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Saturday, 11 January 2025

ArtWay: Interview with Steve Whittle










My latest interview for ArtWay is with Steve Whittle, whose exhibition at St Andrew's Wickford opens next week. The interview covers Steve's fascinating career and the range of work he undertakes, including his primary focus on collage. See below for more about Steve and his exhibition at St Andrew's.

ArtWay.eu has been hailed "a jewel in the crown of work in Christianity and the arts," and having come under the custodianship of the Kirby Laing Centre, the much-loved publication is entering an exciting new chapter in its story with the launch of a new website in September.

Since its founding, ArtWay has published a rich library of materials and resources for scholars, artists, art enthusiasts and congregations concerned about linking art and faith. Founded by Marleen Hengelaar-Rookmaaker in 2009, ArtWay's significance is reflected in its designation as UNESCO digital heritage material in the Netherlands.



In the video above, the ArtWay team recounts the history of this much-loved resource and looks ahead to an exciting future for ArtWay.

Back in 2018, I interviewed ArtWay founder Marleen Hengelaar-Rookmaaker for Artlyst on the legacy of ArtWay itself. I have written frequently for the site with a recent piece being an interview with British artist Hannah Rose Thomas, who is also an author, human rights activist and a UNESCO PhD Scholar at the University of Glasgow.

My visual meditations for ArtWay include work by María Inés AguirreGiampaolo BabettoMarian Bohusz-SzyszkoAlexander de CadenetChristopher ClackMarlene Dumas, Terry FfyffeJake FloodAntoni GaudiNicola GreenMaciej HoffmanGwen JohnLakwena MaciverS. Billie MandleGiacomo ManzùSidney NolanMichael PendryMaurice NovarinaRegan O'CallaghanAna Maria PachecoJohn PiperNicola RavenscroftAlbert ServaesHenry SheltonAnna SikorskaAlan StewartJan TooropAndrew VesseyEdmund de Waal and Sane Wadu.

My Church of the Month reports include: All Saints Parish Church, TudeleyAylesford PrioryCanterbury CathedralChapel of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, HemChelmsford CathedralChurches in Little WalsinghamCoventry CathedralÉglise de Saint-Paul à Grange-CanalEton College ChapelLumenMetz CathedralNotre Dame du LémanNotre-Dame de Toute Grâce, Plateau d’Assy,RomontSint Martinuskerk LatemSt Aidan of LindisfarneSt Alban RomfordSt. Andrew Bobola Polish RC ChurchSt. Margaret’s Church, Ditchling, and Ditchling Museum of Art + CraftSt Mary the Virgin, DowneSt Michael and All Angels Berwick and St Paul Goodmayes, as well as earlier reports of visits to sites associated with Marian Bohusz-SzyszkoMarc ChagallJean CocteauAntoni Gaudi and Henri Matisse.

Blogs for ArtWay include: Congruity and controversy: exploring issues for contemporary commissionsErvin Bossanyi: A vision for unity and harmony; Georges Rouault and André Girard: Crucifixion and Resurrection, Penitence and Life AnewPhotographing Religious PracticeSpirituality and/in Modern Art; and The Spirituality of the Artist-Clown.

Interviews for ArtWay include: Matthew Askey, Paul Chandler and Brian WhelanSophie HackerPeter KoenigDavid MillerBelinda Scarlett and Hannah Rose Thomas.

I have also reviewed: Art and the Church: A Fractious Embrace, Kempe: The Life, Art and Legacy of Charles Eamer Kempe and Jazz, Blues, and Spirituals for ArtWay.

Other of my writings for ArtWay can be found here.

'The Way', an exhibition by Steve Whittle at St Andrew's Wickford (11 London Road, Wickford, Essex SS12 0AN) from 11 January to 18 April 2025. This artist, based in Westcliff-on-Sea based, uses collage to create Stations of the Cross & a range of other scenes, both religious and landscape. St Andrew’s is usually open: Sat 9am-12.30pm; Sun 9.30am-12 noon; Mon 2-3.45pm; Tue 1-4.30pm; Wed 10am-12 noon; Fri 10am-1pm.

