Between: September 2025

Tuesday, 30 September 2025

Artlyst - The Art Diary October 2025

My latest Art Diary for Artlyst features exhibitions by several artists whose work I have championed through essays and exhibitions, as well as solo and group shows that explore environmental, social, and spiritual concerns. Read on for news of exhibitions by Michael Landy, Ana Maria Pacheco, Robert Smithson, and Suzanne Treister, among others, together with shows at Compton Verney, Firstsite, Pallant House, and the Engelundsamlingen in Vrå:

'‘Everyday Wonder to Revelation’ at Clare Hall, Cambridge, is an exhibition providing a rare opportunity to see paintings by Caine. These paintings delve into the core Neo-Platonist idea of the oneness of the world, the nodus mundi. We see this in his depictions of everyday objects, such as rugs, mopheads, carpets, and bundles of cloth. Although his subject matter is humble, the intricate depth of his draughtsmanship reveals unity and cohesion. We see it too in his expansive and luminous landscapes. When Caine blends his perceptions of space and shimmering light in the landscape with his exploration of the core in everyday things, he presents us with a vision of worlds beyond. His images invite us to step through a veil into barely imagined possibilities. Through his exploration of the small, the infinite beckons; through his exploration of the wonder of the everyday, revelation becomes possible.

In the essay I wrote for the exhibition catalogue, I note that: “Without reference to standard religious iconography and with a primary focus on landscape, still life, and portraits, Caine imbued and infused his work with spiritual reflection and with spirituality itself. That he did so in ways that allow those who do not share his beliefs to enthusiastically embrace and appreciate his work for their many other compelling qualities is a testament both to Caine’s skill as an artist and the subtlety of his understanding of the connection between earth and heaven.”'

My other pieces for Artlyst are:

Interviews -

Monthly diary articles -

Articles/Reviews -

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Kevin Morby - O Behold.

ArtWay: "Hands Touching Hands" – Jonathan Evens reflects on ‘Touching the Void’ by Alexander de Cadenet

"Hands Touching Hands" is my latest article for ArtWay which reflects on ‘Touching the Void’ by Alexander de Cadenet.

I have been collaborating recently with de Cadenet, a visual artist who has been exhibiting his artworks internationally for the past twenty years. His work reveals an exploration into philosophical and spiritual questions such as the meaning of life and death, the nature of human achievement and the sacredness of art itself. He has said that “Art is way of exploring what gives life a deeper meaning and evolves in relation to my own life journey.”

'Touching the Void', the installation on which we have been collaborating, is an installation de Cadenet has created in response to the death of his father. Its central image is of father and son reaching towards each other created using actual X-rays of each other's hands. The work explores the extent to which contact one with the other continues following death.

For more on Alexander de Cadenet see my Artlyst interview, a conference report, a visual meditation for ArtWay, and three exhibition previews here, here and here.

My other writing for ArtWay can be found at https://www.artway.eu/authors/jonathan-evens. This includes church reports, interviews, reviews and visual meditations.

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 has entered an exciting new chapter in its story following the launch of a new website in September 2024.

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 2018, I interviewed ArtWay founder Marleen Hengelaar-Rookmaaker for Artlyst on the legacy of ArtWay itself.

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

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Bob Dylan - Man In The Long Black Cloak.

Monday, 29 September 2025

Mark Cazalet: The Tree of Life

This evening I was at Chelmsford Cathedral for an event with Mark Cazalet celebrating his remarkable painting The Tree of Life. Mark shared insights into the inspirations for and creation of The Tree of Life while exploring some of its key themes with the audience. This event also marked the closing of an exhibition featuring work by local artists from the Artists in the Meadows group. Inspired by Mark’s The Tree of Life, they have created their own collective interpretations, which were on display.

Mark, speaking about the installation, has said previously that the inspiration behind the piece was the music and choral tradition of the Cathedral and that he very much wanted his mural to reflect this, with the swirling motion in the painting representing the musical traditions. Mark wanted the symmetrical design of the tree to represent opposing ideas with the tree bursting into life on one side and dying back on the other.

