franciscan magazine articles

Articles written by commission4mission members for franciscan magazine can now be viewed online at http://www.franciscans.org.uk/franciscan/franciscan-january-2013. They include: 'Facets of faith: the gospel in modern and contemporary art' by Jonathan Evens; 'Father Andrew the artist: Plaistow friar, who never lost his boyhood enthusiasm for all things artistic' by Steven Saxby; and 'Re-imagining the gospels' by Helen Gheorghiu Gould.

Newsletter No. 15 – January 2013

Christmas Exhibition: Incarnation

Wendy McTernan curated and organised an excellent commission4mission exhibition entitled ‘Incarnation’ at Wimbledon Library Gallery in December 2012. commission4mission's South London launch took place at a well attended Private View. We were encouraged by the interest shown by all who came both in the conversations that took place and in the works that were sold.

Those who came appreciated the look and feel of the show, our invigilators had several valuable conversations with those who came, we also made a number of new contacts and gained new members. Midnight Church by Elizabeth Duncan Meyer and Transforming Power by Caroline Richardson were amongst several works which sold. 

Those exhibiting included Harvey Bradley, Colin Burns, Christopher Clack, Ally Clarke, Valerie Dean, Elizabeth Duncan-Meyer, Jonathan Evens, Ken James, Sarah Ollerenshaw, Caroline Richardson, Janet Roberts, Francesca Ross, Henry Shelton, Sergiy Shkanov, Joy Rousell Stone and Peter Webb.
 

franciscan: The Gospel in Art

Three commission4mission members have written articles on the arts for the latest edition of franciscan, which is published three times a year by the First Order brothers and sisters and includes articles on Franciscan themes, as well as book reviews and news of the Society (http://www.franciscans.org.uk/franciscan-january-2013). 

The three articles are:

• ‘Facets of faith: the gospel in modern and contemporary art’ by Jonathan Evens
• ‘Father Andrew the artist: Plaistow friar, who never lost his boyhood enthusiasm for all things artistic’ by Steven Saxby
• ‘Re-imagining the gospels’ by Helen Gheorghiu Gould

The article by Jonathan features the work of Ally Clarke, Caroline Richardson and Sergiy Shkanov while Helen's piece includes interviews with Henry Shelton and Peter Webb. 

To order a copy of the magazine contact the subscriptions secretary using franciscansubscriptions@franciscans.org.uk. 

The Seed 

The Seed (http://seedresources.com/) has an expanding collection of over 40,000 resources to download and use throughout the Church year including Digital Worship resources and inspirational articles. The Seed and seedresources.com is a collaboration between the Leaders of Worship and Preachers Trust and Twelvebaskets Ltd. 

Among the available resources are two by commission4mission artists, both of which raise funds for c4m. They are:

• Mark of the Cross which features 20 poetic meditations by Jonathan Evens on Christ’s journey to the cross and reactions to his resurrection and ascension complemented by a set of semi-abstract watercolours of the Stations of the Cross and the Resurrection created by Henry Shelton.
• The Passion: Reflections & Prayers: Pictures, poems and prayers by Henry Shelton and Jonathan Evens enabling us to follow Jesus on his journey to the cross reflecting both on the significance and the pain of that journey.

New publications

Christopher Clack and Jonathan Evens feature in a new Dutch book entitled Jezus voor ogen (Eyes on Jesus) with visual meditations and word & image Bible studies for Lent. The visual meditations included in the book have all featured previously on the ArtWay website (http://www.artway.eu/artway.php?lang=en) and include the meditation which Jonathan Evens wrote on Christopher Clack's Descent II.

Jonathan Evens' new book, The Secret Chord, is jointly authored with Peter Banks of After The Fire, and is an impassioned study of the role of music in cultural life written through the prism of Christian belief. A website for The Secret Chord (http://www.thesecretchord.co.uk/) has news, bios, additional links, comments and views. The Secret Chord is available in paperback as well as a Kindle book. 

