zoom. What?! And two, if I know you, I can pick up on your aura no matter where you are. Weird.

What do the colors mean?
I have no idea. I really don’t. I think everyone needs to figure it out for themselves. There are many color interpretations from art history to color psychology to the modern chakra rainbow. But there’s no definitive meaning to any color. However, I did make a color chart with my Japanese watercolor paints because I need something to talk about while the aura painting dries. These meanings are an amalgam of different systems so I figure it’s a good starting point to encourage self-exploration without dictating a philosophical agenda.