The lighting in the Cathedral was very different from the church Mark had painted the mural in and he spent several weeks on a cherry picker, changing the colour and bringing the panels to life. His favourite part is Judas resurrected and the idea of the possibility of Judas being resurrected and spending a long time (hence the sandwiches and thermos) at the top of the tree and in turn that we too can be fully forgiven.

I wrote about The Tree of Life, Mark's image of St Cedd, and other artwork in the Cathedral (which includes the sculpture of St Peter holding the key to heaven by Thomas Bayliss Huxley-Jones on the exterior - see photos above) during my sabbatical art pilgrimage - see here. As part of my sabbatical, I also visited St Alban's Romford which has a ceiling painted by Mark - see here. In the area covered by the Diocese of Chelmsford, works by Mark can also be seen at Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls in Romford and Our Lady of Lourdes, Wanstead.

Click here to read my Seen & Unseen article on the tradition of visionary artists whose works shed light on the material and spiritual worlds which includes Mark Cazalet, Thomas Denny, Richard Kenton Webb, Nicholas Mynheer, and Roger Wagner. In his talk, Mark mentioned stained glass windows at St Mary's Iffley by John Piper and Roger Wagner - see here.

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The Trees Community - Jesus He Knows.

Quiet Day - Lancelot Andrewes

On Saturday we held a Quiet Day that enabled those present to discover the influence and example of Lancelot Andrewes, whose family lived in Rawreth and who helped define Anglican doctrine, translate the Bible, and shape the liturgy. The day was co-led by Revd Steve Lissenden and held at St Nicholas Rawreth.

Lancelot Andrewes (1555 – 25 September 1626) was an English bishop and scholar, who held high positions in the Church of England during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and King James I. During the latter's reign, Andrewes served successively as Bishop of Chichester, Ely and Winchester and oversaw the translation of the Authorized Version (or King James Version) of the Bible. In the Church of England he is commemorated on 25 September with a Lesser Festival.

Andrewes' family lived at Chichester Hall, now in the Parish of Rawreth. Once a year Andrewes would spend a month with his parents, and during this vacation, he would find a master from whom he would learn a language of which he had no previous knowledge. In this way, after a few years, he acquired most of the modern languages of Europe.

Andrewes was a towering figure in the formative years of the Church of England. Averse to the puritanical spirit of the age, he helped to create a distinctive Anglican theology, moderate in outlook and catholic in tone. He believed that theology should be built on sound learning, he held a high doctrine of the Eucharist and he emphasised dignity and order in worship. His influence defines Anglicanism to this day.

His best-known work is the Manual of Private Devotions, edited by Alexander Whyte (1900), which has widespread appeal. Andrewes's other works occupy eight volumes in the Library of Anglo-Catholic Theology (1841–1854). Ninety-six of his sermons were published in 1631 by command of King Charles I. The Incarnation was to him an essential dogma and he preached many significant sermons on the Nativity, the best known of which was used by T.S. Eliot for his poem 'The Journey of the Magi'.

We reflected on his prayers through Practising Prayer with Lancelot Andrewes, a seven-day devotional by Nicola Eggertsen, and his writings through sermon extracts on the theme of the incarnation. The current owners of Chichester Hall loaned a copy of the book of Andrewes' sermons that King Charles I had published after Andrewes' death.

During the day, I compiled the following poem, based on his Ninth Sermon of the Nativity, preached upon Christmas Day, before King James, at Whitehall, on Sunday, the Twenty-fifth of December, A. D. MDCXIV’ (1614):

Incarnation

The virgin shall conceive and bear a son
and she shall call his name Immanuel.
If the child be 'Immanuel, God with us',
then, without this child, we be without God.
If it be not Immanuel, then it will be Immanu-Hell.
Without him this we are and this our share will be.
Yet, if we know him, and God by him, we need no
more. He is Immanu-all, he is with us and
we from him never can be parted. All that we desire
is to be with him, with God and he with us.
With him all is well, for he is all in all.

