Faith & Image 2012-2013 Programme

Here is the proposed 'Faith and Image' programme of evening presentations (at St Mary's Woodford) and weekend visits to galleries, churches or historic places. All are welcome to these events. An entrance fee of £4.00 is charged for evening talks, which includes refreshments. Details from Mark Lewis 020 8504 5840 or Jane Cooper 020 8504 1272.

Tuesday May 8th / Saturday visit to be arranged, at the time of Evensong
"The Re-building of Coventry Cathedral after the war"

A reflection on the power of art, architecture and poetry to create healing and forgiveness in the context of the bombing devastation of Coventry

Saturday June 30th Burghclere Chapel: The paintings of Stanley Spencer"

Lectures, and a discussion of Spencer's work during a visit to the Chapel

Saturday July 21st "Art Trail" visits, with lectures and guided tour of art work at St Edmunds Chingford, St Barnabas Walthamstow and St Andrews Leytonstone (with excellent café!)

Thursday September 20/Saturday 22 September visit to Chichester Cathedral

"The Art and Architecture of Chichester Cathedral"

Tuesday October 16th "Roger Wagner: Religious poet and illustrator"

Author and illustrator of "The Oxford Book of Psalms" and "The Fire Sonnets"

Wednesday November 7/ Saturday November 10th Visit to the Imperial War Museum
"Poets and Artists of the Wars"

'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.

Members update: event and exhibitions

The next event organised by Faith & Image, a forum for all who are interested in art and spirituality, will be: 'Politics, Persecution and Propaganda: The Music of William Byrd.'

William Byrd was England's greatest composer of the Elizabethan period, but his life was shaped by his Catholic religious commitment. In hostile circumstances, he made his voice heard through a highly politicised use of his art.

This will be a talk with music examples by Graham Dixon on Tuesday, January 24th January at 8.00pm. Venue: The Gwinnell Room, St Mary’s Church, High Road, South Woodford, E18. Visitors welcome. Donations invited. Refreshments available. Details from Mark Lewis: Telephone 020 8504 5840 or email: pharos@sketchbook.wanadoo.co.uk.

Emerging artists Melissa Burn, Jakub Ceglarz, Mette Tofte Philipsen, Polly Saunders and Subash Thebe are showing their latest work in ‘Five Seasons’ at the Tokarska Gallery until 28 January, Thursday - Saturday, 12noon - 7pm.

Then the Gallery will show the work of Lia Vio, who lives and works in Düsseldorf, Germany. Her work positions the viewer as a voyeur and participant in a surrealistic journey of self-reflection, offering not only formal inquiry into the ephemeral visual relationships around us, but also the blended aspects of the visual world and visual thinking as well. The visual perception of her photographs operates on many planes: you can always see more in conjunction with what you're focused on.

Tokarska are showing large format photographs from the series "Reincarnation", "Solely in My Head", "Mining the Silent Evidence" and others. Each photograph is cohesive within its series, both formally and conceptually, evoking a sense of awe, mystery and suspense. 2 - 25 February 2012. PRIVATE VIEW 2 February 2012, 7pm - 9pm.

c4m artist's update (8)

Colin Burns and Viki Isherwood-Metzler belong to a group of artists called ClubUrban who are holding an exhibition of paintings on the theme of Genesis from Monday 8th -Saturday 13th November. There is a particular invite to the Thursday evening exhibition event (11th November) when there will be artists talks and live music - including Colin Burns on guitar. This event is from 6.30pm onwards.

There is also the opening night on Monday 8th from 5.30pm - 9.00 pm. The other exhibition times are Tuesday - Saturday 11.00 am - 4.30pm. Colin Burns will be at the exhibition on the Monday and Thursday evenings and daytime Saturday. There are some 15 artists exhibiting. Directions can be found here: http://www.cluburban.org.uk/about.html. The exhibition address is 98 & 128 Westferry Studios, Milligan Street, London E14 8AS (Next to 'Westferry' DLR Station, on the way to Canary Wharf).
 
Faith and Image is a forum for all who are interested in art and spirituality. Their next event is Apects of Medieval Art - illustrated talks by artists Mark Lewis and Peter Webb on Medieval Stained Glass and Metalwork - on Tuesday, November 16th 2010 at 8.00pm. Venue: The Gwinnell Room, St Mary’s Church, High Road, South Woodford, E18. Visitors welcome Donations are invited Refreshments available

The talks will inform a visit to the Medieval Galleries at the Victoria and Albert Museum on Sunday, November 21st at 3.00pm. Meet inside the Main Entrance, Cromwell Road. Visitors welcome No charge for this event. Details of both events from Mark Lewis: Telephone 020 8504 5840 or Email: pharos@sketchbook.wanadoo.co.uk.

