Holme, 2026
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Saturday, 17 October 2026
Friday, 16 October 2026
St John's Waterloo - ‘Anthony Lawrence: A Practical Guide To Aesthetics‘
Last night I had an advance view of ‘Anthony Lawrence: A Practical Guide To Aesthetics‘, an exhibition of the work of post-modern artist Anthony Lawrence at St John’s, Waterloo. See my Artlyst Art Diary for October for more on the exhibition and my review of last year's retrospective for more on Anthony Lawrence.
Coinciding with Frieze week, the exhibition shows some of Lawrence’s major works from his series of grand themes, such as Dante, Tannhäuser, and the Damned Demoiselles, as well as portraits and several of his religious and spiritual paintings. Lawrence worked intensively over five decades, creating a vast collection of work that is now being made public.
‘A Practical Guide to Aesthetics’ follows a critically acclaimed 2025 retrospective at Nick and Caroline de Rothschild’s Palais des Vaches Gallery in the New Forest, which was the first to show the full spectrum of Lawrence’s career. Forbes described the work as blending “classical technique, pop-cultural wit, and poetic imagination. Playful portraits, surreal landscapes and painterly still lifes bring overdue recognition to a hidden genius of British art”. Many of the works in that show had not been seen before then; this exhibition at St John’s will bring to light several more of Lawrence’s paintings, including some from the newly restored ‘A Practical Guide to Aesthetics’ series from the early 1990s.
Lawrence worked throughout his life on portrait commissions; his works included sitters such as John Wayne, Yehudi Menuhin, Ian McKellen, and Rt Rev Hassan Dehqani-Tafti, among others. Included in this show are Lawrence’s paintings of Francis Bacon and Seamus Heaney, with whom he became friends.
Fascinated by religion, Lawrence spoke of the “constant fight between the sacred and the secular” and made many works relating to religion and spirituality. His own ‘The Stations of the Cross’ was inspired by the restoration of the display of religious imagery in the Byzantine Empire; these colourful and dramatic paintings show his commitment to technique, stressing the importance of post-modern framing. In my review of the 2025 retrospective for The Church Times, I said, “While constantly evolving through styles and series as a great ‘knowing’ Post-Modernist, Lawrence sought, through his blend of tradition and invention, history and innovation, to hint at how reconciliation might be found in the great contest of social humanity.”
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Sunday, 11 October 2026
Contrasting a scarcity mindset with a mindset of abundance
Here's the sermon that I shared this morning during the Harvest Festival at St Mary’s Runwell:
The cost-of-living crisis has, in recent years, seen inflation rise above normal levels because of a combination of global issues including the Ukraine and Iran conflicts. This comes after years of austerity where our governments implemented a series of sustained reductions in public spending all intended to reduce the budget deficit. As a result, we live in a time of relative scarcity compared with years of a booming economy prior to the time of austerity. When we are in a scarcity mindset we focus on all the deficits in our situation, all that is wrong, all we have lost and all that we don’t have.
When St Paul contrasts one who sows sparingly and also reaps sparingly with one who sows bountifully and also reaps bountifully, he is contrasting a scarcity mindset with a mindset of abundance (2 Corinthians 9.6-15). Harvest Festivals are times to remember the abundance of God’s provision in our world and to reflect on the difference between a scarcity mindset and an abundance mindset.
Today, we often experience a sense of scarcity in the Church as well. In our generation God has given his Church a financial crisis, and this can only be for one reason: to teach us that abundance does not lie in financial security, and to show us that only in relationships of mutual interdependence, relationships that money obscures as often as it enables, does abundant life lie.
Sam Wells, the Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields, says that, as Christians, we are called to live in such a way that gratefully receives the abundance God is giving us, evidences the transformation from scarcity to abundance to which God is calling us, dwells with God in that abundant life, and shares that abundance far and wide. That is what we celebrate annually in our Harvest Festivals and is what Paul commends to the Christians in Corinth when he calls us to be cheerful givers recognising that God provides us with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, we may share abundantly in every good work.