Member Profile: Gillian Barritt

Gillian Barritt is a ceramics artist whose work is expressive and sculptural. Her work reflects her Christian faith as well as capturing a love of Cornwall where she lives and was born. Gillian incorporates words with clay pieces which include scripture and also poetry. She also has an interest in recycled media like sea china and glass.

franciscan: three articles

Three commission4mission members have written articles on the arts for the latest edition of franciscan, which is published three times a year by the First Order brothers and sisters and includes articles on Franciscan themes, as well as book reviews and news of the Society.

The three articles are:

• Facets of faith: the gospel in modern and contemporary art by Jonathan Evens;
• Father Andrew the artist: Plaistow friar, who never lost his boyhood enthusiasm for all things artistic by Steven Saxby; and
• Re-imagining the gospels by Helen Gheorghiu Gould.

The article by Jonathan features the work of Ally Clarke, Caroline Richardson and Sergiy Shkanov while Helen's piece includes interviews with Mark Lewis, Henry Shelton and Peter Webb.

To order a copy of the magazine contact the subscriptions secretary at franciscansubscriptions@franciscans.org.uk.

'Condemned': Lent/Easter Series - Week 7

commission4mission has created a Lenten and Easter journey for 2012 using images by our artists combined with passages from Isaiah 53. Throughout Lent and for the first two weeks of Easter, we will post images and words from 'Condemned' here on a weekly basis.


Jim Insole lives in Neath, South Wales. He became a committed (R.C.) Christian in 1966 and soon became aware of a facility to represent devotional religious and philosophical ideas graphically. He has been engaged in religious art, much of it ceramic, since 1975. He studied art and pottery during the '80's, setting up a small, basic pottery workshop in the early '90's. He graduated in theology in 2005 from Lampeter College (University of Wales), with an emphasis on scriptural studies (with Greek and Hebrew), and Early Church History. He retains an abiding interest in cosmology and philosophy. Since 2005 he has resumed potting and painting. At root, his work seeks to reconcile traditional (but not fundamentalist!) doctrine with current perceptions of the cosmos and history, anthropology etc. Even more importantly it seeks a peace, a shalom between what is believed, what is intellectually perceived and what is devotionally, existentially and emotionally felt.
Other artists contributing images to the series are Nadiya Pavliv Tokarska, Mark Lewis, Robert Enoch, Christopher Clack, Rosalind Hore and Peter Webb. 'Condemned' has been compiled by Helen Gheorghiu Gould.

In addition to the weekly posts, 'Condemed' is also available as either a powerpoint or pdf file on request from Jonathan Evens at jonathan.evens@btinternet.com.

We are grateful to ArtServe for their coverage of this initiative.

'Condemned': Lent/Easter Series - Week 6

commission4mission has created a Lenten and Easter journey for 2012 using images by our artists combined with passages from Isaiah 53. Throughout Lent and for the first two weeks of Easter, we will post images and words from 'Condemned' here on a weekly basis.


Nadiya Pavliv Tokarska's interests are in traditional oil painting and moving images or film. During 2005 she was apprentice to Clarence Crawford; where she learnt traditional oil painting technique with a particular emphasis on portraiture. The aim of her creative practice is to convey to a viewer the message of unconditional love that connects us all and more importantly unites us with the Creator. Contemporary scientists armed with the latest equipment come to realise that the law of our universe is guided by what they call ‘Intelligent Mind’; who we, as Christians,b elieve to be God. Nadiya is very interested in researching more into this invigorated and transformed present dialogue between Religion, Science and Art. As a member of the Waltham Forest Art Club since 2006, she has taken part in many exhibitions and events organised by the Club. She also runs the Tokarska Gallery in Walthamstow.


Other artists contributing images to the series are Mark Lewis, Robert Enoch, Christopher Clack, Rosalind Hore, , Jim Insole, and Peter Webb. 'Condemned' has been compiled by Helen Gheorghiu Gould.

In addition to the weekly posts, 'Condemed' is also available as either a powerpoint or pdf file on request from Jonathan Evens at jonathan.evens@btinternet.com.

We are grateful to ArtServe for their coverage of this initiative.

