Mari Hayman

Pitton Methodist Chapel, near Rhossili

Skaters

Mari Hayman is an experienced, well motivated artist and teacher with a studio in Swansea. She makes versatile use of a variety of media and processes producing individual and collaborative work on both a small and large scale. She draws from life and paints in all media with her subjects including landscapes, seascapes, people etc. In addition, she makes panels for churches and homes, stained glass windows, mosaics and also undertakes community work. She enjoys co-operating  with people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds and has successfully completed community and educational projects in the U.K. and abroad.

Hayley Bowen

Death of an Empire Butterfly

The Kiss

Hayley Bowen was born in Carmarthen South West Wales and grew up in the valley of Gwendraeth opposite Pentremawr colliery. She always wanted to be a 'great Artist' but was brought up being told she would not achieve her goals. She studied art at Dyfed College of Art and then illustration at Cambridgeshire College of Art and Technology. She has worked as a freelance artist, dressmaker/craft worker, art technician and art tutor. She has also worked voluntarily on many exhibitions, most memorably the Dora Gordine retrospective.

She exhibits annually with a local group and her work is in many collections. She has made artwork for television, and lately has been exhibiting with The Workshop, a pop up shop run by Kingston University Alumni, where she has also studied 'History of Art and Architecture and Design'. She also has work at the Market House in Kingston. 

Hayley says, "I now want to carry on making improvements and to contribute more to my craft, to exhibit and to produce more work and hopefully in some way enhance peoples lives by sharing with them the enjoyment and magic of visual art, which is something that has played a major part in my life, in the appreciation and love of the work of all the old (and new) masters, and also in my case, wanting the pleasure of completing a job well done."

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.

Response to 'Incarnation'

Midnight Church by Elizabeth Duncan Meyer

Transforming Power by Caroline Richardson

Wendy McTernan curated and organised an excellent commission4mission exhibition at Wimbledon Library Gallery. 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.

Eyes on Jesus

Christopher Clack and Jonathan Evens feature in a new Dutch book entitled Jezus voor ogen (Eyes on Jesus) with visual meditations and word and image Bible studies for Lent. The visual meditations have all featured previously on the ArtWay website and include the meditation which Jonathan Evens wrote on Christopher Clack's Descent II.

Marleen Hengelaar-Rookmaaker, who edited the book, writes:

"For us this book is a milestone that marks what ArtWay has been given to accomplish in the past two years. The book will hopefully function as a springboard to a new and broader audience, so that the website and its resources will be used by even more people and churches. We hope that an English version will be published next year.

In Jezus voor ogen the focus is on Jesus. While working on the book it struck me that images of Jesus can start to function as ‘models’ to us. In the book I expressed this as follows:

‘Jesus hangs on the cross as the image of the ideal human being. This is how humans are meant to be: full of love, obedient to the Father, willing to serve and suffer, resisting temptations, putting others above oneself. If we are honest, this is not really our idea of an ultimate hero. For this very reason it is of such great importance to keep on feeding ourselves with this and other images of Jesus. For deep inside of us live all kinds of other ideal images that drive us and that we bow to time and again, because they are our idols. Our ideal picture of our successful self: the slim figure, the imposing house, the fat car, the ideal partner, the golden job, the huge happiness. Christian art can replace these with new ideal images that can help us to become people of unified character: people whose inside corresponds with their outside, whose deeds rhyme with their words – people for whom Jesus on the cross is a source of inspiration for who they want to become and be.’"

Member's update: Henry Shelton and Jonathan Evens

The Passion: Reflections and Prayers with images by Henry Shelton and words by Jonathan Evens is now available from The Seed as a pdf, powerpoint presentation and as individual images.

These pictures, poems and prayers enable us to follow Jesus on his journey to the cross reflecting both on the significance and the pain of that journey as we do so. With this series Henry and Jonathan have aimed to pare down the images and words to their emotional and theological core. The mark making and imagery is minimal but they hope in a way that makes maximum impact.

The Passion is the second series by Henry and Jonathan to be available through The Seed. The first, Mark of the Cross, was described by Steve Santry on Revster's Ramblings as "Stunning artwork and thought provoking words [which] open up the events around Easter in a new and imaginative way."