As Christians, we don’t have to look far for a mission statement for the church. ‘I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.’ (John 10.10) Living abundant life. That’s what the Father intends, the Son embodies, the Spirit facilitates. God is a God of abundance who is continually giving us all we need even in the midst of scarcity and trouble; perhaps, especially, in the midst of scarcity and trouble. Jesus is our model of abundant life; his life, death and resurrection chart the transformation from the scarcity of sin and death to the abundance of healing and resurrection; he longs to bring all humankind into reconciled and flourishing relationship with God, one another, ourselves and all creation. The Church of today needs to rediscover his teaching because God gives us the abundance of the kingdom to renew the poverty of the church.
Why then do we often live with a scarcity mindset instead of an abundance mindset? Firstly, we often overlook what we already have. John McKnight and Peter Block are pioneers of asset-based community development. In their book The Abundant Community’ they talk about our consumer society as an economy of scarcity because it ‘constantly tells us that we are insufficient and that we must purchase what we need from specialists and systems outside of our immediate community.’ Instead, they argue that ‘we can do unbelievable things by starting with our assets, not our deficits. We all have gifts to offer, even the most seemingly marginal among us. Using our particular assets (our skills, experience, insights and ideas) we have the God-given power to create a hope-filled life and can be the architects of the future where we want to live.’
This is true too for churches, which thrive when the gifts of all their members are released and they build on one another’s assets. The currency of the kingdom of God is of things that never run out. ‘The secret of happiness is learning to love the things God gives us in plenty. There’s no global shortage of friendship, kindness, generosity, sympathy, creativity, faithfulness, laughter, love. These are the currency of abundance.
Our problem, though, is not just that we don’t always recognise the gifts that God is giving, it is also that we sometimes reject and do not receive the gifts he is giving. A key temptation we face as God's people is to a scarcity mindset in which we reject or fail to recognise the gifts that God is continually sending to us.
Jesus is described as the stone that the builders rejected. Sam Wells notes that 'the rejected stone became the cornerstone, the keystone – the stone that held up all the others, the crucial link, the vital connection. The rejected stone is Jesus. In his crucifixion he was rejected by the builders – yet in his resurrection he became the cornerstone of forgiveness and eternal life. That’s what ministry and mission are all about – not condescendingly making welcome alienated strangers, but seeking out the rejected precisely because they are the energy and the life-force that will transform us all. Every minister, every missionary, every evangelist, every disciple should have these words over their desk, their windscreen, on their screensaver, in the photo section of their wallet, wherever they see it all the time – the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The life of the church is about constantly recognising the sin of how much we have rejected, and celebrating the grace that God gives us back what we once rejected to become the cornerstone of our lives.'
Then, when we do recognise that God provides us with every blessing in abundance, we need to become cheerful givers so that, by always having enough of everything, we may share abundantly in every good work. We can become cheerful givers because Jesus has first given extravagantly and generously to us.
In Jesus’ life, death and resurrection God gave everything he had for us. Philippians 2 tells us that, of his own free will, Jesus “gave up all he had, and took the nature of a servant. He became like a human being and appeared in human likeness. He was humble and walked the path of obedience all the way to death – his death on the cross.” This is the extravagant nature of Jesus’ love for us, that he would give up all he had in order to walk the path of obedience all the way to his death on the cross. This is the pattern that we see repeated in God’s dealings with human beings throughout scripture and which we see summed up in the most famous verse of scripture, John 3: 16: “God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son …” God so loved that he gave.
The cost-of-living crisis has, in recent years, seen inflation rise above normal levels because of a combination of global issues including the Ukraine and Iran conflicts. This comes after years of austerity where our governments implemented a series of sustained reductions in public spending all intended to reduce the budget deficit. As a result, we live in a time of relative scarcity compared with years of a booming economy prior to the time of austerity. When we are in a scarcity mindset we focus on all the deficits in our situation, all that is wrong, all we have lost and all that we don’t have.