'Condemned': Lent/Easter Series - Week 5

commission4mission has created a Lenten and Easter journey for 2012 using images by our artists combined with passages from Isaiah 53. Throughout Lent and for the first two weeks of Easter, we will post images and words from 'Condemned' here on a weekly basis.
Rosalind Hore is a sculptor and painter of Christian subjects – Christ figures, nativity sets, Ecce Homo, Stations of the Cross etc. She works in clay, plaster, concrete (figures can also be bronze cast at the foundry). Her paintings are mostly in acrylic of the events in the life of Christ. Her Pieta (pictured above) can be viewed at St Laurence’s Upminster. Rosalind has been an art teacher throughout her working life, has taken part in the Cambridge Open Studios (creating a sculpture garden and art gallery at her home) and has led art groups and projects in the parishes where she has lived. She has a sculpture in the Bible Garden at St Mary's Goring-by-Sea, which she describes as follows: "As part of a parish mission called Stepping Stones, I decided to do something special and made a seated figure of Christ with his arms outstretched titled Come Unto Me. We put stepping stones in the grass leading up to him."
Other artists contributing images to the series are Mark Lewis, Robert Enoch, Christopher Clack, Nadiya Pavliv Tokarska, Jim Insole, and Peter Webb. 'Condemned' has been compiled by Helen Gheorghiu Gould.

In addition to the weekly posts, 'Condemed' is also available as either a powerpoint or pdf file on request from Jonathan Evens at jonathan.evens@btinternet.com.

We are grateful to ArtServe for their coverage of this initiative.

'Condemned': Lent/Easter Series - Week 4

commission4mission has created a Lenten and Easter journey for 2012 using images by our artists combined with passages from Isaiah 53. Throughout Lent and for the first two weeks of Easter, we will post images and words from 'Condemned' here on a weekly basis.

Christopher Clack, who contributes the fourth image in our series, trained as a painter, studied at Camberwell School of Art and then at the Royal College of Art. His main medium was oil paint, buthe also loved etching and making sculptures. One very important aspect of all his work was the physical, tactile nature of whatever he made, so it seems very strange to him now that he works almost completely on computer.His images are produced using scanners, cameras, and software such as Photoshop and paint programs like Coral painter. The product of all this is then turned into an object by printing it out using large format printers, using the best quality materials he can lay his handson. It’s now become a sort of challenge for him to bring into this medium a sense of the physicality of things that is generally felt to be lost in the digital production.Other artists contributing images to the series are Mark Lewis, Robert Enoch, Rosalind Hore, Nadiya Pavliv Tokarska, Jim Insole, and Peter Webb. 'Condemned' has been compiled by Helen Gheorghiu Gould.

In addition to the weekly posts, 'Condemed' is also available as either a powerpoint or pdf file on request from Jonathan Evens at jonathan.evens@btinternet.com.

We are grateful to ArtServe for their coverage of this initiative.

Condemned: Lent/Easter series - Week 3

commission4mission has created a Lenten and Easter journey for 2012 using images by our artists combined with passages from Isaiah 53. Throughout Lent and for the first two weeks of Easter, we will post images and words from 'Condemned' here on a weekly basis.
Robert Enoch , who contributes the third image in our series, makes art, films and photographs. His art is an exciting exploration of colour, form, movement and meaning. He makes artistic interpretations of the Bible in a visionary form and has made artistic installations for the church that visually explore and interpret the Gospels. His films are a blend of social documentary and corporate video. In his photographs he searches the environment for images of piercing meaning among everyday things. Free is an on-going collection of photographs by Robert of the words FREE and FREEDOM. His entry in the ECVA Artists Registry can be viewed by clicking here.
Other artists contributing images to the series are Mark Lewis, Christopher Clack, Rosalind Hore, Nadiya Pavliv Tokarska, Jim Insole, and Peter Webb. 'Condemned' has been compiled by Helen Gheorghiu Gould.

In addition to the weekly posts, 'Condemed' is also available as either a powerpoint or pdf file on request from Jonathan Evens at jonathan.evens@btinternet.com.

'Condemned': Lent/Easter Series - Week 2

commission4mission has created a Lenten and Easter journey for 2012 using images by our artists combined with passages from Isaiah 53. Throughout Lent and for the first two weeks of Easter, we will post images and words from 'Condemned' here on a weekly basis.

