New webpage
If you’re one of the folk who often look at the web page, it probably seems like not a lot is happening. However there is always so much background ‘stuff’ that God is doing with me. It then takes me time to process it, pray about it and live it before a painting emerges.
Thanks to Geoff, my son, we’ve developed this new site. I’m not the greatest technogran in the world(!), but we’re hoping that the more up to date format will give me the opportunity to share a bit more. Being a bit of a visual, rather than a word person I often “see” things that God is doing rather than hear them.
A new feature that I’m hoping to use more is my Flickr website. Over the last few years I have taken quite a few photographs that have spoken powerfully to me, and I’ll hopefully be uploading some of them soon!
Time to paint!
I took this photo recently in my studio. I have been recovering from a complete knee replacement(ouch!) and have been unable to stand to paint. How could I have let my paintbrushes get covered in cobwebs?! A friend told me a few weeks ago, that painting was what I was made for (I’m not sure that is completely true). I wonder how many of us just let things tick over, instead of fully embracing what God has planned for us.
New Silk painting finished
On Saturday I finished a new painting for the third series.
As it was the first one for a year, everything seemed more difficult than usual.Since I had surgery for a new metal knee at the end of February I have been struggling with the thought that I may not be able to stand and paint again, but the desire to get in the studio is very strong and at last I got in there a couple of weeks ago.
The painting is as ever, different to my original sketches and expectations…but hopefully says what I want it to say.
Listen Again
If you were not up in time or missed the interview with Tim Daykin and Anne you can hear it on listen again on radio Solent.
Or you can find it in the main BBC website / religion / divine art / Hampshire / Tim Daykin, about an hour and a half into the program.
Interview with Anne House on BBC Radio Solent
Anne House will be interviewed on BBC Radio Solent by Tim Daykin this Sunday 7th January 2007.
Please tune in to hear about the Exhibition and find out where you can come and see the exhibition displayed. The show runs from 6am to 9am.
Visit BBC Radio Solent’s web page for more details: http://www.bbc.co.uk/hampshire/local_radio/index.shtml
Back to Work!
I’ve been away for about a month in France, staying with friends. So I suspect time for playing is over!
I feel like I painted myself to a bit of a standstill before I went away.I have lots of ideas but getting the images from my mind onto the silk is always the biggest step.
It’s never lack of ideas, it’s more about deciding which one will say what I want it to say, with the greatest impact.The last series, Crossroads was a very different process. I had in my mind a moving video. Then I would play it backwards and forwards until I could try to see and paint the single still frame that would tell part of the story and some of the conclusions.
As always God is doing a new thing and there is never a definite formula to the way I get the images or paint. I have lots of images in my mind and a few in sketch books…
But…which ones go with which verses? I shall meditate more on each verse and see where it takes me. As they say “watch this space”
Painting 3 and 4 now completed
My aplologies for not writing more, but it’s been a very busy time for me. I’ve now finished 2 more paintings from psalm 139. I’ll try to upload pictures of them soon.
The Bigger Picture – second painting
The second painting is now finished after an interesting “journey” with it. It illustrates verse 15 of Psalm 139.
More details to follow…
What next ?
With great sadness, last week I gave in my notice as the outreach worker at Swaythling Methodist church, which has probably come as a shock to all of us involved in the work on the estate. It was time for me to hand over to someone else with different gifts to continue with the Lord’s work.
So what next?
I feel an urgency to start painting again, and have some amazing images in my mind. I knew that there was probably a third series of silk paintings but just couldn’t ‘get a handle’ on it.
I haven’t been in my studio for months but felt really ‘at home’ last week when I had to go in there for something.
My work finishes at the end of March and perhaps I will start to paint again in April.
A surprise new painting … continued
The painting is finished.
The feeling that I had about church and home being connected was right but as usual not completely as I had anticipated. Lots of church spires and rows of housing all interconnected through the crown in the middle and spinning off in different directions.
I felt that how we are, in the comfort of our own home, should be identical to that of church. However the perspective of the lines make it all rather disorientating.
Through the whole painting is a cross with someone diving into it from a bridge, made up of the words faith and love. The bridge is only made more stable by cables wound around nails in the cross. Right across the picture in a large sweep of letters like a banner, are the words “Dare You Step over the Lines”. I wanted to do perfect lettering but ended up doing the letters rather messily so that the contrast with the neat lines would be more evident.
A friend of mine made an interesting comment. That he had to make a decision where he was, to even start reading what the painting said. It sounds a complicated painting but when you see the title it all becomes easier.
“Love Your Neighbour as Yourself”
(Look out for my random purposeful scribble across some neat lines) I wonder what that says about me? 