When St Paul contrasts one who sows sparingly and also reaps sparingly with one who sows bountifully and also reaps bountifully, he is contrasting a scarcity mindset with a mindset of abundance (2 Corinthians 9.6-15). Harvest Festivals are times to remember the abundance of God’s provision in our world and to reflect on the difference between a scarcity mindset and an abundance mindset.
Today, we often experience a sense of scarcity in the Church as well. In our generation God has given his Church a financial crisis, and this can only be for one reason: to teach us that abundance does not lie in financial security, and to show us that only in relationships of mutual interdependence, relationships that money obscures as often as it enables, does abundant life lie.
Sam Wells, the Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields, says that, as Christians, we are called to live in such a way that gratefully receives the abundance God is giving us, evidences the transformation from scarcity to abundance to which God is calling us, dwells with God in that abundant life, and shares that abundance far and wide. That is what we celebrate annually in our Harvest Festivals and is what Paul commends to the Christians in Corinth when he calls us to be cheerful givers recognising that God provides us with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, we may share abundantly in every good work.
As Christians, we don’t have to look far for a mission statement for the church. ‘I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.’ (John 10.10) Living abundant life. That’s what the Father intends, the Son embodies, the Spirit facilitates. God is a God of abundance who is continually giving us all we need even in the midst of scarcity and trouble; perhaps, especially, in the midst of scarcity and trouble. Jesus is our model of abundant life; his life, death and resurrection chart the transformation from the scarcity of sin and death to the abundance of healing and resurrection; he longs to bring all humankind into reconciled and flourishing relationship with God, one another, ourselves and all creation. The Church of today needs to rediscover his teaching because God gives us the abundance of the kingdom to renew the poverty of the church.
Why then do we often live with a scarcity mindset instead of an abundance mindset? Firstly, we often overlook what we already have. John McKnight and Peter Block are pioneers of asset-based community development. In their book The Abundant Community’ they talk about our consumer society as an economy of scarcity because it ‘constantly tells us that we are insufficient and that we must purchase what we need from specialists and systems outside of our immediate community.’ Instead, they argue that ‘we can do unbelievable things by starting with our assets, not our deficits. We all have gifts to offer, even the most seemingly marginal among us. Using our particular assets (our skills, experience, insights and ideas) we have the God-given power to create a hope-filled life and can be the architects of the future where we want to live.’
This is true too for churches, which thrive when the gifts of all their members are released and they build on one another’s assets. The currency of the kingdom of God is of things that never run out. ‘The secret of happiness is learning to love the things God gives us in plenty. There’s no global shortage of friendship, kindness, generosity, sympathy, creativity, faithfulness, laughter, love. These are the currency of abundance.
Our problem, though, is not just that we don’t always recognise the gifts that God is giving, it is also that we sometimes reject and do not receive the gifts he is giving. A key temptation we face as God's people is to a scarcity mindset in which we reject or fail to recognise the gifts that God is continually sending to us.
Jesus is described as the stone that the builders rejected. Sam Wells notes that 'the rejected stone became the cornerstone, the keystone – the stone that held up all the others, the crucial link, the vital connection. The rejected stone is Jesus. In his crucifixion he was rejected by the builders – yet in his resurrection he became the cornerstone of forgiveness and eternal life. That’s what ministry and mission are all about – not condescendingly making welcome alienated strangers, but seeking out the rejected precisely because they are the energy and the life-force that will transform us all. Every minister, every missionary, every evangelist, every disciple should have these words over their desk, their windscreen, on their screensaver, in the photo section of their wallet, wherever they see it all the time – the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The life of the church is about constantly recognising the sin of how much we have rejected, and celebrating the grace that God gives us back what we once rejected to become the cornerstone of our lives.'