The Seed and seedresources.com is a collaboration between the Leaders of Worship and Preachers Trust (LWPT) and Twelvebaskets Ltd.

In 2010 Henry Shelton completed a commission for Stations of the Crown of Thorns at St Paul's Goodmayes. Parish priest Fr. Benjamin Rutt-Field wrote meditations for this set of Stations and has now published these together with photographs of Henry's Stations. Copies of this booklet can be obtained from Fr. Ben on b.ruttfield@btinternet.com.

In addition to Henry Shelton, other commission4mission members with completed sets of Stations of the Cross include Valerie Dean and Rosalind Hore. Valerie's Stations have a very clear and intense focus on details which are evocative of the whole, as can be seen from the photographs she has taken of the set which can be viewed here. Click here and here for photographs of exhibitions featuring Rosalind's Stations. Henry, Valerie and Rosalind are all keen to discuss ways of making these Stations available for any church that would be interested in having them. Contact Jonathan Evens on jonathan.evens@btinternet.com for more information. 

Caroline Nina Phillips

Liminality

Deeper

The urban landscape has been a source of fascination, inspiration and a recurring theme throughout the work of Caroline Nina Phillips. Observational drawings and camera snapshots of the local urban environment are used as starting points for these layered, painterly works. Particularly favoured focal points are construction sites; building works; passageways and stairways. Noticeably, the chosen places are those which could be easily overlooked. It is through experiencing; looking; recording and reflecting upon such particular spaces, that Caroline Nina captures their existence and essence.

Many of the paintings are suggestive; openings entice as barriers block. Stairwells guide the viewer’s gaze from one implied space to another – beyond the physical boundary of the painting. Attracted to specific spaces that offer this potential for imagining; Caroline Nina Phillips contemplates what can be seen and the possibilities of what remains unseen. Features fascinate and draw her in with their depth and intensity. Captivated by the real, raw, gritty surfaces and atmosphere of many of the places she chooses to paint, Caroline Nina aims to evoke such qualities through her diverse colour choices and expressive, textural handling of the paint.

Oils are scraped, layered, removed; smeared, worked and reworked again and again- indicative in many ways of the process of building; of time passing; of ageing; deterioration; breaking down and of revival; reconstruction; of turning something old; damaged or worn, into something new.

Ken Ashby

AntiTorture

Christ Over Creation

Ken Ashby studied Fine Art at Camberwell School of Art in the late 1960's and, apart from a series of successful murals, hadn't painted seriously until more recent years.

He considers himself to be of the romantic school of art, responding to the beauty he sees around him and painting in different styles depending on the subject itself. He draws influences from many different quarters and also paints in response to modern ugliness, whether it is torture, terrorism or environmental disaster/global warming.

Private View: 'Incarnation'

commission4mission's South London launch took place tonight at a well attended Private View for our Christmas exhibition entitled 'Incarnation'. 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. 

The exhibition, which had curated by Wendy McTernan, can be seen at Wimbledon Library Gallery (1st floor, Wimbledon Library, Wimbledon Hill Road, London SW19 7NB) and includes the work of 16 artists in media including ceramics, fused glass, paintings and photography. The exhibition continues until Saturday 8th December, 9.30am - 7.00pm (2.00pm on Saturday) with access through the Library. A second Private View will be held tomorrow from 6.30 - 9.30pm. All are welcome.

Those exhibiting are 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.

In launching commission4mission in South London, Jonathan Evens, c4m's secretary, said the following:

commission4mission was launched in March 2009 by our Patron, the Bishop of Barking, to encourage the commissioning and placing of contemporary Christian Art in churches, as a means of fundraising for charities and as a mission opportunity for churches.

We aim to:

·                    provide opportunities for churches to obtain and commission contemporary Christian Art for church buildings;

·                    provide information, ideas and examples of contemporary Christian Art and its use/display within church settings; and

·                    raise funds for charities through commissions and sales of contemporary Christian Art. 

In the short time that commission4mission has been in existence we have:

·                    built up a pool of over 30 artists available for Church commissions;

·                    developed a blog profiling our artists and giving up-to-date news of our activities;

·                    completed of 10 commissions;

·                    organised 13 exhibitions, two Study Days, three art workshops, several performance and networking events for members;

·                    created an Art Trail for the Barking Episcopal Area;

·                    worked in partnership with two other arts organisations (Christian Artist’s Networking Association & Veritasse) to create an Olympic-themed art project – Run With The Fire; and

·                    published several sets of images and meditations primarily with a Lenten or Passiontide focus.

