The Bigger Picture
Posted on September 29, 2007
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Last week I finished another painting in the new series. It didn’t turn out as I expected but then it rarely does. Photos on the web page soon
New Silk painting finished
Posted on September 10, 2007
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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.
Back to Work!
Posted on September 18, 2006
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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
Posted on July 19, 2006
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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
Posted on June 7, 2006
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The second painting is now finished after an interesting “journey” with it. It illustrates verse 15 of Psalm 139.
More details to follow…
The Bigger Picture - the first painting completed
Posted on May 7, 2006
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At last the news is that I have started the new series of paintings and on Friday finished the first one.
I don’t I’ve ever had such an experience before, such a burst of creativity!
Just as I was about to start, I was thinking about the scripture that would go with the picture. I felt the Lord say to illustrate Psalm 139 from my own perspective and experience.
As I sat and pondered this, in trepidation, I realised that many of the images I had thought about may fit in somewhere in the psalm.
So with great excitement and plenty of nervousness I went into the studio to start. It’s been such a long time since I worked in there, that I felt as if I was on the edge of a cliff with severe vertigo!
Strangely, even before I started, I thought it would be great to paint on a piece of silk that was mid width between 90cm and 140cm. I took out a remnant of silk, instead of from a roll and found it to be 110cm. I have no recollection of buying a piece that size and had to build a new frame for it. I cut it in half, thinking I would have 2 paintings that width and started to paint what I thought was a great image. Two days later after many hours I had to abandon it. It just wasn’t beautiful enough!
Then came the revelation!
I felt the Lord say “who are you painting for? You or me?”
So I took the silk down and started again with the spare piece of silk and painted what I think is His picture.
It is so different from my original idea and so much more profound. It illustrates verse 16.
Only 4 people have seen it so far, so I need to wait and see if is right before putting it on the web page.
The Last painting In the Crossroads series
Posted on June 30, 2005
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The six foot painting is dominated by a gigantic irridescent angel holding a banner saying “grace” and its robes at the bottom forming the word “humility”.
The angel is standing on a beach where the word ” betrayed “formed by metal nails is being washed away by the surf.
The word “forgiven” is being washed in, on the edge, by the waves.
Surrounding the angel, causing much confusion, are dominating words, such as “bullying”, “panic “, ” slander”, and “lies”.
Within the angel is a crouched figure wrapped in a protective golden cloak.
I wanted to create a place of calm and peace, when all around is disruption and discord. Only a very few people have seen the painting in my studio but it has already sparked some interesting conversations! We’ll try to get a photograph of it, together with the other new paintings, on the web as soon as possible.
A surprise new painting … continued
Posted on May 30, 2005
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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? 
A surprise new painting!
Posted on April 22, 2005
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I was surprised last week to find myself back in the studio painting a new silk picture to the crossroads series, as I thought I had finished them all.
It was a painting I had abandoned last year, which in itself is unusual, as once I have started one I have always felt compelled to finish it, even when it may seem to be going “wrong”.
It had started with a criss cross of lines, at first randomly and then a little more specific. I felt sure that I would be inspired to know what went between the lines to complete the content of the painting. I knew there was a church and house in it somewhere and how we behave in both, but just couldnt see it. After struggling for days, my friend Anne, rang me to share a story with me…
A pastor gave his little girl a colouring book and she scibbled all over the page with a crayon obliterating the picture. He wanted to point it out to her but instead said how beautiful it was and put it on the wall.
Anne said “I think the Lord is saying its ok to go over the lines”. She didnt know at that time that I was even trying to start a new painting! I was trying so hard to confine the picture between the lines that I couldnt see the whole thing and just left it in the studio unfinished. So profoundly true in our lives sometimes, trying to keep between the lines and do the right thing that we lose sight of the bigger picture and the freedom we have been given.
I will write about the finished painting next week……..
Crossroads Update
Posted on March 1, 2005
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After 7 years I have now just finished painting the last picture of the new series entitled ‘Crossroads’.
It actually came as quite a shock when I realised I’d finished. I was under the impression there were more pictures to paint - and there were still plenty of ideas in my sketchbook.
Originally I was planning the final picture of a gigantic wave which would be presented on a fifty foot length of silk. I did the original sketch on the 7th October 2000, and had been consumed with the practicalities of painting such a large picture!
In January this year, a friend of mine emailed me and asked me how many more pictures were left in the series. I gave my usual answer - “how long is a piece of string?!” Straight away I went to the TV and caught some of the amateur footage taken in Asia during the tsunami and became suddenly aware of the similarity with my sketches.
I went back to the sketchbook, looked at the wave and realised that I didn’t have to paint it. God had already spoken.