Then, when we do recognise that God provides us with every blessing in abundance, we need to become cheerful givers so that, by always having enough of everything, we may share abundantly in every good work. We can become cheerful givers because Jesus has first given extravagantly and generously to us.
In Jesus’ life, death and resurrection God gave everything he had for us. Philippians 2 tells us that, of his own free will, Jesus “gave up all he had, and took the nature of a servant. He became like a human being and appeared in human likeness. He was humble and walked the path of obedience all the way to death – his death on the cross.” This is the extravagant nature of Jesus’ love for us, that he would give up all he had in order to walk the path of obedience all the way to his death on the cross. This is the pattern that we see repeated in God’s dealings with human beings throughout scripture and which we see summed up in the most famous verse of scripture, John 3: 16: “God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son …” God so loved that he gave.
Oliver O'Donovan writes that, “Generosity means: not staying within the limits which public rationality sets on its approval of benevolence. An extravagant, unmeasured goodness, corresponding to God’s own providential care, defies the logic of public expectation.”
So, the challenge for us as a church and as individuals is this, are we going to live in the economy of scarcity, ‘the economy that is fine as far as it goes, but turns out not to go very far – the economy that only includes certain people, only buys certain things, only lasts a limited length of time – the economy of anxiety and scarcity?’ Or are we going to live in the economy of abundance, ‘the economy where the only use of wealth is to make friends and set people free, the economy in which you are never homeless and you cannot be destitute because you have spent your time and money making friends who will always welcome you into their homes – the economy of abundance, where generosity is the best investment? Which is it to be?’
If we live in the economy of scarcity, we will spend our lives fearing for our jobs, our livelihoods, our reputations, our health, our families, our lives themselves. If we live in the economy of abundance we won’t fear anything. We’ll have the things that money can’t buy and we’ll know the things that hardship and even death can’t take away from us. We’ll have learned to love the things God gives us in plenty. We will be living truly abundant life. We will experience Harvest all year round.
But, in order to see what God is truly giving us, our mindset needs to change from a scarcity or deficit mindset which sees problems to an asset, abundance or Harvest mindset which looks for resources around us where we are. Then, as St Paul writes, each of us will be able to give as we have made up our minds, not regretfully or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver as we recognise that God is able to provide us with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, we may share abundantly in every good work. May that blessing of God be true for each one of us in abundance this Harvest. Amen.
But, in order to see what God is truly giving us, our mindset needs to change from a scarcity or deficit mindset which sees problems to an asset, abundance or Harvest mindset which looks for resources around us where we are. Then, as St Paul writes, each of us will be able to give as we have made up our minds, not regretfully or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver as we recognise that God is able to provide us with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, we may share abundantly in every good work. May that blessing of God be true for each one of us in abundance this Harvest. Amen.
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Corinne Bailey Rae - Before The Throne Of The Invisible God.
Saturday, 10 October 2026
Windows on the world (590)
London, 2026
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Joy Oladokon & Chris Stapleton - Sweet Symphony.
ArtWay - Nicola Ravenscroft: The silent language of art
'As a quiet peacemaker, a sculptor, a songwriter and a mother/grandmother, I seek out the universal languages that connect, and bring us together.
Agape – the pure, unconditional love a parent has for their child – is one of those languages. In their acts of self-sacrifice, the “peaceful warriors” of the NHS, and indeed all health workers across the world, were fighting for the lives of others.
Children represent the future. They have an innocent perspective that, if we allow it, can tenderly inform our adult vision.
Heaven belongs to little children: they are especially loved by God.'
For more on Nicola, click here for my Artlyst interview with Nicola, and here for an ArtWay Visual Meditation on her work. Click here for a poem published by Stride Magazine that was inspired by Nicola's series of 'in the language of angels' images. I have also written short stories about Nicola's mudcub sculptures (now called EarthAngels), which we exhibited at St Andrew's Wickford. The first story in the series is 'The Mudcubs and the O Zone holes.' The second is 'The Mudcubs and the Clean-Up King'. The third is 'The mudcubs and the Wall'.