We seek to be a proactive organisation for both the artists and the churches with which we work. For our artists we regularly provide information updates and networking opportunities as well as actively promoting their work through our blog, events and exhibitions. This ensures that they feel connected to one another and the wider faith and arts scene as well as benefiting from the support and ideas of fellow members. For churches, we actively provide opportunities to think about the possibility of commissioning contemporary art by seeing and considering the work of our artists and by suggesting ways to overcome some of the barriers which sometimes seem to stand in the way of new commissions such as finances and the differing tastes of church members. 

Why do we do what we do? Fundamentally, I would want to say that there is a Trinitarian underpinning to what we do. Firstly, that we are creative because we are made in the image of our Creator. That, as Dorothy L. Sayers reminded us in her book The Mind of the Maker, to be made in the image of God means that we are most like God when we are being creative. Secondly, that it is the Holy Spirit who gives skill to craftspeople and artists. The first Spirit-filled man in the Bible, Bezalel, was chosen by God to be skilled, knowledgeable and able to teach in all kinds of craftsmanship. So, to be biblically inspired is to make. Thirdly, that because God became truly human in Jesus we can represent his human nature as with any other member of the human race. So that, if we paint a picture of Jesus, we’re not trying to show a humanity apart from divine life but a humanity soaked through with divine life.

Next, I would want to say that the Arts are in many ways foundational to all that occurs in Church. Very briefly, we can say that:

•         the Architecture of our churches provides a designed context and stage for the worship that occurs within them;

•         we re-enact Biblical narratives through the poetry of the liturgy;

•         music in church provides composed expressions of emotions and stories in and through song; and

•         images in churches re-tell Biblical narratives and open windows into the divine.

Finally, we would also say that the Arts contribute to the mission of the Church by:

•         speaking eloquently of the faith;

•         providing a reason to visit a church – something we have tapped with our Art Trail for the Barking Episcopal Area;

•         making links between churches and local arts organisations/ initiatives; and

•         providing a focus for people to come together for a shared activity.

These then are key reasons why, in commission4mission, we seek to encourage the commissioning and placing of contemporary Christian Art in churches.

I would like to end with a poem by the German kinetic sculptor Heinz Mack who has had much experience of trying to work in and with Catholic chapels in Germany:

“Church art is not always art.

Art that happens to be placed in church, is art in the church,

But not Church art.

Church art that is shown in museums, remains church art in museums.

Art for the Church is not always regarded as art by the Church.

The Church does not always want art.

Art is art without the Church.

Great Church art is art in the church and for the church.”

In seeking to encourage the commissioning and placing of contemporary Christian Art in churches, commission4mission is aiming to be about “art in the church and for the church.”

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: Elizabeth Duncan Meyer

Elizabeth Duncan Meyer, sculptor, painter and print-maker, has a new website. Do visit the site in particular for an excellent gallery of Elizabeth's work. 

As stated on the site, "Although a colorist, with a natural tendency towards abstraction and simplification, Elizabeth’s work remains subtle and at a times mystical, interwoven with images reflecting aspects of her soul."

Incarnation: c4m's Christmas exhibition

commission4mission's Christmas Exhibition entitled “Incarnation” features work by Harvey Bradley, Colin Burns, Christopher Clack, Ally Clarke, Valerie Dean, Elizabeth Duncan-Meyer, Jonathan Evens, Ken James, Mark Lewis, Sarah Ollerenshaw, Caroline Richardson, Janet Roberts, Francesca Ross, Henry Shelton, Sergiy Shkanov, Joy Rousell Stone and Peter Webb.

The exhibition links us up again with Sarah Ollerenshaw, who has exhibited with us previously. Sarah's paintings are contemporary and yet they communicate a sense of age together with a timeless impression of sacrifice, hope and, fundamentally, of love. They reflect on the tension created between loving God whilst living in and being of the world. They are emotive pieces which challenge and provoke new explorations of what it is to relate. Her influences include Spanish art from the Golden Age, mediaeval art and icons and religious imagery of early altarpieces. Her paintings are meant to be contemplative. They are meant to make you stop and think about 'big' things such as what it means to love, what it means to sacrifice and most of all how we the viewer relate; not just to the picture itself but to those around us.

