Socially Engaged Practice
Art as a tool to draw attention, help people stop, speak for those who don't have voice or seek to open conversation. Socially engaged community based practice has always been at the heart of who I am as an artist and priest. Drawing the community together around shared values and building on the good is something I'm passionate about. Many works are subversive and go unseen but here are a few that have been documented.
Paintings
Art can enhance my spiritual perception, enrich my prayer life, stimulate renewed engagement with the Bible, make me more empathetic and bring me into more intimate contact with the world. Art testifies; it questions; it holds accountable; it stirs and reveals.
Art also slows me down: It invites me to gaze and wonder. Deeply. In doing so it fosters the habit of contemplation. When I paint I'm drawn into deep worship and enjoyment of Jesus. Below is a selection of sabbath reflective paintings.
Photography
“Photography helps people to see.”
– Berenice Abbott
Photography is a means of communicating. I love to capture the beauty of the natural world. I see God in all around us and photography is a way of capturing some of that beauty to share with others. I've led creative workshops helping people to worship and lead others into worship through sharing images of the beauty in the world around them.
Graphics and Merch
Having taught Graphic Design for 11 years and advocating for the power of communication and marketing it spills into ministry too. Here are some examples of design work completed for a mix of comms, sermon graphics, and more.
Illustration
Sometimes images convey more than words. Sometimes images with words convey a strong message. Often I use illustration to communicate something in a visual way to give away. From retreats in a bag for friends/colleagues to sermon illustrations and work for Diocesan comms I really value this. medium to communicate.