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.
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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to an exciting future for ArtWay.
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Raphael Ravenscroft - ...and a little child shall lead...
Events at St Andrew's Wickford: Art exhibition, concerts, Unveiled
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Unveiled is a regular Friday night arts and performance event at St Andrew’s Church, 7.00 – 9.00 pm, 11 London Road, Wickford, Essex SS12 0AN.
See below for our Autumn 2026 programme and http://wickfordandrunwellparish.org.uk/whats-on.html for more information
Exhibitions, open mic nights, performances, talks and more!
Unveiled – a wide range of artist and performers from Essex and wider, including Open Mic nights (come and have a go!).
Unveiled – view our hidden painting by artist David Folley, plus a range of other exhibitions.
Autumn Programme 2026
23 October (7.00 pm) – Poetry Evening. Jonathan Evens and Tim Harrold will share a selection of poetry from their own collections. Their creative writings have been published by Amethyst Review, International Times, Red Balloon Publishers and Stride Magazine.
6 November (7.30 pm) – ‘The Great American Songbook’ with Michael Horner and Isobel Gathercole. Pianist, Michael performs regularly across a wide variety of styles. Isobel is a jazz singer who has been performing at many of London's top jazz venues since 2014.
4 December (7.00 pm) – ‘To the New World & beyond!’. Hear Ken Porter from Basildon Heritage speak about local links with the Pilgrim Fathers and others who travelled to America from the area.
18 December (7.00 pm) - ‘An introduction to …’ Jonathan Evens will introduce the work of artists with which he has worked or about whom he has written.
These events do not require tickets (just turn up on the night). There will be a retiring collection to cover artist and church costs. See http://wickfordandrunwellparish.org.uk/whats-on.html for fuller information.
Autumn Programme 2026
23 October (7.00 pm) – Poetry Evening. Jonathan Evens and Tim Harrold will share a selection of poetry from their own collections. Their creative writings have been published by Amethyst Review, International Times, Red Balloon Publishers and Stride Magazine.
6 November (7.30 pm) – ‘The Great American Songbook’ with Michael Horner and Isobel Gathercole. Pianist, Michael performs regularly across a wide variety of styles. Isobel is a jazz singer who has been performing at many of London's top jazz venues since 2014.
4 December (7.00 pm) – ‘To the New World & beyond!’. Hear Ken Porter from Basildon Heritage speak about local links with the Pilgrim Fathers and others who travelled to America from the area.
18 December (7.00 pm) - ‘An introduction to …’ Jonathan Evens will introduce the work of artists with which he has worked or about whom he has written.
These events do not require tickets (just turn up on the night). There will be a retiring collection to cover artist and church costs. See http://wickfordandrunwellparish.org.uk/whats-on.html for fuller information.
In addition, we have great concerts planned from David and Friends (Saturday 17 October, 3.00 pm) and Twilight Boulevard (Saturday 14 November, 2.30 pm).
Our current art exhibition is Autumn & Winter: The Beauty of Letting Go - Runwell Art Club exhibition. Friday 11 September – Friday 18 December 2026, St Andrew’s Church, 11 London Road, Wickford, Essex SS12 0AN.
A group exhibition by members of Runwell Art Club. 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 Isobel Gathercole Trio - My Heart Stood Still.
A group exhibition by members of Runwell Art Club. 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.
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International Times: Re-Awoken Stories
My latest book review for International Times is on 'Arthur: A New Life' by Amy Jeffs:
'Tales of King Arthur continue to enthral. Amy Jeffs’ retelling of Arthur’s story emerges in a similar time period to the four-volume epic in ballad form that the poet Malcolm Guite is currently undertaking in Merlin’s Isle: An Arthuriad. It has ever been thus, with troubled times in particular regularly calling out clusters of works about the once and future king.'