Sarah writes: "It is this 'hyper reality' that I want to encourage; for the viewer to become the co-creator of the work and for my painting to challenge their present. By that I mean that the viewer, when standing in front of my work has the potential to see and experience love when he needs to see love, compassion when he needs compassion, even grief if he the viewer is suffering."

The exhibition will be in Wimbledon Library Gallery, 1st floor, Wimbledon Library, Wimbledon Hill Road, London SW19 7NB. Opening times are 4 - 8 December, 9.30am-7.00pm (2pm on Saturday) with access through the Library.

You are warmly invited to the Private View and Launch on Monday 3 December from 6.30 - 9.30pm or a Second Private View on Tuesday 4 December from 6.30 - 9.30pm. On Monday and Tuesday evenings from 7pm, the Gallery can be reached via a side entrance in Compton Road. commission4mission will be launched in south London at Monday's Private View.

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: Harvey Bradley

Harvey Bradley is exhibiting in Potters In Jesus, the Christmas Selling Exhibition of Anglian Potters at All Saints Church, Jesus Lane, Cambridge until Sunday 16th December. Opening 10am - 4 pm Mon - Sat, 12 - 4pm Sunday.

Additionally, we have recently agreed a licence for use of an image of Harvey's Nativity painting by New Covenant Christian Community Church (Bethlehem Pennsylvania) in their Christmas Eve publicity and service. 

Newsletter No. 14 - November 2012

Completed commission: Wooden Reliefs

Peter Webb has recently completed our latest commission - two painted wooden reliefs for Dagenham Park Church of England School. The reliefs are heads of Christ and Mary Magdalene. This commission completes a circle for Peter as he first made wooden reliefs while an art teacher, as an aid in teaching Cubism to his pupils. The commission features as part of the brand new state-of-the-art school building with world class facilities into which the school has recently moved. This building, which was designed by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, has been nominated for a British Construction Industry Award 2012 in the category of Building of the Year.

Christmas exhibition: Incarnation

commission4mission will launch itself in south London with a Christmas Exhibition entitled “Incarnation” featuring 15 artists working in a variety of media. The exhibition will be in Wimbledon Library Gallery, 1st floor, Wimbledon Library, Wimbledon Hill Road, London SW19 7NB. Opening times are 4 - 8 December, 9.30am-7.00pm (2pm on Saturday) with access through the Library. You are warmly invited to the Private View and Launch on Monday 3 December from 6.30 - 9.30pm or a Second Private View on Tuesday 4 December from 6.30 - 9.30pm. On Monday and Tuesday evenings from 7pm, the Gallery can be reached via a side entrance in Compton Road.

Peter Webb, Alan Hitching and Henry Shelton at All Saint‟s Woodford Wells

Barking Arts Festival events

c4m organised two events in October for the Arts Festival of the Barking Episcopal Area, run in parallel this year with the Woodford Festival. Mark Lewis, Francesca Ross, Peter Webb and others provided advice and opportunities to try creating portraits through drawing, painting and printing as part of the Big Draw event at St Mary's Woodford.

We also held an exhibition in the newly opened Atrium of All Saints Woodford Wells which included the 'Run with the Fire' digital art exhibition plus work by Elizabeth Duncan Meyer, Jonathan Evens, Alan Hitching, Mark Lewis, Caroline Richardson, Janet Roberts, Francesca Ross, Henry Shelton, Joy Rousell Stone and Peter Webb.

Together with Kathryn Robinson, Performing Arts Adviser for the Barking Episcopal Area, Jonathan Evens also organised a poetry evening as part of the two Festivals. This Celebration of Poetry featured the poetry of c4m members Alan Hitching and Jonathan himself, as well as that of Tim Cunningham, Jane Grell, Malcolm Guite and Jennifer Houghton.

