c4m @ Billericay Art Trail

Among events at the Billericay Art Trail today was a Big Draw workshop at Norsey Woods and an Arts Evening at St Mary Magdalen. commission4mission made a contribution to both events with Mark Lewis and Peter Webb taking part in the Big Draw plus Colin Burns and Jonathan Evens performing at the Arts Evening. These contributions were at the invitation of Art Trail organiser, Harvey Bradley.

The Big Draw workshop featured drawing, printing and digital images at Norsey Wood. Trail artists also included Julia Tanner, Dezadie (digital artist), and Lesley Cartwright. The Campaign for Drawing has one aim, to get everyone drawing; and this event certainly achieved that aim!

The Big Draw was followed by an Arts Evening at St. Mary Magdalen Billericay. This event had a varied programme which included poetry, music, digital projection, storytelling and dance and featured Tim Cunningham and Jonathan Evens (poetry), Colin Burns (music) and Dezadie (animations) plus Reflection Dance and storytellers Colin Taylor and Pat Roberts.

Billericay-based Cunningham has been called the poet of good endings and his apposite phrases served to illuminate the everyday encounters which characterise his poetry. Painter-turned-performer, Colin Burns, fused instrumental dexterity and melodic poetry on tracks from his debut album Emerald & Gold. Dezadie showed her Robot Chicken awaiting transmission animation. Reflection Dance performed on the themes of creation and Pentecost. The storytellers came with a mix of traditional tales and humorous originals, while Jonathan Evens shared a selection of poems on the theme of new beginnings.

Inside St Mary Magdelen the hub exhibition for the Art Trail could be viewed while outside were examples of the yarn bombing which had taken place throughout the Art Trail.

The Big Draw: Norsey Wood

The Big Draw: Drawing, printing and digital images. Norsey Wood, Saturday  20th  July, 10am - 3 pm. Free. Drawing opportunity for all.  Come and take part. Artist leaders - Mark Lewis and Peter Webb. Trail artists - Julia Tanner, Dezadie (digital artist), Lesley Cartwright. Meet by the Visitor centre. Children to be accompanied by an adult. Associated with the national Big Draw movement - www.campaignfordrawing.org. The Campaign for Drawing has one aim: to get everyone drawing!

The Big Draw is followed by an Arts Evening at St. Mary Magdalen Billericay with Tim Cunningham and Jonathan Evens (poetry), Colin Burns (music) and Dezadie (animations) plus a dance group and projected images from the Big Draw (Saturday 20th July, 7:30pm - 10pm).

c4m at the Arts Festival for the Barking Episcopal Area

commission4mission will be mounting an exhibition using a shop unit in the Harvey Shopping Centre Harlow from Thursday 23rd to Monday 27th May as part of the Barking Episcopal Area Arts Festival and Heart 4 Harlow Festival. Also in the Festivals will be art talks by Bishop Stephen Cottrell (Stanley Spencer) and Mark Lewis (John Piper) plus a performance evening at Holy Trinity Hatfield Heath which will include a range of local musical contributions plus music from Colin Burns and poetry from Jonathan Evens, Mal Grosch and Jane Grell.

The exciting programme for the Barking Episcopal Area Arts Festival also includes the premiere of Korban – a new play on the life of Christ; Art talks; Art and photographic exhibitions; Flower Festival (Hatfield Broad Oak); Music and poetry evening (Holy Trinity Hatfield Heath); and Big Lunch and Community Praise, among other events.

Member's update: Colin Burns

Colin Burns is working withResound Media, Sheffield, who have produced a free music sampler showcasing some of their artists music. It contains 12 tracks including one from Colin’s debut album Emerald&Gold. Colin’s track is called ‘For The King’ and features Colin on guitar with spoken word poet Peter Nevland. The album can be downloaded for free here: http://noisetrade.com/yourchurchevent.

Another of Colin’s tracks, 'I Wait For You', can also be downloaded free at www.colinburnsmusic.com.

Colin will be performing at the Meet the Artists event (live music, seasonal refreshments and meeting the artists) on Wednesday 5th December (6 - 8.00pm) as part of the Cluburban Exhibition where he will also be exhibiting paintings. This exhibition has the theme ‘Land, Water, Land’ and will be at St Paul’s Shadwell, London, E1W 3DH during December. 

If possible email colinburns2003@yahoo.com if you intend to come (helps planning for catering). Travel: Shadwell tube or DLR, cross Cable Street South down Dellows Street, turn left along the Highway and look for St Paul’s spire on the right hand side. Map: http://stpaulsshadwell.org/Publisher/Article.aspx?ID=212380.