My earlier pieces for IT are: an interview with curator Jacquiline Creswell; an interview with the artist Alexander de Cadenet; an interview with artist, poet, priest Spencer Reece, an interview with the poet Chris Emery, an interview with Jago Cooper, Director of the the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, a profile of singer-songwriter Bill Fay, plus reviews of:
IT have also published several of my poems, including 'Spencer Reece at Bemerton' which is based on the visit that I made to Bemerton in 2026 with Spencer Reece, 'The ABC of creativity', which covers attention, beginning and creation, and 'The Edge of Chaos', a state of existence poem. Also published have been three poems from my 'Five Trios' series. 'Barking' is about St Margaret’s Barking and Barking Abbey and draws on my time as a curate at St Margaret's. 'Bradwell' is a celebration of the history of the Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall, the Othona Community, and of pilgrimage to those places. Broomfield in Essex became a village of artists following the arrival of Revd John Rutherford in 1930. His daughter, the artist Rosemary Rutherford, also moved with them and made the vicarage a base for her artwork including paintings and stained glass. Then, Gwynneth Holt and Thomas Bayliss Huxley-Jones moved to Broomfield in 1949 where they shared a large studio in their garden and both achieved high personal success. 'Broomfield' reviews their stories, work, legacy and motivations.
To read my poems published by Stride, click here, here, here, here, here, and here. My poems published in Amethyst Review are: 'Runwell', 'Are/Are Not', 'Attend, attend' and 'Maritain, Green, Beckett and Anderson in conversation down through the ages'.
I am among those whose poetry has been included in Thin Places & Sacred Spaces, a recent anthology from Amethyst Press. I also had a poem included in All Shall Be Well: Poems for Julian of Norwich, the first Amethyst Press anthology of new poems.
'Five Trios' is a series of poems on thin places and sacred spaces in the Diocese of Chelmsford. The five poems in the series are:
These poems have been published by Amethyst Review and International Times.
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'Tales of King Arthur continue to enthral. Amy Jeffs’ retelling of Arthur’s story emerges in a similar time period to the four-volume epic in ballad form that the poet Malcolm Guite is currently undertaking in Merlin’s Isle: An Arthuriad. It has ever been thus, with troubled times in particular regularly calling out clusters of works about the once and future king.'
My earlier pieces for IT are: an interview with curator Jacquiline Creswell; an interview with the artist Alexander de Cadenet; an interview with artist, poet, priest Spencer Reece, an interview with the poet Chris Emery, an interview with Jago Cooper, Director of the the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, a profile of singer-songwriter Bill Fay, plus reviews of:
- Anish Kapoor at Hayward Gallery
- Flowers from the Graveyard by Michael McDermott
- an IMMERSE performance by Wilderthorn at Bradwell Chapel
- albums by Switchfoot, Jon Foreman and NEEDTOBREATHE:
- 'Walls and Windows' at The Minories in Colchester
- 'The Perfect Moment: God, Sex, Art and the birth of America's Culture Wars' by Isaac Butler
- 'Moving Pictures' and 'Closeups' by Steve Scott, 'Never Mind the Ballads Here's Nick Battle' by Nick Battle, and 'Blank Arcades' by Andrew Rumsey
- Michael Takeo Magruder -Reconstructed Landscape{s}
- The Last Supper: Art, Faith, Sex and Controversy in the 1980s
- In Another World: The Four Seasons of Talk Talk
- Hulda Guzman: Please awake - asked Nature kindly' at Turner Contemporary;
- 'Devotions' by Lucy Caldwell and 'Catholic Modernism and the Irish ‘Avant-Garde’: The Achievement of Brian Coffey, Denis Devlin, and Thomas MacGreevy' by James Matthew Wilson;
- the 'Stations' project from Dunlin Press;
- 'William Blake: The Age of Romantic Fantasy';