The Winter Selling Exhibition by members of Anglian Potters will feature the work of c4m artists, Harvey Bradley and Richard Baxter. The exhibition is from Saturday 13 November to Sunday 12 December 2010,
10am to 4pm, every day, including Sunday. All welcome. All Saints' Church, Jesus Lane, Cambridge.

Anglian Potters return to their usual winter venue for a selling exhibition of work by our members. A perfect opportunity for Christmas shoppers to buy something unique and special. All Saints' Church is owned by the Churches Conservation Trust, which has restored the interior and its extraordinary Pre-Raphaelite wall decorations over the last few years. These make a unique setting for the varied selection of ceramics, ranging from teapots, mugs and vases to sculpture, animals, jewellery or pots for the garden.

Directions: The church is opposite Jesus College, on Jesus Lane, Cambridge. The closest parking is either at a parking meter on the street outside, in Park Street multi-storey, or in the Newmarket Road Grafton Centre car park. Alternatively, try Cambridge Park and Ride.

Janet Roberts

Janet Roberts is a member of the Faith and Image group based at St Mary's Woodford. For the past few years, Janet has had an annual two week exhibition at the end of November and beginnning of December at South Woodford Library which raises funds for homelessness charities. She has also exhibited her religious paintings at Orleans House Main Gallery, Twickenham.

Janet writes: "I would class myself as a Symbolic Expressionist. I tap my unconcious taking a 'walk with a line' and up comes a picture. Otherwise I use an Ignatian imaginative prayer method of taking a Bible reading, then painting a picture. I also can see a picture in a blotch of spilt ink or paint. Now my main aim is, hopefully, to express the presence of Christ."

c4m artists news update (2)

The story of our charitable donation to the Haven House Children's Hospice features in the current edition of the Ilford Recorder and on the Neighbourhood Love webpage.

Peter Webb is currently exhibiting in the Spring exhibition of the National Society of Painters, Sculptors & Printmakers held in the Crypt of St Martin-in-the-Fields until 1st May.

The Illumined Way by Colin Burns features in From the Darkness ... light in contemporary art, a Brighton Festival Fringe exhibition (1 May – 23 May 2010) at Little St Peter's Church, Preston Park, Brighton.The curator of the exhibition is Nathaniel Hepburn, from Mascalls Gallery in Paddock Wood, West Kent. ‘From the Darkness’ is one of a series of exhibitions from Brighton to Canterbury including works by major international artists including Graham Sutherland, Stanley Spencer, Marc Chagall and Maggi Hambling.

The next Faith & Image event is The Spiritual Power of Drawing, an illustrated talk by Mark Lewis, exploring the drawings of the Renaissance period. There is no charge for this event, which will be held on Tuesday May 11th. 8.00pm, in the Gwinnell Room at St Mary's Woodford, but donations are welcome. Mark's talk will be followed on Friday, May 14th. at 10.30am by a visit to the British Museum to see the major exhibition: Fra Angelico to Leonardo: Italian Renaissance drawings. Meet on the steps of the main entrance of the British Museum, if you wish to attend.

Sarah Ollerenshaw currently features in the opening exhibition at The Moreton Gallery, which aims to promote the work of both established and emerging artists, showcasing talent particularly from the UK but also from around the world. Sarah is planning towards a solo show at St Peter’s Notting Hill and anticipates her work being included in Icon? The Art of Faith at Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery in the autumn. She has started Alder Fine Art with Emma Forrester to showcase their own work and to promote other quality, established and emerging artists. Alder Fine Art plan to be at the Cambridge Art Fair in June and Edinburgh Art Fair in November.

St John's Seven Kings is organising an Art & Music workshop on Saturday 29th May from 2.00 - 5.00pm. This workshop has been organised with local churches in preparation for this year's Our Community Festival and is open to all. The art workshop will be led by Mark Lewis and Peter Webb and will involve portrait and landscape drawing on the theme of local people and places. These will then be collaged into larger displays to be exhibited at St Paul's Goodmayes in the week of, and on the day of, the Our Community Festival. The music workshop will gather together and rehearse a singing group able to perform at the Our Community Festival. This workshop is being organised by Rev. Geoff Eze, curate at St John's Seven Kings. The art workshop is on a drop-in basis while, for the music workshop, we need participants to come at 2.00pm and remain for the whole session.