Peter Webb, who contributes the second image in our series, is a Fine Artist and former Art Teacher. His commissions include paintings of St George and the Supper at Emmaus. His painting of the The Betrayal can be viewed at St Marys Woodford. Peter is the chairperson of commission4mission and a member of both Faith & Image and the National Society of Painters, Sculptors & Printmakers.

Other artists contributing images to the series are Mark Lewis, Robert Enoch, Christopher Clack, Rosalind Hore, Nadiya Pavliv Tokarska, and Jim Insole. 'Condemned' has been compiled by Helen Gheorghiu Gould.

In addition to the weekly posts, 'Condemed' is also available as either a powerpoint or pdf file on request from Jonathan Evens at jonathan.evens@btinternet.com.

'Condemned': Lent/Easter Series - Week 1

commission4mission has created a Lenten and Easter journey for 2012 using images by our artists combined with passages from Isaiah 53. Throughout Lent and for the first two weeks of Easter, we will post images and words from 'Condemned' here on a weekly basis.

Our first image is the work of artist, silversmith, Fine Arts lecturer, and Chair of Faith & Image (a forum for all who have an interest in art as a medium of spiritual expression), Mark Lewis. Mark has undertaken a range of drawing and painting initiatives in a Christian context and has designed and made Church plate. In addition to his lecturing, Mark has delivered workshops for the Big Draw as part of its national launch and run other community drawing events. He has set up a consultancy, Drawing First, to develop drawing skills and creative thinking in a variety of exciting learning contexts.

Other artists contributing images to the series are Peter Webb, Robert Enoch, Christopher Clack, Rosalind Hore, Nadiya Pavliv Tokarska, and Jim Insole. 'Condemned' has been compiled by Helen Gheorghiu Gould.

In addition to the weekly posts, 'Condemed' is also available as either a powerpoint or pdf file on request from Jonathan Evens at jonathan.evens@btinternet.com.

Condemned: A Lenten Journey

commission4mission has created a Lenten and Easter journey for 2012 using images by our artists combined with passages from Isaiah 53. Throughout Lent and for the first two weeks of Easter, we will post images and words from 'Condemned' here on a weekly basis.

Artists contributing images to the series are Mark Lewis, Peter Webb, Robert Enoch, Christopher Clack, Rosalind Hore, Nadiya Pavliv Tokarska, and Jim Insole. 'Condemned' has been compiled by Helen Gheorghiu Gould.

In addition to the weekly posts, 'Condemed' is also available as either a powerpoint or pdf file on request from Jonathan Evens at jonathan.evens@btinternet.com.

Newsletter No. 8 – July 2011

commission4mission exhibition, Crypt Gallery at St Martin-in-the-Fields

Exhibitions @ St Martin-in-the-Fields & the Leytonstone Festival

Our exhibition in the Crypt Gallery at St Martin-in-the-Fields (4th – 17th July) was designed to encourage the commissioning of contemporary Christian art as 16 of our artists showed work in a variety of media, including cartoons, concept drawings, fused glass, paintings, reliefs and textiles, and new roll-up banners provided examples of some completed commissions and information about the commissioning process.

Contributing artists include Adam Boulter, Harvey Bradley, Colin Burns, Ally Clarke, Anne Creasey, Valerie Dean, Jonathan Evens, Viki Isherwood-Metzler, Mark Lewis, Nadiya Pavliv-Tokarska, Caroline Richardson, Janet Roberts, Henry Shelton, Sergiy Shkanov, Joy Rousell Stone and Peter Webb.

A well attended private view was followed by significant numbers viewing the exhibition. Comments made included: “Great variation and imagination”; “beautiful and interesting”; “a creative combination of art – materials, textures and colours”; “deserves lots of visitors, looking forward to the next exhibition and a growing network of Christian artists!”

A smaller commission4mission exhibition was also held at Holy Trinity with St Augustine of Hippo Leytonstone (14th - 20th July) as part of the Leytonstone Festival and the Barking Episcopal Area Art Festival.

