signing off - a tryptich

A sabbatical triptych:  Three mixed media panels telling the story of my sabbatical journey.

Panel 1 (acrylic, tracing paper, photocopy and jute) – reflects something of the main event which had its origins in a holiday to Tuscany. One unbearably hot afternoon Belinda and I sought shade in the Bardini Gardens overlooking the beautiful city of Florence. Just below us on the terrace a group of art students appeared and began making images of the city spread below. It was clear that this very international group were mainly enjoying a gap year experience, and I began to feel a sense of regret that at their stage in life I was in too much of a hurry to settle down that I never really took opportunities to do such exciting things. I also knew, not in a rational thought out way, but somehow I knew, that one day I would address that sense of regret.

At the time I hadn’t picked up a pencil or paint brush with artistic intent for longer than I cared to remember. It took a frightening experience of mental exhaustion and a totally unplanned encounter with art classes at the Greenbelt festival to re-kindle my interest. It wasn’t long before I remembered that hot afternoon - and so 3 years on, I was one of those students. I was enrolled on a life drawing course in Florence! Only a week but carrying great significance. Alongside some of those gap year students from around the world I learned a little and experienced a great deal. The figure in the picture demonstrates that some of the models for our drawing were less ‘alive’ than others!

Panel 2 – (wrapping paper and box canvas)  is largely formed from paper in which were wrapped Christmas decorations from a department store in Florence and hints at some of the other things the sabbatical space opened up. Whilst in Florence I also took some cookery lessons, during the course of which I made and shared supper with a Russian speaking mother and daughter from Ukraine, a Norwegian civil servant who was a bit of an expert on Scottish history and a group of Afrikaans speaking South African students.

This panel also hints at other significant moments, the opportunity for a relaxed family Christmas which wasn’t dominated by the pressure and rush to prepare and lead myriad services and events, time to explore new places many of them in my beloved home county of Northumberland and the chance to browse charity shops in search of the eclectic and collectable. Three months without structure or expectation was incredibly liberating, a chance to break out from the spiritual and emotional suffocation born of endless meetings, constant preparation for the next service, or the incredible drain of trying to bring reconciliation and vision where folk have got trapped by prejudice or personal comfort. A simple piece of wrapping paper expressing such possibility.

The final panel (photograph, jute, acrylic and powdered chalk) is based on an image of a plaster cast of footprints discovered in archaeological exploration of the Roman period in the Greek city of Thessaloniki. For me they have come to represent the many footsteps in which I found myself walking.

Just before I left for Italy I reread my dad’s wartime diaries, and was particularly struck by his account of visiting Rome in the early days of peace in 1945. It included reference to his attending an audience with the Pope which he described as a very special moment. Given the religious views he expressed throughout much of his life I would never have thought in visiting the Vatican I would be walking my dad’s footsteps – doing so was a moment of very special connection. More anticipated footsteps were those of St Paul as I enjoyed special times in Athens and Thessaloniki. I also enjoyed walking in the many steps of pilgrims down the centuries who had travelled in search of spiritual connection, culture and beautiful art. In Rome, Florence, Venice, Edinburgh and Berwick upon Tweed my eyes were opened and my thinking challenged.