For more on the King James Bible, see the film I helped script for James Payne's Great Books Explained series.

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Thomas Tallis - If Ye Love Me.

Sunday, 28 September 2025

The way of greed or the way of generosity

Here's the sermon that I shared at St Catherine’s Wickford this morning:

The story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16. 19 – 31) is one of the best known in the New Testament. Its powerful imagery makes it difficult to ignore. This parable, more than perhaps any other of the parables told by Jesus, is a story of contrasts. Contrasts between rich and poor, hell and heaven, and, perhaps most significant of all, between the way of greed and the way of generosity.

As in the parable of the Rich Fool, where a farmer stores up what he has for himself and then dies when he had expected to eat, drink and be merry, this parable is about the dangers of gaining wealth solely for oneself. Here, the focus isn’t on the inevitability of death but instead the impact of greed in the afterlife.

The selfishness of the rich man in this life results in separation from God in the next. When he realises his predicament, the rich man wants to warn his siblings who are still alive so that they will follow the path of generosity rather than the path of greed, but is told that they have all the warning they need in the scripture – Moses and the prophets. If they don’t pay heed to their sacred writings then they are unlikely to pay heed to anything else.

So, the contrast between the way of greed and the way of generosity is the central contrast within this parable. The parable is told to encourage its hearers to take the path of generosity in their lives.

The story of the rich man and Lazarus is chiefly aimed at the Pharisees who, we are told in an earlier verse, were lovers of money. It was not only the Pharisees’ love of wealth that set them apart but, more importantly, their hardness of heart. While we might feel revulsion at the lavish lifestyle of the rich man, the horror lies in the fact that he ignores the needs of his neighbour.

Throughout his ministry, Jesus draws the rich as well as the poor into fellowship. He eats with the rich and teaches them about the kingdom of God in their own terms (Luke 14: 16 - 24, 28 - 30). Jesus does not prejudge people on the basis of what they own. We see in Mark 10 that he loves a rich man who is overwhelmed by the command to sell all he owns and give the money to the poor. What is significant is people’s attitudes towards wealth and what they do with it.

Most of us are not wealthy in the sense that the rich man in Jesus’ parable was wealthy, so we may think the parable has little to say to us. One way in which the contrasts made in this parable continue to play out in our society today is in attitudes to payment of tax.

Christian Aid has in the past estimated that developing countries have lost at least $160bn of tax every year because of tax dodging by unscrupulous businesses. Tax dodging hurts us all, especially when global companies and large sums of money are involved. It robs countries of the taxes they're owed – money that could be spent on essential services. Christian Aid has shown that in poor countries tax dodging results in a lack of clean water, sanitation, roads, schools and hospitals; and in people going hungry. Their tax justice campaign has highlighted how developing countries lose $160bn every year - one-and-a-half-times what they receive in international aid. Church Action on Poverty has shown that in the UK tax dodging contributes to cuts in benefits for families, children and disabled people, reduced care for the elderly, less childcare and fewer libraries, youth services and other vital community facilities.

Financial secrecy is at the heart of these problems – especially the secrecy offered by tax havens. Thanks to loopholes in the global financial system, money that could provide vital services like schools and hospitals, is being pocketed by unscrupulous companies. In addition, the wealthy are also often funding others to make the political argument that our problems in our society are to do with levels of immigration rather than levels of tax compliance. This is a deliberate distraction away from the reality that, if those with wealth were to pay their due instead of engaging in tax avoidance, our problems of debt and poverty could actually be eradicated overnight.

Christian Aid’s campaigning arguing that wealthy people and companies pay the tax they owe and that developing countries obtain the revenue that is rightfully theirs is not one that is biased against the rich. Instead, it asks us all to consider the following questions:

• Who is our neighbour?
• Are we so wrapped up in our own fulfilment that we forget our neighbours whose potential is denied?
• Are we ready to share our resources so that we can all become the people God would have us be?

These questions are as pertinent now as they were in Jesus’ day. And now as then, they are not questions to be put off for another day, so supporting such campaigns is one way to respond to Jesus' teaching in this parable.