Valerie Dean will be having an exhibition of her paintings together with photographs by her husband Roger Dean in London during the month of June. The exhibition will be held at Pages of Hackney, 70 Lower Clapton Road, Hackney E5 0RN. There will be a private view on Saturday, 5 June from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and they should be very happy to see you there. The exhibition will also be open in June during shop hours, which are Monday to Friday 11am - 7pm, Saturday 11am - 6pm and Sunday noon - 6pm. They look forward to seeing as many of us as possible at the private view. Valerie and Roger's work was recently seen together in a show of 16 Swale artists held at the Horsebridge Arts & Community Centre in Whitstable.

Current journalism from Jonathan Evens includes a obituary for the artist John Reilly in the Church Times, a review of the Resurrection exhibition at Bury St Edmonds to be published in the next edition of Art & Christianity, a response to an Artz Ville article on the Arts Centre Group website, and an interview with Catharine Pusey (then of the Employer's Forum on Belief) in the current edition of the Faith in Business Quarterly.

Harvey Bradley will be contributing work to the summer selling exhibition of work by members of Anglian Potters from Saturday 14 August to Wednesday 1 September in the Old Library, Emmanuel College, Cambridge. The exhibition will be open from 10am to 5pm (TBC). All are welcome, there is no admission charge. This will be an exhibition of work by over 50 members with the work on show covering the entire spectrum of ceramic art and pottery made in the region. Harvey is also involved with the Anglian Potters marquee at the Ickworth Park Wood Sale & Craft Fair, Ickworth Park Gardens on Saturday & Sunday 9 & 10th October.

Faith & Image: The Spiritual Power of Drawing

The latest Faith & Image event is The Spiritual Power of Drawing, an illustrated talk by Mark Lewis, exploring the drawings of the Renaissance period. There is no charge for this event, which will be held on Tuesday May 11th. 8.00pm, in the Gwinnell Room at St Mary's Woodford, but donations are welcome.

Mark Lewis has originated the Drawing First consultancy which aims to open up the world of freehand drawing to people of all ages for professional and personal development, stimulation or enjoyment. He trained and worked as an industrial designer specialising in product design, jewellery and silversmithing. He has had over 30 years experience of teaching drawing and design in schools, adult, further and higher education.

Mark has also provided practical training courses for art and design teachers and delivered community drawing events in London, including regular participation in the national Big Draw campaign. He was formerly a Principal Lecturer in the Sir John Cass Department of Media and Design at London Metropolitan University but has once again become a freelance artist and designer and shares his passion for drawing and creative thinking by offering tuition and bespoke workshops. He is currently lecturing part-time at Birmingham City University.

Mark's talk will be followed on Friday, May 14th. at 10.30am by a visit to the British Museum to see the major exhibition: Fra Angelico to Leonardo: Italian Renaissance drawings. Meet on the steps of the main entrance of the British Museum, if you wish to attend.

Faith & Image: Vincent Van Gogh

The next Faith and Image event is a talk on Vincent Van Gogh by art historian, Roberta Flynn, on Tuesday 23rd March at St Marys Woodford followed by a visit to the RA exhibition on the morning of Friday 26th March. Contact Mark Lewis on 020 8504 5840 / 07981757426 or at info@drawingfirst.co.uk for more details.

Faith & Image event

Faith & Image: Buddhist Art

Graham Dixon introduces the evening with a brief history of Buddhist Art

Photograph by Padmayogini

Painting by Padmayogini

The artist Padmayogini during her talk

Paintings by Padmayogini

The latest meeting of the Faith & Image group was held last night at St Marys Woodford. Buddhist artist Padmayogini spoke about the interaction between her faith and art.

Beginning by explaining her Buddhist name, Padmayogini told us a little of her personal journey as an artist, a Buddhist and a Buddhist artist, illustrating her talk with slides of paintings and photographs. She spoke firstly about her artistic responses to nature before outlining the ways in which meditation and visualisation had enhanced her art. She has a regular practice of retreat during which many of the photographs she showed had been composed. Her paintings now combine natural images with figures of significance within Buddhism.

The second stage of this Faith & Image meeting involves a visit on Friday 2nd October to the London Buddhist Centre at Bethnal Green. Please let Jean Wyber (wyberfamily@aol.com) or Jane Cooper (jcant29@aol.com) know if you are intending to come on the visit. The visit will conclude (for wishing to stay) with a vegetarian lunch on 2 October at the Buddhist restaurant next door to the London Buddhist Centre.