- Joseph Arthur in concert;
- installations by Chiharu Shiota and Yin Xiuzhen at Hayward Gsllery,
- U2's 'Days of Ash', Mumford and Sons' 'Prizefighter' and Moby's 'Future Quiet';
- 'Collected Poems' by Kevin Crossley-Holland;
- 'Lux' by Rosalía;
- 'Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere';
- 'Great Art Explained' by James Payne;
- 'Down River: In Search of David Ackles' by Mark Brend;
- 'Headwater' by Rev Simpkins;
- 'The Invisibility of Religion in Contemporary Art' by Jonathan A. Anderson;
- 'Breaking Lines' at the Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art,
- albums by Deacon Blue, Mumford and Sons, and Andrew Rumsey,
- also by Joy Oladokun and Michael Kiwanaku;
- 'Nolan's Africa' by Andrew Turley;
- Mavis Staples in concert at Union Chapel;
- T Bone Burnett's 'The Other Side' and Peter Case live in Leytonstone;
- Helaine Blumenfeld's 'Together' exhibition,
- 'What Is and Might Be and then Otherwise' by David Miller;
- 'Giacometti in Paris' by Michael Peppiatt,
- the first Pissabed Prophet album; and
- 'Religion and Contemporary Art: A Curious Accord', a book which derives from a 2017 symposium organised by the Association of Scholars of Christianity in the History of Art.
IT have also published several of my poems, including 'Spencer Reece at Bemerton' which is based on the visit that I made to Bemerton in 2026 with Spencer Reece, 'The ABC of creativity', which covers attention, beginning and creation, and 'The Edge of Chaos', a state of existence poem. Also published have been three poems from my 'Five Trios' series. 'Barking' is about St Margaret’s Barking and Barking Abbey and draws on my time as a curate at St Margaret's. 'Bradwell' is a celebration of the history of the Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall, the Othona Community, and of pilgrimage to those places. Broomfield in Essex became a village of artists following the arrival of Revd John Rutherford in 1930. His daughter, the artist Rosemary Rutherford, also moved with them and made the vicarage a base for her artwork including paintings and stained glass. Then, Gwynneth Holt and Thomas Bayliss Huxley-Jones moved to Broomfield in 1949 where they shared a large studio in their garden and both achieved high personal success. 'Broomfield' reviews their stories, work, legacy and motivations.
To read my poems published by Stride, click here, here, here, here, here, and here. My poems published in Amethyst Review are: 'Runwell', 'Are/Are Not', 'Attend, attend' and 'Maritain, Green, Beckett and Anderson in conversation down through the ages'.
I am among those whose poetry has been included in Thin Places & Sacred Spaces, a recent anthology from Amethyst Press. I also had a poem included in All Shall Be Well: Poems for Julian of Norwich, the first Amethyst Press anthology of new poems.
'Five Trios' is a series of poems on thin places and sacred spaces in the Diocese of Chelmsford. The five poems in the series are:
These poems have been published by Amethyst Review and International Times.
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Daniel Pemberton - Knights Of The Round Table.
Wednesday, 7 October 2026
STEPS: the Spiritual Journey of Peter Howson
Having already been to the PV for Peter Howson's Salvation exhibition and writing my review for Seen and Unseen, it was great to return this evening for the launch of STEPS: the Spiritual Journey of Peter Howson by John Miller.
They met when Howson was part of a group exploring the 'meaning of life', and they became good friends. Over the next 20 years the two had many conversations and Miller's book contains the story of Peter's life and the deeply felt and electrifying insights revealed in his paintings. Having been, for over thirty years, a minister in a working class community shaped by poverty and violence but redeemed by acts of love, Miller is uniquely placed to understand Howson's conflicts, and to articulate his ambitions, artistic and religious.
