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Wednesday 2 December 2015

Ffyffe, Koenig & Armstrong - Society of Catholic Artists




At St Stephen Walbrook we recently hosted the latest exhibition by the Society of Catholic Artists (SCA) which included work by Terry Ffyffe, Peter Koenig and John Armstrong, among others.

Terry Ffyffe was born in Melbourne Australia. He is the eldest of eleven children. Educated by the Marist Brothers at St Josephs College he studied Art at Swineburne University under Jeffrey Makin and Roger Kemp. After living the bohemian life of a painter in Carlton, extensive travels in the Australian Outback and several solo exhibitions Terry Ffyffe came to England to study the “Old Masters” of European Painting at first hand. Unknown in England Terry painted portraits to support himself while he developed his uniquely expressive style eventually coming to the attention of the art critics, Edward Lucie Smith and the late Daniel Farson who introduced him to the world of Francis Bacon and the “London school”. Terry won a number of National competitions including the Discerning Eye before he was taken up by the Lamont Gallery. Terry has explored a number of themes in painting including the nude, landscape, portraiture and allegorical works. He now concentrates on Religious Painting.

Peter Koenig is a painter in oils. His subjects include the Psalms (booklet), Song of Songs (booklet),
Stations of Salvation (i.e. subjects like the expulsion of the Money Lenders, the Judas Kiss, the Widow of Nain etc. (in St Edmund’s Kettering) and Salvation (ceiling painting Newport Pagnell). He has also in cooperation with St Augustine’s Milton Keynes produced wall hangings (7x10 feet) on Lent, Advent, the Mustard Seed, the Ship of the Church (barque of St Peter). Life of St Augustine
Paintings by Peter Koenig are displayed periodically within the Parish of St. Edward’s Kettering. The paintings are meditations on various stories from the bible.

John Armstrong is a painter of Christian subjects, abstracts on spiritual themes, pictorial church sign boards, and landscapes. His work in churches includes Altar Crucifix at St Peters parish church, Brighton; hanging Crucifix at St Boniface Tooting, London; a cycle of sixteen paintings at St Georges, Hove; and an eight figure Reredos at St Marys, Bath. He trained as a painter and teacher at art schools in Swindon, Walthamstow and Brighton. Taught art and crafts in schools, worked in museums in Hove and Lewes, and at the Exhibitions Unit, University of Brighton Gallery. He has been a member of SCA for over 40 years. Paintings and Sculptures at St George’s Church. Hangleton” is a beautiful book with 56 colour photographs of oil paintings by John Armstrong, who also designed the church sign board shown on the book’s cover, amazingly detailed woodcarvings made by Balavendra Elias, as well as two ceramic sculptures by Romola Jane, and a dalle de verre window of the Last Supper by the monks of Buckfast Abbey. The text includes comments on each of their works by the artists, and the biblical reference for each piece. This unique book is the result of 20 years of collaboration between the parish priest, Father David Weston, and the artists to produce pictorial and 3 dimensional illustrations to Gospel themes, and would be of interest to art lovers, teachers of religion and families.

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Sam Phillips - Reflecting Light.

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