Member's update: Colin Burns and Nadiya Pavliv Tokarska

Colin Burns (www.colinjosephburns.co.uk) will be exhibiting paintings along with other members of Cluburban in the Cluburban Christmas Exhibition, 1st December - 5th January at St Paul’s Church, Shadwell, 302 The Highway, London, E1W 3DH. A location map of St Paul’s Shadwell can be found at:
http://www.stpaulsshadwell.org/Publisher/Article.aspx?ID=212380. Cluburban is a forum for Arts and Inner Change providing opportunities for engaging with other artists through informal breakfast and supper gatherings.

The next exhibition at the Tokarska Gallery will be a juried open exhibition of children's drawings called Drawing the Culture. This is the second year of this art competition and exhibition organised by the Gallery which provides the opportunity for the finalists in both age categories to exhibit work at the Gallery. The Private View and Award Ceremony will be on 1st December (3-5pm) and the exhibition will run from 1 - 15 December. 

Member's update: Colin Burns

Colin Burns is having a free album launch/social event on Saturday 22nd September and also has a new website: www.colinburnsmusic.com. 

The event is at 7.00 - 11.00pm, Cafe Eterno, 34 Neal Street, Covent Garden, WC2H 9PS. This is just over half way along Neal Street (walking from Covent Garden tube) on the right, a bit past the pub. There will be performances from Colin and friends, Jane Sorrell, John McClean and Rod Boucher from 8.00 - 9.30pm approx followed by some of them doing background music. Colin will do a few tunes around 8.00pm and also towards the end of the slot.

It would be great if you could come. Feel free to bring friends. It would be helpful for Colin to know numbers, so if possible do let him know if you can make it

On the website you can download a free song, hear some samples and see a video. If you click on 'shop' you can also hear a sample of every track on the album. Also see: Colin's facebook page for colinburnsmusic. 

AGM & Annual Report

The AGM for commission4mission was held today at All Saints West Ham. The evening included: a drinks reception; viewing of the c4m exhibition located at All Saints; Colin Burns performing tracks from his debut album Emerald&Gold; a talk by Mark Lewis on 'Stanley Spencer - A visionary of our time' followed by personal reminiscences of Spencer as art tutor at the RCA from Joy Rousell Stone. The evening concluded with the AGM itself.

Annual Report 2011-12

Commissions at All Saints Hutton, St John’s Seven Kings & St Margaret’s Great Ilford

In 2011/12, our third year of operation, commission4mission has continued to develop its work, made key decisions for its future, and undertaken work in partnership with other arts and faith organisations.

During 2011/12 commission4mission has:

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

·        gained commissions for artworks at Christ Church ThamesView and Dagenham Park Church of England School;

·        maintained a changing display of member’s work at All Saints West Ham and organised exhibitions at Holy Trinity with St Augustine of Hippo Leytonstone, St Martin-in-the-Fields, St Mary Magdalene Billericay and Tokarska Gallery;

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

·        held an evening of art talks by Dr Graham Gould and Mark Lewis, led with Dr Philip Jenson an art workshop at St Paul’s Harlow which produced a design for a frieze, and organised a Study Day on the value of public art (also at St Paul’s Harlow);

·        worked in partnership with CANA and Veritasse (Run with the Fire, an international art project for churches in the 2012 Olympic year) and also with Art & Christianity Enquiry and Harlow Art Trust (Study Day on the value of public art);

·        completed the Run with the Fire digital exhibition and event guidance materials and produced a DVD containing these materials; and

‘Running Towards The Goal’ by Erland Sibuea,

part of the ‘Run with the Fire’ digital exhibition.

·        produced Condemned, a creative reflection for Lent  illustrated with contemporary art works by seven member artists, accompanied by the words of Isaiah 53;

·        donated £1,568 split between Sightsavers and SmileTrain, this being the charitable element from our second 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; and Ranjit Solomon for his independent examination of our accounts.

Rev. Jonathan Evens, Secretary – May 2012

c4m members update

Ceramics by Richard Baxter can be seen at the Contemporary Designer-Makers Fair this weekend at Highgate Literary and Scientific Institute. The Private View is on Friday 25th May, 6.00 - 8.30pm (no ticket needed). This is an inspirational selling show of work by designer-makers, at the border of art and craft. Up to 20 exhibitors, working with as wide a variety of materials as possible, will be displaying their work: jewellery, ceramics, quilts, fabrics, furniture, glass, book-binding, textiles, sculpture.

