Elizabeth Duncan Meyer

Saint Robert by Night, 2006, Oil on canvas

Maternity No. 5, 2005, Polished Oak

Elizabeth Duncan Meyer's work is influenced by abstract expressionism based on landscape and the human figure. She uses many prophetic forms in sculpture, wood and stone.

Elizabeth writes:

"I have always been interested in the spiritual in art, using biblical figures and dreams. I am now involved in a series of etchings based on music. I have exhibited in churches, given paintings (i.e. Servite Priory in Fulham), and made a wooden crucifix for a Benedictine Monastery. I would be very interested to do a commission for Stations of the Cross in ceramic sculpture. The Madonna and Child comes into a lot of my sculpture."

Having studied at the Central School of Art, she moved to Paris to learn print-making at the Ecole des Beaux Arts and at the studios of William Hayter and Henri Goetz. Although a colourist, with a natural tendency towards abstraction and simplification, her work remains subtle and at times mystical, interwoven with images which reflect her passions, as, for example, the spirituality she finds through exploring the deep human relationships of mother and child.

Seeds of Life

Seeds of Life is the Lent/Easter arts programme at St Andrew's Leytonstone. The programme is being devised and organised by Helen Gould and is a follow-on to the earlier Tree of Life programme.

Seeds of Life will include arts activities with the Seniors, Youth, Lent and House groups at St Andrew's. In addition, there will be two weeks of drop-in session at Cafe Refresh encouraging people to write or draw on the theme. It is also hoped to create a living cross and hold a creative event for Mothering Sunday.

Networking Evening

Work on tryptich for Stations of the Crown of Thorns at St Paul's Goodmayes


Fr. Ben Rutt-Field showing the location for the 15th Station in the Stations of the Crown of Thorns scheme at St Paul's Goodmayes

Rosalind Hore and Henry Shelton will be in conversation about their experiences of producing Stations of the Cross at a commission4mission networking evening to be held at St Laurence's Upminster on Monday 22nd March, 7.30 - 9.00pm. Rosalind's Stations will be on display St Laurence's as part of commission4mission's Grace & Passion exhibition, while Henry's Stations of the Crown of Thorns is currently being completed and installed at St Paul's Goodmayes (see above).

Rosalind and Henry's reflections will lead into open discussion before the evening will close with meditative reflections on the Stations by Jonathan Evens.

Exhibition: Grace & Passion

commission4mission's next exhibition will be during Passiontide (21st - 28th March) and will be held at St Laurence’s Upminster. Entitled Grace & Passion, the exhibition's centrepiece will be the first showing of a new set of Stations of the Cross by Rosalind Hore. The Stations of the Cross have been a big influence on her and her work. Each of her Stations feature three rose buds as a sign of the Trinity.

Rosalind, whose Pieta can also be seen at St Laurence, also has work at St Mary's Goring-by-Sea and, later this year, her Baptism of Jesus will be installed at St Edmund's Tyseley through a commission4mission commission. Rosalind seeks to express exaggerated emotion in her work through the use of elongated stylized figures, strong colour and sweeping folds, which exaggerate both movement and emotion. She uses Christian symbols frequently in her paintings; flames, waters of baptism, doves, cross etc.

Also featuring in the exhibition will be work by commission4mission artists: Adam Boulter, Colin Burns, Ally Clarke, Ann Creasey, Michael Creasey, Valerie Dean, Jonathan Evens, Rosalind Hore, Mark Lewis, Nadiya Pavliv, Caroline Richardson, Joy Rousell Stone, Henry Shelton, and Peter Webb. The exhibition will be the first opportunity to see work by our newest members, Adam Boulter, Ally Clarke, Nadiya Pavliv and Valerie Dean, in a commission4mission exhibition.

'Stations of the Crown of Thorns' tryptich

The first stage of work on the tryptich

Henry blocking in the base colours for the tryptich

Henry and Fr. Ben Rutt-Field, Vicar of St Paul's Goodmayes

Henry Shelton has begun work on the tryptich that will complete the 'Stations of the Crown of Thorns' commission for St Paul's Goodmayes. Working on site, the photos above show his initial work sketching out the design and blocking in the base colours.

While Henry is at work on the tryptich, the church members are painting the interior following rewiring work which includes new lighting for the 'Stations' once installed.

Henry's 'Stations' will add to the significant stained glass at the church by Edward Burne-Jones/William Morris and Leonard Evetts, among others.

New icons for Chelmsford Cathedral

At our Study Day in November Peter Judd, Dean of Chelmsford Cathedral, showed us cartoons for the icons which he had commissioned for Chelmsford Cathedral. The four icons have now been completed and installed. Philip Ritchie has a post on the icons here and the icons are also featured in the Church Times and The Month.

The new four icons have been painted by Orthodox Icon painters, who in true medieval style wish to remain anonymous as their offering to God. The four icons (170in x 55in) are of Mary, Jesus, St Peter and St Cedd (who brought the Christian faith to Essex in 654AD). They have been placed in windows on the north side of the chancel previously blocked off and blank for 70
years.

Memorial: 'The Baptism of Jesus'

Rosalind and Michael Hore with 'The Baptism of Jesus'

Steve Simcox, Vicar of St Edmund's Tyseley with 'The Baptism of Jesus'

The Sanctuary of St Edmund's Tyseley

Jonathan Evens recently delivered Rosalind Hore's painting The Baptism of Jesus to St Edmund's Tyseley where it is to be hung as a memorial to his father, Revd. Phil Evens, a previous Vicar of the church.

The present incumbent, Revd. Steve Simcox, was thrilled to receive the painting and showed Jonathan where it is planned that the painting will be hung once the area has been redecorated. Their intention is that it will be the first thing seen by visitors to the church on entry to the worship space. Jonathan also discussed the possibility of a service of dedication for the painting which would incorporate service resources and other materials written and used by his father.