Your face is a map of the world

This painting was inspired initially by a line in the 30 Seconds To Mars song 'From Yesterday', although the paintings theme is essentially the reverse of that of the song. The line, "on his face is a map of the world", got me thinking of the crucified Christ as wearing the world on his face and from there I thought that if I began with a globe I could create an image of Christ with the world literally on his face. From there I thought of building his body from newpaper headlines to indicate the sin which he bore on the cross, while the blue of the oceans in the globe led to outlining his body in blue. This is turn reminded me of the line "dancing the black night blue", in my poem of the same name (which was inspired by a line in 'King David dances' from John Berryman's Delusions, etc.), so I wrote the first stanza of the poem across the top half of the painting to create a greater sense of foreboding over the abstract hatcheted background which I had laid down initially.

The painting can currently be seen in commission4mission's Peacing Together One World exhibition at St Mary Magdalene Billericay (High Road, Billericay, Essex) which can be viewed until Saturday 23rd October (9.00am - 5.00pm). This varied show includes drawings, glasswork, paintings, photography, pottery, sculpture, and a wood relief. It features the work of Richard Baxter, Harvey Bradley, Colin Burns, Anne Creasey, Michael Creasey, Elizabeth Duncan Meyer, Alan Hitching, Mark Lewis, Caroline Richardson, Joy Rousell Stone, Henry Shelton, Sergiy Shkanov and Peter Webb.

Harvey Bradley, who has organised the show, is artist-in-residence throughout the exhibition. He will be demonstrating his approach to painting and will be happy to talk with visitors about the exhibition and commission4mission.

I will be reading 'Dancing the black night blue' and other poems at the Peacing Together One World performance evening on Friday 22nd October (7.30pm at St Mary Magdalene Billericay) which will also feature poetry readings, original poetry, meditations, images, and music from Pam Adams, Colin Burns, Anne Creasey, Michael Creasey, Keith Harman, Alan Hitching and Eileen Mayer.
 
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30 Seconds to Mars - From Yesterday.