The exhibition included work by Colin Burns, Jonathan Evens, Mark Lewis, Elizabeth Duncan Meyer, Caroline Richardson, Henry Shelton and Joy Rousell Stone. Also able to be seen as part of this exhibition were a set of intricate Stations of the Cross by Barbara Sampson and Scenes from the life of St Augustine, a concrete frieze by the sculptor Stephen Sykes.

c4m AGM

We held our AGM on Wednesday 20th July at Holy Trinity with St Augustine of Hippo Leytonstone and heard presentations from Dr Graham Gould on Scenes from the life of St Augustine, a concrete frieze by the sculptor Stephen Sykes, and Mark Lewis speaking on the Art Trail for the Barking Episcopal Area, before agreeing a revised constitution designed to enable us to register as a charity.

Annual charitable donation

We have recently made our annual charitable donation accrued over the previous financial year from our commissions and sales. Following our first full year of operation we were able to make a donation of £2,700 to the children's hospice, Haven House. This year we have donated £1,568 split between Sightsavers and SmileTrain. Sightsavers is a charity which works to eliminate avoidable blindness and promote equality of opportunity for disabled people in the developing world. SmileTrain is focused on solving a single problem - cleft lip and palate - by providing free cleft surgery for poor children in developing countries.

Member profile: Joy Rousell Stone


Joy studied under John Nash, Edward Bawden, Stanley Spencer and Edward Ardizzone at the Royal College of Art. She has had many one man shows. Her favourite subject matters are: The Holy Land, Egypt, Greece, Italy (especially Assisi) and USA. She works in all media and is the retired Head of Art & Design at The Plume School, Maldon.

Study day: The value of public art

A study day, organised by c4m, featuring input from the Bishop of Barking, Harlow Art Trust and Art & Christianity Enquiry plus opportunities to view the public art of Harlow Sculpture Town (e.g. Harlow Sculpture Trail, Gibberd Gardens, Parndon Mill etc.) will be held on Saturday 17th September at St Paul’s Harlow. To register contact – tel: 020 85992170 or email: jonathan.evens@btinternet.com.

Forthcoming exhibitions @ St Mary’s Billericay (9th – 18th September) and Tokarska Gallery, Walthamstow throughout December 2011.

Annual Report 2010/11

Rt. Revd. Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Chelmsford launching the Art Trail for the Barking Episcopal Area

In our second full year of operation commission4mission has consolidated its initial achievements, reviewed its strategy, and maintained its growth and development.

During 2010/11 commission4mission has:

• researched, published and launched a Church Art Trail for the Barking Episcopal Area;

Pottery and paintings in our ‘Peacing Together One World’ exhibition at St Mary Magdalen, Billericay

• completed commissions for artworks at All Saints Hutton, St Peter’s Harold Wood, St Edmund’s Tyseley and St Pauls Goodmayes;

• gained commissions for artworks at All Saints Hutton, St John’s Seven Kings, and St Margaret’s Great Ilford;

• maintained a changing display of member’s work at All Saints West Ham and organised exhibitions at St Mary Magdalene Billericay, St Nicholas Rawreth and as part of the West Ham Festival;

• held a networking event and a performance evening and organised a launch event for the Barking Episcopal Area Art Trail;

• worked in partnership with CANA and Veritasse to create ‘Run With The Fire’, an international art project for the London 2012 Olympics;

• completed a strategic development review resulting in work commencing to gain charity registration for commission4mission;

• expanded our membership to 38 (as at 31/03/11) and were joined by Wendy McTernan as regional co-ordinator in South/West London; and

Jonathan Evens and Henry Shelton present the c4m cheque to staff of Haven House.

• presented a cheque for £2,700 to the Haven House Children’s Hospice, this being the charitable element from our first year of operation.

We are very grateful to: all members for their support and involvement; all committee members for their direction and guidance; our Patron, Bishop David, for his ideas and interest; Rev. Helen Gheorghiu Gould for her work on our Strategic Development Review; Mark and Matt Lewis for work on the Barking Episcopal Area Art Trail; Wendy McTernan who joined us as a Regional Co-ordinator; Ranjit Solomon for his independent examination of our accounts; and to London-over-the-Border for their generous financial support of the Barking Episcopal Area Art Trail project.

