Leaves for Healing: The Flowering of the Crown of Thorns

Crown of Thorns (after Lee-Elliott), pastels on paper with bamboo support

Flowering of the Crown of Thorns (after Lee-Elliott), pastels on paper with bamboo support

Original version of The Flowering of the Crown of Thorns as shown at a commission4mission exhibition in St Stephen Walbrook

Leaves for Healing is a two-part exhibition organised by the artist’s and craftspersons’ group at St Martin-in-the-Fields. The theme is taken from Ezekiel 47:1-12 and the two halves of the exhibition reflect the transition from wilderness to fertile land. Several pieces have been shown in one form in the Lenten part of the exhibition and then adapted or further developed for the Eastertide part of the exhibition.

My contribution to the exhibition is one which has been altered in line with the different sections of the exhibition. My image is inspired by Theyre Lee-Elliott's Crucified tree form - the agony, a painting which is part of the Methodist Modern Art Collection. Lee-Elliott is a neglected artist who created notable Art Deco logos and painted the ballet and religious art. See here for Lee-Elliott's image.

The Lenten version of the piece was a drawing after Lee-Elliott's crucified tree form with an emphasis on thorns around the head section of the tree form. Now for the Eastertide version of the piece, I have added leaves and flowers to create the flowering of the crown of thorns, as an image of the instrument of torture becoming the means of grace. The flowers used, although indicative, are Viola tricolor, also known as heart's ease; which seemed appropriate. This is the second version I have created on the flowering of the crown of thorns. The earlier version is shown above from a commission4mission exhibition at St Stephen Walbrook.

Several other pieces in the exhibition have been developed or altered to reflect the different themes and emotions in the two halves of the exhibition overall. These include Three Hanging by Lois Bentley in which her photographic collages on sheet steel, originally hung with ‘Bruised’ taking centre stage, flanked by ‘Cubits’ and Granite’, have now been re-ordered for Eastertide. Now titled Re-United, for Eastertide the middle triangle is placed point upwards as Jesus work on the cross is finished and the Trinity are restored to their coherent whole. The colour yellow appears as the Spring of resurrection dawns. The new piece has been inspired by Jesus asking Simon for a third time - do you love me? Similarly with Ali Lyon's Down in the River to Pray, Hand-dyed fabric (linen, silk, cotton) in deepening shades of blue, with some salt embellishment. This follows the image of deepening water, the trees on the banks, the salty water, and shores of plain green. The shores were unadorned for Lent and now, for Eastertide, are blossoming with a variety of hand-stitched leaves (dyed and variously constructed).

Leaves for Healing can be viewed in the foyer at St Martin-in-the-Fields until 9 June 2019.

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Beth Gibbons / Penderecki / Górecki - Symphony No. 3 Final Movement.