Our lives in a world of 6.5 billion people mean that the question of ‘who is my neighbour’ is many times more apposite and complex today than when it was first put to Jesus by a lawyer (Luke 10). The story of the rich man and Lazarus does not call us to condemn wealth, but to notice the needs of our neighbours – both on our doorsteps and further afield – and to examine our own lives in the light of this. Next year, in Lent, our reflections will be on precisely this question – ‘Who is my neighbour? – so, it is very helpful to reflect on this passage now, in advance of that course.

Jesus teaches that our resources are for the benefit of everyone. He continually considers those who are poor and those who are on the margins of society first. Interestingly, this is seen in this parable by the fact that it is the only one of Jesus’ parables where someone is given a name. And the named person is Lazarus, not the rich man.

In our society, the rich and powerful are constantly named to us, giving the message that these people are of more value than others. Who is it that we name and value? Is it the people society gives value to, or is it the people of the poor countries who are eating the scraps from our table? The answer to that question will reveal whether we are walking the way of greed or the way of generous love.

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Methuselah - Luke.

Windows on the world (538)

London, 2025

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Tom Jones - What Good Am I?

Friday, 26 September 2025

Church Times - Art review: Millet: Life on the Land (National Gallery)

My latest exhibition review for C hurch T imes is on Millet: Life on the Land at the National Gallery and includes reflection on the artist’s attitude to the poor:

'Simon Kelly notes in the catalogue that “Millet’s interest in religion has been marginalised in modernist readings of his avant-garde practice.” Though Millet was not a churchgoer in later life, Kelly writes that, when asked if he still read the Bible and the Psalms, Millet responded: “They are my breviary. . . It is there I find all that I paint.” The bias to the poor, which is found in the counter-testimony of the Old Testament, is the beating heart of Millet’s work.'

See also my Artlyst review on this same exhibition by clicking here.

Other of my pieces for Church Times can be found here. My writing for ArtWay can be found here. My pieces for Artlyst are here, those for Seen & Unseen are here, and those for Art+Christianity are here.

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Natalie Bergman - Keep Those Teardrops From Falling.

Sunday, 21 September 2025

Where your treasure is, there is your heart

Here's the reflection I shared during the Healing Eucharist at St Andrew's Wickford this evening:

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

What is your treasure? Where is it to be found? Where your treasure is, there is your heart.

The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

What is your treasure? Where is it to be found? Where your treasure is, there is your heart.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?

As we reflect that we are precious to God – more precious even than the birds of the air and the lilies of the field – let us also think for a moment about the story told in the New Testament and who it is who gives up everything to gain something precious. The answer to that wondering is Jesus! Jesus is the one who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death — even death on a cross. Jesus is the one who gives up all he has – even to the point of death - to seek and save us; the lost, the hidden.

We are the treasure for which he seeks because to him we are of great value; treasure, though we may not know it. We are the pearl of great price for which he sold all that he had in order that he might buy us. As we hear each Sunday in the Eucharistic Prayer, the ever-present and ever-living God is with us, for we are precious, honoured and loved. We know this because Christ gave up all he had in order to be with us, even in death.

Once we become aware that we are God’s treasure for which Jesus gives his life, then Jesus becomes our treasure and our hearts become his.

What is your treasure? Where is it to be found? Where your treasure is, there is your heart.

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Iona - Treasure.

Big questions

Here's the sermon from this morning's service of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion at St Gabriel's Pitsea:

Two of the biggest questions we can ask in life are ‘Who am I?’ and ‘Why am I here?’ Both questions get answered in this story of Jesus being baptised and the answers that were true for Jesus can also be true for us (Mark 1.9-15).

First, ‘Who am I?’ The answer to that question was given to Jesus as soon as he came up out of the waters of baptism. As he did so, he saw heaven opening, the Spirit coming down on him like a dove, and he heard a voice from heaven saying, “You are my own dear Son. I am pleased with you.” As he was baptised, he was immediately affirmed as God’s Son.