Revd. Jonathan Evens, Secretary – July 2011

commission4mission @ Leytonstone

The latest commission4mission exhibition begins tomorrow at Holy Trinity with St Augustine of Hippo Leytonstone (4 Holloway Road Ell 4LD). The exhibition runs from 14th - 20th July (10.00am - 1.00pm, 4.00 - 7.00pm) as part of the Leytonstone Festival and the Barking Episcopal Area Art Festival.

The exhibition will include work by Colin Burns, Jonathan Evens, Mark Lewis, Elizabeth Duncan Meyer, Caroline Richardson, Henry Shelton and Joy Rousell Stone. Also able to be seen at Holy Trinity with St Augustine of Hippo are a set of intricate Stations of the Cross by Barbara Sampson and Scenes from the life of St Augustine, a concrete frieze by the sculptor Stephen Sykes.

On Wednesday 20th July at 7.30pm, c4m will also be holding its AGM at Holy Trinity with St Augustine of Hippo Leytonstone. The exhibition can be viewed prior to our meeting. At 7.30pm we will hear presentations from Dr Graham Gould on Scenes from the life of St Augustine, the concrete frieze by the sculptor Stephen Sykes, and Mark Lewis speaking on the Art Trail for the Barking Episcopal Area, and these will be followed by the AGM. The AGM will include discussion of a revised constitution designed to enable us to register as a charity.

The Barking Episcopal Area Art Festival includes a number of interesting activities and events (which are open to all), including other visual arts exhibitions and presentations. Click here for the Festival programme and for more information.

commission4mission exhibition and AGM

On Thursday 14th July the latest commission4mission exhibition begins at Holy Trinity with St Augustine of Hippo Leytonstone (4 Holloway Road Ell 4LD). The exhibition runs from 14th - 20th July (10.00am - 1.00pm, 4.00 - 7.00pm) as part of the Leytonstone Festival and the Barking Episcopal Area Art Festival.
The exhibition will include work by Colin Burns, Jonathan Evens, Mark Lewis, Elizabeth Duncan Meyer, Caroline Richardson, Henry Shelton and Joy Rousell Stone. Also able to be seen at Holy Trinity with St Augustine of Hippo are a set of intricate Stations of the Cross by Barbara Sampson and Scenes from the life of St Augustine, a concrete frieze by the sculptor Stephen Sykes (see images above).
On Wednesday 20th July at 7.30pm, c4m will also be holding its AGM at Holy Trinity with St Augustine of Hippo Leytonstone. The exhibition can be viewed prior to our meeting. At 7.30pm we will hear presentations from Dr Graham Gould on Scenes from the life of St Augustine, the concrete frieze by the sculptor Stephen Sykes, and Mark Lewis speaking on the Art Trail for the Barking Episcopal Area, and these will be followed by the AGM. The AGM will include discussion of a revised constitution designed to enable us to register as a charity.

The Barking Episcopal Area Art Festival includes a number of interesting activities and events (which are open to all), including other visual arts exhibitions and presentations. Click here for the Festival programme and for more information.

Congratulations: Helen Gheorghiu Gould

Our congratulations to Rev. Helen Gheorghiu Gould, who was ordained as a priest yesterday by the Bishop of Barking at St John the Baptist Epping.

Over the past year, in addition to her responsibilities in the Epping District Team Ministry, Helen has been revising commission4mission's constitution prior to our application for charitable status. Helen's proposed new c4m constitution will be discussed at our AGM on Wednesday 20th July at Holy Trinity and St Augustine of Hippo Leytonstone.

We wish Helen every blessing and pray for her in this new stage of her ordained ministry and as she continues to integrate the visual arts into that ministry:

God our Father, Lord of all the world,
through your Son you have called us into the fellowship
of your universal Church:
hear our prayer for your faithful people
that in their vocation and ministry
each may be an instrument of your love,
and give to your servants now to be ordained
the needful gifts of grace;
through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Upcoming exhibitions

commission4mission has two exhibitions planned for July. The first will be at the Crypt Gallery, St Martin-the-Fields, from 4th - 17th July, 10.00am - 8.00pm and will include a wide range of artists showing work in a variety of media including concept drawings, fused glass, paintings and reliefs. The exhibition will also include information about completed commissions and the commissioning process. Exhibiting artists currently include: Adam Boulter, Harvey Bradley, Ally Clarke, Valerie Dean, Jonathan Evens, Mark Lewis, Viki Isherwood-Metzler, Nadiya Pavliv-Tokarska, Caroline Richardson, Janet Roberts, Henry Shelton, Sergiy Shkanov, and Peter Webb. A Private View will be held on Monday 4th July from 6.00 - 8.00pm. RSVP to jonathan.evens@btinternet.com, if you would like to attend.