Harvey Bradley will give a painting demonstration and Mark Lewis and Jonathan Evens are giving art talks on Saturday 26th May at the Run with the Fire exhibition in the Strand Gallery (32 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6BP), as part of the Pentecost Festival. The full programme is:

• Painting demonstration – Harvey Bradley, ongoing throughout the day. See Harvey work on a painting and discuss his approach with him.
• The Spiritual Image in Modern Art - Mark Lewis, 11.30am. A broad overview of the spiritual impulse in the art forms of the modern world and their potential to turn our minds to higher things.
• Run with the Fire – Steve Scott, 12.30pm. A talk about the ‘Run with the Fire’ project and DVD.
• Stanley Spencer – A Visionary of our Time – Mark Lewis, 2.00pm. A talk which examines the life and work of one of Britain’s most renowned and eccentric 20th Century painters. The main themes include Spencer’s time as a war artist, and his extraordinary paintings which envision the Christian Gospels played out by the people in his beloved home town of Cookham.
• Praying with our eyes open – Glenn Lowcock, 3.00pm. A talk on using images as an aid to prayer.
• Emotional Tourist – Steve Scott, 4.00pm. What I am learning about art, life, spirituality, Trinity, and relational aesthetics from my travels in Bali and elsewhere.
• Christian influences on modern & contemporary art – Jonathan Evens, 5.00pm. A broad overview of modern and contemporary art and artists which engage with Christianity.

Colin Burns has an excellent new album out called Emerald & Gold with guitar pieces and songs. He can be heard playing at Caffe Nero, High Street, Southend, 6.00 - 8.00pm, Sunday 27th May.

“LOOKING INTO GLORY” is an exhibition of paintings, drawings and poems by Andrew Vessey from 30^th May – 17^th June, 2012 at Gallery Two, Wingfield Barns, Church Road, Wingfield, IP21 5RA (Tuesday – Saturday 10.00 am – 5.00 pm, Sunday 10.00 am – 4.00 pm). This solo exhibition includes an illustrated lecture by Andrew, a retired priest who previously trained in and taught fine art and art history. Entitled “Art, Imagination and God”, the Lecture will take place in the Gallery on Thursday 31^st May starting at 7.30pm.

Fade In Fade Out is the current exhibition at the Tokarska Gallery (until 9 June). Artist and painter, Kathleen Mullaniff, has a second obsession. An obsession which is at once attached to and envelope her small studio. The visitor is invited into the garden, and eventually through a garland of soft winter hues that surround the entrance to her studio. The borders are dormant now. But cross the threshold into the studio and these same sleeping winter colours are revealed through line and mark, in a series of pristine canvases. Marianne North would recognize the samples of seedpods, branches, twigs, dried petals and leaves imported into the studio from the garden, the salvaged fragments that form the still life source for this series of immaculate paintings. The local girl, intrepid explorer and botanist and the inspiration for Kathleen’s new body of work, collected her specimens from the furthest reaches of the natural world. Her expansive travel and analytical account of the exotic, compliments Kathleen’s newest work where stepping into the garden, has re-envigorated and affirmed the notion of place, the local close up, an intimate commune with the melancholy of change, the micro into the macro, William Blake’s ‘world in a grain of sand’.

'Run with the Fire' Launch Night

The Launch Night for the 'Run with the Fire' exhibition was a packed event with some memorable performances in the context of a stimulating and eclectic show.

The Launch Night  provided the first opportunity to see the exhibition which includes ceramics, paintings and sculptures, together with a digital exhibition on Olympic/Pentecost themes. Performances by singer-songwriter and poet Malcolm Guite, artist-musician Colin Burns, artist-poet Jonathan Evens, musician-poet Steve Scott and performance poet Tamsin Kendrick added to the exploration of the exhibition's theme - running life's race with passion and spirit.

Tamsin Kendrick performed vibrant, earthy poems based on the parable of the Prodigal Son and Psalm 139, Steve Scott shared work in progress based on incidents from John's Gospel, Colin Burns played three pieces from his debut CD Emerald&Gold, Jonathan Evens read his Run with the Fire poem and a Mark of the Cross meditation, while Malcolm Guite made a great job of linking themes from the artworks and other performances with poems from his sonnet sequence for the Church Year and from his CD Dancing through the fire.

Colin Burns - Debut Album ‘Emerald&Gold’

Colin Burns’ debut album Emerald&Gold will be available in May. Its 14 tracks comprise 5 instrumental acoustic guitar pieces, 7 songs and 2 performance poetry pieces by Peter Nevland (www.spokengroove.com), backed by Colin on guitar. Guitar parts & songs written and performed by Colin. An 8 page booklet is enclosed containing Colin’s artwork and lyrics. Recorded and produced in Sheffield by Andy Baker (www.resoundmedia.co.uk).

Cost of CD £10 (add £2.50 p&p UK, £3 Europe, £4 ROW). It will also be available on digital download; more information to follow. To order please contact Colin at Arts Centre Group, c/o Paintings In Hospitals, 51 Southwark Street, London SE1 1RU. Tel: 020 7407 1881 or 0845 458 1881. Email: info@artscentregroup.org.uk.

Colin will be performing at the commission4mission Run With The Fire exhibition launch, Monday 21st May, Strand Gallery, 32 Robert Adam Street, London, WC2N 6BP and June 9th at ‘Fun In the Park’, Redbridge, Essex.