The Passion: Reflections & Prayers 

Henry Shelton and Jonathan Evens have recently published their second collection of images and meditations on the Passion of Christ to raise funds for c4m. This collection is available initially as a double-sided A3 sheet containing all 14 images, meditations and prayers. The pair have aimed to pare down the images and words to their emotional and theological core. The mark making and imagery is minimal but in a way that makes maximum impact. The A3 format is designed for ease of devotional use and can be ordered (£3.50 + p&p) from jonathan.evens@btinternet.com. Their first collection - Mark of the Cross - remains available as a download from 12baskets (http://www.twelvebaskets.co.uk/view/178/store/pdf/mark-of-the-cross-pdf).

Member Profile: Richard Paton 

Richard Paton is a stained glass artist with 20 years in the trade who started Rainbow Glass Studios, based in Stoke Newington, North London, in 2001. In that time Richard has had hundreds of commissions which have required different techniques and designs to fulfil the very diverse briefs. These range from corporate work to individual commissions from the rich and famous through to work in Churches.

Christmas exhibition: Incarnation

commission4mission will launch itself in south London with a Christmas Exhibition entitled “Incarnation” featuring 15 artists working in a variety of media.

The exhibition will be in Wimbledon Library Gallery, 1st floor, Wimbledon Library, Wimbledon Hill Road, London SW19 7NB. Opening times are 4 - 8 December, 9.30am-7.00pm (2pm on Saturday) with access through the Library.

You are warmly invited to the Private View and Launch on Monday 3 December from 6.30 - 9.30pm or a Second Private View on Tuesday 4 December from 6.30 - 9.30pm. On Monday and Tuesday evenings from 7pm, the Gallery can be reached via a side entrance in Compton Road.

ArtServe conference: Christ be our light!

Mark Lewis is among the contributors to this year's ArtServe annual weekend conference, which this year is entitled 'Christ be our light!'  The weekend runs from Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th November 2012 at High Leigh, Hoddesdon, Herts, EN11 8SG.

This creative, participative event will reveal all sorts of gifts and insights we can use to witness to God’s active presence in our worship through different media and experiment. The emphasis is on the present and real – recognising all that we have around us. We will examine the opportunities and challenges revealed, along with the possibilities and tensions in the relationship between art and faith, between creativity and the church’s worship. Highlights of the weekend include:

• Lantern Theatre Company’s performance of their challenging drama Key Witness, ordinary people who saw extraordinary things
• Pat Livingstone’s insights and experience as a composer and musician for the Iona Community
• Michaela Youngson revealing the mysterious beauty of colours and textures fused in glass.
• Worshipping together and enjoying excellent hospitality and good company!

Members' update: Jonathan Evens

Jonathan Evens' book The Secret Chord, jointly authored with Peter Banks of After The Fire, is now available in paperback as well as Kindle. The paperback is being sold directly from Lulu - click here for the link. 

The Secret Chord is an impassioned study of the role of music in cultural life written through the prism of Christian belief.

If you're a Kindle user, then the bumper bargain Kindle version at just £1.95 is available by clicking here. If you're not a Kindle user but would like the online version then click here to download free software to run the Kindle version.

The website for The Secret Chord is also up and running with news, bios, additional links, and room for your comments and views. Click here to access the website.

Jonathan's commission4mission publications featuring his meditations combined with paintings and drawings by Henry Shelton are Mark of the Cross and The Passion: reflections and prayers. These publications enable us to follow Jesus on his journey to the cross reflecting both on the significance and the pain of that journey as we do so.

Member's update: Harvey Bradley and Nadiya Tokarska Pavliv

Harvey Bradley is exhibiting in 'Soulful Ceramics & Peaceful Paintings' with Peter Deans, Mike Lang, Linda Claxton and David Bostock at the Maeldune Centre in Maldon from 18th October to 10th November. See above for opening times.

The current show at the Tokarska Gallery - Corsham Re-formed - can be seen until 20 October, Thur - Sat, 12pm - 7pm. This show explores the continuing influence of a uniquely British institution, Bath Academy of Art. The artists are drawn from the final years of the college’s independence in Corsham, near Bath in Wiltshire, over 20 years ago. A small number of the group moved to East London in 1987 and have been pursuing their creative work, some alongside other careers, ever since.

The following show will be Paintings by Jess Levine. Private View - 3 November 2012, 6pm - 8pm
Show runs 1 - 10 November 2012, Thur - Sat, 12pm - 7pm. Jess Levine's work stems from various sources which include personal travels, Kentish landscape, current affairs, childhood memories and textile designs.