‘The main medium I use is collage and over many years I have developed the technique which can be seen in many of the pictures in this exhibition.’

View the exhibition and hear Steve speak about his work at ‘Unveiled’, the arts & performance evening at St Andrew’s Wickford, Friday 17 January, 7.00 pm.

The primary subject matter in Steve Whittle's work is colour, which has been the major theme. The work is often produced in series and is unified by the similar images and combinations of colours that are used. Each picture can therefore be viewed as a component of a group or seen as an individual piece.

The medium Whittle uses is collage and over many years he has developed the technique which can be seen in many of the pictures in this exhibition. Firstly, the paper, which is acid free, is prepared with several coats of acrylic paint in the appropriate colour and the torn paper collage is applied to this surface with acrylic glue in as many layers as necessary to get the correct colour combinations. When the picture is complete it is then coated with UVS varnish.

‘The Way’ includes a series of Stations of the Cross, plus other crucifixion and resurrection images.

The Spring 2025 programme for Unveiled, our fortnightly Friday night arts and performance event at St Andrew’s Church (7.00 – 9.00 pm, 11 London Road, Wickford, Essex SS12 0AN), begins with the exhibition viewing evening for 'The Way' by Steve Whittle:

Spring Programme 2025
  • 17 January (7.00 pm) – ‘The Way’ exhibition viewing evening. Meet artist Steve Whittle, see his exhibition & hear him interviewed. This artist, based in Westcliff-onSea based, uses collage to create Stations of the Cross & a range of other scenes, both religious and landscape.
  • 31 January (7.00 pm) – ‘Four Essex Trios’. An evening of poems and photographs with Jonathan Evens exploring thin places and sacred spaces in Essex, including Bradwell, Broomfield, Pleshey, and Runwell.
  • 14 February (7.00 pm) – An evening with the Ladygate Scribblers. Hear poetry and prose from a longestablished Wickford-based writers group.
  • 28 February (7.30 pm) – Open Mic Night. Everybody is welcome to come along & play, read, sing or just spectate. See you there for a great evening of live performance!
  • 14 March (7.00 pm) – Simon Law in concert. Simon has fronted the rock bands Fresh Claim, Sea Stone and Intransit, as well as being a founder of Plankton Records and becoming an Anglican Vicar. This will be his final concert for us before retirement.
  • 28 March (7.30 pm) – Dave Crawford & friends in concert. Popular local musician, Dave Crawford writes engaging/melodic songs in Americana/ Alt-Rock/IndieFolk. He has performed at the Leigh Folk Festival, Pin Drop Sessions, & Music for Mind together with Kev Butler. This will be Dave’s third concert at Unveiled. We have also enjoyed his powerful vocals & guitar at our Open Mic Nights.
  • 11 April (7.30 pm) – Tim Almond in concert. ‘Around the World in 60 Minutes’ featuring songs and stories from Kenya, Ethiopia, Malawi, Ecuador and Bangladesh.
See http://wickfordandrunwellparish.org.uk/whats-on.html and https://basildondeanery.co.uk/index.php/news/ for more information.

These events do not require tickets (just turn up on the night). There will be a retiring collection to cover artist and church costs.

Our churches are places to enjoy cultural programmes including concerts and exhibitions as well as being places to see art and architecture.

St Andrews Church in Wickford provides regular art, culture and heritage events and we are looking to develop this further. We think that to do so will benefit the Town by bringing more people to the Town Centre. As part of a Feasibility Study exploring what might be possible that is funded by UKFSP Feasibility Fund, we are asking people locally to share what art, culture and heritage activities they are interested in and what they are looking for.

We would be very grateful if you could complete the survey and tell others about it. The survey can be found at https://forms.gle/dmPH7uzAafuAqLzDA. We are keen that as many people in and around Wickford complete the survey as possible.








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Dave Crawford - Revelations.

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