It is easy for us to think that that only applies to Jesus. That it was a special word spoken by God the Father especially to him and, on one level, no doubt it was. But, the Bible makes it quite clear that Jesus laid down his life to make us one with God so that, as Christians, we are Jesus’ brothers and sisters, members of the same family – God’s family – and co-heirs with Jesus of everything that he has.

Listen to what St Paul says about this in Romans 8. 14-17:

“Those who are led by God's Spirit are God's children. For the Spirit that God has given you does not make you slaves and cause you to be afraid; instead, the Spirit makes you God's children, and by the Spirit's power we cry out to God, Father! my Father! God's Spirit joins himself to our spirits to declare that we are God's children. Since we are his children, we will possess the blessings he keeps for his people, and we will also possess with Christ what God has kept for him …”

When those being baptised are baptised, God will be saying to them, “You are my dear sons and daughters and since you are my sons and daughters you will possess with Jesus the blessings I keep for my people.” This is true, not just for those being baptised today, but for each one of us who have been baptised. Just stop for a moment to hear God saying those words to you, “You are my dear daughter or son, you are my child and since you are my child you will possess with Jesus the blessings I keep for my people.” Take a moment, to let those words sink into your hearts and minds. You are a child of God, you are a brother or sister of Jesus, you are loved, you are valued, you are blessed. Take it in and say thank you to God your Father for who you are.

The second big question was ‘Why am I here?’ and that too is answered in this reading. After he is baptised, Jesus has a time of preparation in the desert and then begins to preach the Good News from God. He had a God-given task to complete, a reason for his existence and a meaning for his life.

The same is true for us. Listen to St Paul again, this time from 1 Corinthians 12. 4 - 7:

“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives him. There are different ways of serving, but the same Lord is served. There are different abilities to perform service, but the same God gives ability to all for their particular service. The Spirit's presence is shown in some way in each person for the good of all.”

The Spirit’s presence is shown in some way in each person for the good of all. So, the Spirit’s presence is shown in those being baptised in some way for the good of all. It is one of the tasks that God gives to the baptised person, to identify and nurture the gifts and talents they have been given.

And, again, this is also true for all of us who have been baptised. For each one, the Spirit’s presence is shown in us in some way for the good of all. Take a moment, to let those words sink into your hearts and minds. You have been given the abilities you need for your particular service. The Spirit's presence is shown in some way in you for the good of all. Your life has meaning and purpose because God has work that only you can do. Take it in and say thank you to God your Father for why you are here.

As we celebrate baptism today, may we realise afresh the way that our deepest needs - for love and significance – are fully met through baptism into the family of God. Who are we? We are the beloved sons and daughters of our Father God. Why are we here? To use our God-given abilities to do work for God that only we can do. Take a moment to truly take it in and then say thank you to God your Father for who you are and why you are here.

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Hannah White - Good Questions.

Saturday, 20 September 2025

Windows on the world (537)

South Woodham Ferrers, 2024

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Steve Scott - The Beatiful Light.

Thursday, 18 September 2025

'Lily and the Masters', an exhibition of paintings by David Crawford

Our latest exhibition is 'Lily and the Masters', an exhibition of paintings by David Crawford from 19 September – 19 December 2025 at St Andrew’s Church, 11 London Road, Wickford SS12 0AN.

View the exhibition and hear David speak about his work at ‘Unveiled’, the arts and performance evening at St Andrew’s Wickford, Friday 19 September, 7.00 pm.

David is a Wickford based artist and singer songwriter. The works in this exhibition are a selection of paintings completed in the last 3 years. He is exhibiting a series of heightened colour studies of the Edwardian singer and actress Miss Lily Elsie and versions of some of his favourite paintings from Old Masters such as Da Vinci, Vermeer and Caravaggio.

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.

Also on Friday 17 October (7.30 pm) – David Crawford in concert. David is a singer songwriter who is Wickford born and bred. He has been writing and performing songs for over 30 years, but the last few years, in particular, have been very productive. He will be performing new and recent material in this unique acoustic space where his paintings are also on show.

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David Crawford - The Golden Light.