Our second exhibition will be held at Holy Trinity and St Augustine of Hippo Leytonstone from 14th - 20th July (10.00am - 1.00pm and 4.00 – 7.00pm) as part of the Leytonstone Festival and the Barking Episcopal Area Art Festival. This exhibition will include work by Colin Burns, Jonathan Evens, Mark Lewis, Henry Shelton and Joy Rousell Stone. On Wednesday 20th July at 7.30pm, Dr Graham Gould will speak on Scenes from the life of St Augustine, a concrete frieze by the sculptor Stephen Sykes at Holy Trinity and St Augustine, Mark Lewis will speak on the Art Trail for the Barking Episcopal Area and commission4mission's AGM will be held.

Lent Exhibition: St John the Baptist, Epping

Epping artists have entered into the spirit of Lent this year by creating new works of art for an exhibition on The Way of the Cross, which will be on display at St John the Baptist Epping (who are new members of commission4mission) in the run up to Easter.

The exhibition features 15 specially created art works by the Epping Arts Society on different aspects of Jesus’ last journey of suffering to the cross, some using different media and both traditional and contemporary settings - the pilgrimage walk to Lindisfarne, a London street.

St John’s Rector, Revd. Geoffrey Connor, challenged the art society last September to interpret these traditional devotions in new ways. Fourteen artists took up the challenge and the result is an inspiring mix of different styles and subjects, placing Jesus in traditional as well as contemporary urban street scenes and in the British landscape, in abstract, in naturalistic forms and in clay.

‘It’s unusual because normally when artists tackle this subject they paint all fifteen and there is a recognisable style. The exhibition is different, unusual and, I believe, stimulating,’ said Revd. Connor.

‘I hope those who use the stations as a meditation on the Good Friday journey of Jesus from Jerusalem to Calvary will find it a spiritual experience, whilst others will enjoy the art for its own sake. Few, I suspect will leave unmoved.’

Featured images above are by Penny Foulds, Pauline Stanley, Vincent Coughlin, Roger Fitz-Gibbon, Wendy Webb and Peter Cartwright.

The exhibition is open until 14th April. A booklet containing the pictures, bible meditations and prayers is available priced £1. For further information and comment please call: Epping Team Curate: Revd Helen Gheorghiu Gould. Tel (mob): 07866 451744. Tel (landline): 01992 560999.

Whilst at St John's, visitors can also see permanent artworks by Charles Hare, C.E. Kempe, G.F.Bodley, Josephina de Vasconcellos FRBS, and P.G.C.Northam, as featured in the Art Trail for the Barking Episcopal Area.

Peacing Together One World performance evening

Our Peacing Together One World performance evening at St Mary Magdalene Billericay was a tremendous time with excellent readings of poems from a selection of significant poets (from John Donne to Stewart Henderson) by Michael Creasey and Keith Harman. Original poetry was provided by Pam Adams, Anne Creasey, Jonathan Evens, Helen Gould, and Eileen Mayer. Jonathan Evens also read poetry and showed images by Alan Hitching and introduced a visual presentation of his meditations combined with images by Henry Shelton under the heading Mark of the Cross. Colin Burns ended both sections of the evening with his engaging and varied guitar instrumentals.

The above photographs also show some the additional exhibitions works to those shown in the earlier selection of photographs, including works by Richard Baxter, Joy Rousell Stone and Vicky Woodford. 

Following on from showing work in the Peacing Together One World exhiition, Joy Rousell Stone has a one week one person exhibition at St Nicholas Rawreth which begins tomorrow (Monday 25th October). Click here for more details.