Christmas Eve

the mystery of light 
shining in the darkness...

Mystery of light shining in darkness...Madonna & Child #5, Janet Driver

a sense of mystery...
even in the midst
of all the dark and terrible things that have been happening around us

the writer of the fourth gospel
gives us this hope..
that "in him was life
and that life is the light of all human beings..."

not just for a few
but for all...

and that light
which is life
"shines on and on
in the darkness..."

Darfur Madonna: Janet Driver

even in the darkness of trauma for refugees...? whether in Sudan, N Nigeria, Yemen, Syria...or ...?

yes...pinpoints of light, like candles in the darkness, lit by countless volunteers & rescue workers. 

Look for the stories of hope behind the headlines, and discover the light that is still there...

...shining on and on in the darkness...

The Cat Poses

On Friday the cat decided tried a new tactic to gain attention (*cough* food *cough).  She posed in purrfect profile. 

Her tactic backfired since instead of offering her an empty lap (or food) we took photos, looked at the photos and talked about the photos and praised her beauty.

The painting ....   now its my turn, as the artist, to complete this...not about the cat, though she is now sitting in her much -loved spot by my studio door...

...and the painting?  Well I was coming to that !     

This is one of my early oil paintings from the mid 70's, as a prayer / gift for my husband's ordination...originally painted the other way up, he later decided he preferred it this way up...

 I wonder, which way up is more meaningful for you ?

§c. janet driver.

Have you heard ?

If you would like to hear some good news against the backdrop of  all the troubles, listen to this

BBC World Service broadcast : http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03vrprk

in their Heart & Soul series... this one is on how Muslims & Christians are sharing their beliefs in Mary...and what they have in common... I found "Sharing Mary" such a positive and hopeful message

Listen and hear for yourself...

Praying through Creative Art

Weve had two good Sunday afternoons so far 

& one more to go in August...Sunday 21st.

Lost amidst the chaos of weeding & clearing our front garden, someone dropped by to chat...

 & said the art & prayer sounded interesting....but....well, could someone like me join in?

...I mean what do you actually do ?

Well, a few brave souls decided to come & dip their toe into the water, so to speak...

& the first afternoon we began by looking at Jesus Calming the Storm: Mark 5 v 35-41 

Annie Valotten : Line drawings for the Good News Bible : Jesus stills the storm

Then, taking the storm as symbolic of chaotic events in our lives, or in the news,

Tsunami : etched & sandblasted antique glass panel

we chose pastel colours to doodle...shapes & colours to express our/angry /fearful / chaotic feelings
then took time in silence to pray that Christ might still this storm within us,....

finally drawing a symbolic shape to symbolise His presence within & among us,
whether expressed as calm on a wide sea...

or a variety of other colours & shapes...

Anyone can join in...at any level... its simply a way of going more deeply into what you really wish to bring before God in prayer... & maybe, a way of getting away from the wordy "shopping list"!

On our second afternoon we had a go at intercessory prayer, without using words, but instead using coloured pastels & drawing shapes to represent the people / events we wished to bring before God in prayer.

Interested?  
then do let me know...and we might plan some more small groups in Wivenhoe...
or a Quiet Day somewhere, focusing on silent prayer through creative art.

 ( click on page "Prayer painting/Quiet Day" above for more details )

Multiculturalism

Sicily ?

 what did  I know about this island ?

... only that it looked as though it was being being nudged by Italy's big toe into the middle of the Mediterranean... and here we were, a few days after the referendum, feeling as though our own island was spinning off course...split almost down the middle, amid the chaos of no follow up plan & spiteful incidents against "foreigners" who had been living & working here for years...  & I must admit that being in central London, where, like Scotland, the majority voted Remain, I felt the need to counteract my grey hair with a T-shirt saying "Don't blame me: I'm A-Typical " !

Moving on to the British Museum...I really had no idea just how fascinating this exhibition was to be

http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/sicily.aspx

amid the most delicate intricate carvings we discovered the earliest document on paper: a letter written in both Greek & Arabic... a Psalter in three languages : Greek, Latin & Arabic

and this fascinating tombstone: with Arabic written down using Hebrew script, followed by Latin,  Greek and then Arabic.

Do go and see for yourself... 

& read this review beforehand...

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2016/apr/24/sicily-culture-and-conquest-review-british-museum

Open Studio / Open Gardens Sat 21st May 11-5pm

I'm amazed by the abundance of blossom
and surprised by how few bees & butterflies there are this year
considering the amount of pollen, nectar and glorious scent around the garden.

 

Our Almond tree was covered in white blossom during January

but sadly this photo says it all...

 heavy night frost:
poor blossom didn't have a chance !

But soon the whole garden came alive
with beautiful bluebells
purple iris, far too early
masses of cherry blossom, damson & pear

but sudden warm spell...
far too hot for comfort,
everything opened too fast;
petal-filled pathways...

Will there be anything left
in two weeks time ?

Will this delicate white clematis
joyfully encircling tree-trunk
still be there ?
Or apple blossom and blueberry bells?

Ah, but there will be some new arrivals;
just look at these...

and there's always the STUDIO...
Don't forget...

We will be opening
on Saturday 21st May: 11-5pm
as part of
WIVENHOE OPEN GARDENS WEEKEND

Come...& see... & have a cuppa tea !

Resurrection Paintings by Jyoti Sahi

Resurrection by Jyoti Sahi

Jesus and the Samaritan
Woman at the Well : Jyoti Sahi

If you enjoyed these paintings during the "Come and see..." meditations, then you may be interested in this article I've just found on three resurrection paintings by Jyoti Sahi:

https://artandtheology.org/2016/03/30/three-resurrection-paintings-by-indian-artist-jyoti-sahi/#more-872