Forthcoming Faith & Image meetings/visits will cover Armenian Art in November and Hindu Art in February.

Faith & Image meeting

The next meeting of the Faith & Image group will be held on Thursday 24th September at 8.00pm in the Gwinnell Rooms of St Marys Woodford (High Road, Woodford, London E18 2PA). The meeting will be on the theme of Buddhist art with input from Buddhist artist Padmayogini and will be followed on Friday 2nd October by a visit to the London Buddhist Centre at Bethnal Green.

Please could you let Jean Wyber (wyberfamily@aol.com) or Jane Cooper (jcant29@aol.com) know if you are intending to come on the visit. The vegetarian lunch on 2 October is available at the Buddhist restaurant next door. The group hope to let us have details of their Armenian talk and visit scheduled for November in the near future.

Peter Webb

Supper at Emmaus

The Betrayal

Peter Webb is a Fine Artist and former Art Teacher. His commissions include paintings of St George and also of the Supper at Emmaus. His painting of the The Betrayal can be viewed at St Marys Woodford. Peter is a member of the Faith & Image group and is a regular contributor to its meetings, most recently on the Royal Academy's Byzantium exhibition (see the report in Easter 2009 edition of the St Marys magazine). Peter has also contributed to community arts initiatives including a mobile created as part of the 2008 Woodford Festival.

Mark Lewis

Christ before Pilate

Chalice for Hornby Church

Mark Lewis is an artist, jeweller and silversmith and until recently, was a full-time Lecturer in the Sir John Cass Department of Art Media and Design at London Metropolitan University and Chair of Faith & Image. He has undertaken drawing and painting 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 now set up a consultancy to develop drawing skills and creative thinking in a variety of exciting learning contexts.

Faith & Image is a forum for all who have an interest in art as a medium of spiritual expression. The group seeks to gain insight and understanding from all art forms, all traditions and cultures. Faith & Image offers a programme of illustrated talks and discussions. Speakers include a wide range of artists, architects, craft workers, art and design historians.

'The Month' features our launch

After-Launch refreshments

Bishop David making his keynote speech

Outside St Albans on the Art Tour

Fr. Roderick Hingley

Revd. Jonathan Evens

The centre pages of the current edition of 'The Month', the newspaper for the Diocese of Chelmsford, features a story about the recent launch of Commission For Mission.

commission4mission enjoyed a successful launch at St Alban's Romford. Fr. Roderick Hingley, St Alban's Parish Priest, gave a tour of the artworks commissioned for the church and described how the series of commissions had helped to transform the church in terms of light, space and welcome. He spoke about the way in which commissioning contemporary artists had meant that the artworks had relevance and resonance for local people, most obviously in the Mark Cazalet cancel ceiling mural with its imagery drawn from rural and urban Havering. What the achievement at St Alban's demonstrates is not only that the commissioning of contemporary Christian Art by Parish Churches is possible but that sensitive, informed and brave commissioning enhances the mission of the church as well as its aesthetic.

Jonathan Evens gave a brief presentation of the aim and objectives of commission4mission which also set out our initial programme:

• exhibitions at Pentecost Festival (30th May) & Chelmsford Cathedral (2nd-7th November);• study day at Chelmsford Cathedral (7th November);

• exploration of four possible commissions with two proposals submitted;

• co-operation with the Faith & Image group;

• application submitted for catalogue funding;

• art workshop at ‘Fun in the Park’ in Barkingside (13 June);

• invitation to be part of London-wide discussions on art in religious spaces;

• invitation to exhibit in the West Ham Festival; and

• support from Bishop of Barking for commission4mission leaflets.

Finally, Bishop David gave the keynote address as Patron of commission4mission. He began by speaking about creativity as both God-given and a key aspect of what it means to be human. He described the birth and growth of a child into adulthood as the most astonishing kinetic sculpture. He outlined how he saw spirituality breaking through in much contemporary and modern art and called for Christians to be sensitive interpreters of such art. Among the examples he cited were the humanity of Anthony Gormley's work based as it is on his own body and the 'something more' of Damien Hirst's diamond encrusted skull, For The Love Of God. He ended by using a quote attributed to Rowan Williams “that artists are special people but every person is a special kind of artist.” commission4mission would need, he suggested, to be a support the special people that artists are in their creativity but also to find ways of revealing and developing the creativity of all.

Among those present at the launch were representatives of the Arts Centre Group, Faith & Image and artlove.com.

Photos from the launch can be found by clicking here and here.