Images from Commission For Mission's Pentecost Festival exhibition

Harvey Bradley & Rosalind Hore in discussion

A view of the exhibition

Exhibition visitors viewing Henry Shelton's paintings

Observing Harvey Bradley's painting demonstration

Harvey Bradley contemplating his demonstration painting

Rosalind Hore with her painting 'The Moment of Resurrection'

A visitor viewing Jonathan Evens' 'Windows on the world' photographs

Visitors viewing Bishop David's two treescapes

Peter Shorer showing his jewellery to an exhibition visitor

A view of the exhibition

Peter Shorer shows his antique reproduction jewellery to interested visitors

Harvey Bradley shows his sketch book to exhibition visitors

Peter & Audrey Shorer with Peter's jewellery and in front of works by Jonathan Evens

Peter Shorer & Henry Shelton discuss Henry's paintings

Harvey Bradley begins his painting demonstration

'North York Moors' by Bishop David together with paintings & pottery by Harvey Bradley

Harvey Bradley & Henry Shelton discuss their art

One wall of our exhibition showing works by Harvey Bradley & Jonathan Evens

News from 'Church Times'

Commission For Mission is featured in an article written by Glyn Paflin in today's Church Times. Entitled 'Society backs craftsmanship' the article, which features our launch event in March, suggests that churches may be em­boldened in their commissioning of contemporary art by the setting up of Commission For Mission and the example of St Albans Romford, our launch venue.

Also in the current edition of the Church Times is the news that the Revd. Canon Martin Webster, Team Rector of the Waltham Abbey & Holy Cross Team Ministry and a Commission For Mission member, is to become the next Archdeacon of Harlow. We wish Martin well in his new ministry and look forward to exploring with him and others ways of contributing to the rich artistic heritage of Harlow itself.

Bishop to exhibit at Festival

The Baptism of Christ by Rosalind Hore

Station 8 by Henry Shelton

Ivy 1 by David Hawkins

Man by Jonathan Evens

Burstling through the Crown of Thorns by Harvey Bradley

David Hawkins, the Bishop of Barking and Patron of commission4mission, will be exhibiting alongside Harvey Bradley, Jonathan Evens, Rosalind Hore and Henry Shelton at commission4mission's Pentecost Festival exhibition (Saturday 30th May, 12 noon - 6.00pm, Westminster Methodist Central Hall , Storey's Gate, Westminster SW1 9NH).

Bishop David describes himself as an artist first and priest second. He is inspired by landscape, with most of what he paints finding its inspiration there. He will be exhibiting two substantial landscapes of the North York Moors and two pieces combining paint and photographic woodland images. There are a large number of artists and periods that he finds absorbing but what fires him most are contemporary artists such as Terry Frost, Sam Francis, Ivon Hitchens and Howard Hodgkin.

In 2005 he collaborated with Pippa Hale and Stuart Tarbuck in a public art project in Leeds called Mene Mene which saw a series of texts being abstracted from their original Biblical context and filtered throughout the city in a variety of formats; from high-profile banners and adverts on bus shelters to more intimate sayings on bench plaques and shop windows.

Bishop David has said: “I think there is a big need to re-engage with the Arts. The Church has had a lengthy and happy marriage with the Arts in the past but needs more artists. I agree with Rowan Williams that ‘artists are special people and every person is a special kind of artist’.”

The exhibition will feature works in a wide variety of styles and media including collage, jewellery, paintings, photographs, pottery, and a conceptual work using transparencies on mirror.

Pentecost Festival exhibition

Five Commission For Mission artists - Harvey Bradley, Jonathan Evens, David Hawkins, Rosalind Hore and Henry Shelton - will be exhibiting at Westminster Methodist Central Hall (Storey's Gate, Westminster, SW1H 9NH - click here for directions) as part of the Festival Feel section of the Pentecost Festival programme.

Our exhibition will be taking place on Saturday 30th May from 12 noon to 6.00pm. In addition to our exhibition, Harvey Bradley and Henry Shelton will each give a painting demonstration.

For more details see: http://www.pentecostfestival.co.uk/#/commission4mission/4533128379.

St Andrews Leytonstone

Sanctuary of St Andrews Leytonstone


Painted altar

Stained glass by Hilary Davies

Stained glass by Margaret Chilton

Stations of the Cross by Lewis Davies

Above are photos of the interior of St Andrews Leytonstone, venue for our summer exhibition. St Andrews contains windows by noted stained glass artist Margaret Chilton, banners and a window by Hilary Davies and Stations of the Cross by Lewis Davies. Our exhibition will therefore complement a space in which art already plays a significant role.

Airbrushed from Art History?

Jonathan Evens is asking for help with a Personal Development project that he is currently undertaking.

The project involves him firstly in reviewing and updating his reading on Christian influences on Modern and Contemporary Art and secondly in posting summaries of these influences at his blog. He is calling the series of posts 'Airbrushed from Art History?' as his basic contention is that these influences have been consistently overlooked or ignored in art histories.

Your help, if you are able to give it, would be to comment on these posts, as and when you are able, as people able to critique or develop the ideas and information summarised in the posts.

Jonathan's aim is to systematise and develop his thinking on this theme and make use of the material generated in Study Days and other events to be organised in future by Commission For Mission. The series of posts will potentially also form a useful source of reference for those interested in this topic.

Guest post on Commission For Mission

Jonathan Evens has been asked to write a guest post for Phil's Treehouse, the blog of Revd. Philip Ritchie, about Commission For Mission.

Philip has responsibility for lay education and training in the Diocese of Chelmsford and he writes that he is delighted to publicise the exciting initiative in mission and art that Commission For Mission represents.

If you would like to read this post, which also features examples of the work of several Commission For Mission artists, then click here.