The Heart Of Things

The Heart Of Things is an upcoming exhibition of painting and sculpture by Paul Hobbs and Sarah Kelly-Paine at the Menier Gallery (51 Southwark Street, London SE1 1RU) from Tuesday 16th to Saturday 27th October, Monday to Saturday 11.00am to 6.00pm (closed Sunday, late night opening on Fridays till 8pm).

Paul Hobbs "makes both celebratory abstract paintings, and painting and sculpture that consider contemporary social issues in the light of biblical values.

Punctuated with both humour and pathos, Paul Hobbs' work engages a wide range of materials to wrestle with questions of human value, dignity and faith. Familiar images are collaged together to make disturbing and yet frequently amusing juxtapositions. Some literally become visual puzzles. Hidden in the layers of paint, collage and assorted objects, metaphors and associations abound, laying out stories with multiple meanings.

Drawing on topical news and social debate, Paul's background in Sociology and his Christian faith, this work tries to come to terms with a world of great opportunity and yet great suffering, a place where even one’s best intentions can become distorted, or diluted by more pressing local activity."

Sarah Kelly-Paine writes: "My paintings celebrate the land that God has given to us. Earth is different everywhere, we are different everywhere. When we know who we are and where our land is we can oversee it and use it and delight in its uniqueness. We can have confidence in what we have and who we are because God made us and chose us. We can celebrate other people and other places and recognize our interdependence and our individuality. Sometimes there is a long hard journey to go on to find yourself and your land. Pain and suffering are part of life.

At certain times particular biblical stories capture my imagination and drawing on my illustrative roots I enjoy pursuing a story through images. The Bible is to me an intimate book and speaks to my spirit woman. It is also a practical, universal handbook and guides lifestyle choices. My beloved God is tender and endlessly creative, bigger than all my struggles and life’s senselessness. In my painting I seek to discover Him more and share what I know of Him with the onlooker."

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Julie Miller and Emmylou Harris: Forever My Beloved.