Salvation presents a new series of interconnected oil paintings on gesso panels, these works chronicle the life of Christ as depicted in the Gospels, through a sequence of intensely personal encounters, marking one of the artist’s most sustained examinations of biblical narrative to date.In my review of Salvation I wrote:
'these paintings and drawings are deeply relational depictions of the life of Christ. In ‘You must be born again’, Jesus looks at Nicodemus with eyes filled with deep love and infinite longing. He looks at Judas askance and quizzical, as Judas turns to kiss him on the cheek (‘The Kiss of Judas’). The up-close focus on two heads filling the picture frame that is a feature of several scenes emphasises the relationship between Jesus and another, always loving, even when angry, as is the case in ‘Hypocrites!’.'
My interview with Howson can be read here, my review of his retrospective - here, my VCS exhibition including a Howson work - here, and reviews of earlier exhibitions here, and here.
'these paintings and drawings are deeply relational depictions of the life of Christ. In ‘You must be born again’, Jesus looks at Nicodemus with eyes filled with deep love and infinite longing. He looks at Judas askance and quizzical, as Judas turns to kiss him on the cheek (‘The Kiss of Judas’). The up-close focus on two heads filling the picture frame that is a feature of several scenes emphasises the relationship between Jesus and another, always loving, even when angry, as is the case in ‘Hypocrites!’.'
My interview with Howson can be read here, my review of his retrospective - here, my VCS exhibition including a Howson work - here, and reviews of earlier exhibitions here, and here.
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Deacon Blue - People Come First.
Monday, 5 October 2026
Artlyst: October 2026 Art Diary
Here's my October 2026 Art Diary for Artlyst,
Read also my exhibition review for Church Times of Richard Kenton Webb: ‘Passion’ drawings + ‘English Iconoclasm Paintings’ at Benjamin Rhodes Arts. Read my interview with Kenton Webb for Art+Christianity here, my article on Kenton Webb's exhibition at Milton's Cottage is here, and my Church Times review of an earlier Kenton Webb exhibition here. Kenton Webb is part of a group of artists who create in the tradition of British visionary art, for more on this group see here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
'October is a stunning month for art linked to aspects of spirituality, with several of my favourite artists exhibiting. Solo shows mentioned in my October art diary include Anthony Lawrence, Peter Howson, Richard Kenton Webb, Rob Floyd, Mimmo Palandino, Antony Gormley, Hilma af Klimt, Michaela Yearwood-Dan, Rachel Feinstein, and Liz Larner, among others. There are also group shows in Malta and Finland focusing on aspects of the spirituality of women artists, along with the Laing Art Gallery’s survey of ‘Pre-Raphaelites: Art and Poetry‘, which surveys artists and poets for whom spirituality was often central to their practice.'
See also my review, for Church Times, of Anthony Lawrence (1951-2022): A Retrospective at Palais des Vaches, Lower Exbury. Also read my exhibition review for Seen and Unseen on Peter Howson's 'Salvation' exhibition at Flowers Gallery. My interview with Howson can be read here, my review of his retrospective - here, my VCS exhibition including a Howson work - here, and reviews of earlier exhibitions here, and here.
See also my review, for Church Times, of Anthony Lawrence (1951-2022): A Retrospective at Palais des Vaches, Lower Exbury. Also read my exhibition review for Seen and Unseen on Peter Howson's 'Salvation' exhibition at Flowers Gallery. My interview with Howson can be read here, my review of his retrospective - here, my VCS exhibition including a Howson work - here, and reviews of earlier exhibitions here, and here.
My articles about the Pre-Raphaelites can be read here, here, here, here, and here.
My other pieces for Artlyst are:
Interviews -
My other pieces for Artlyst are:
Interviews -
- Michael Petry Discusses In League With Devils with Revd Jonathan Evens
- Sean Scully A Humility Towards Nature
- Winslow Homer: American Passage An Interview With Biographer Bill Cross
- Grayson Perry Tapestries On Show At Salisbury Cathedral
- Sidney Nolan’s Africa: Interview With Andrew Turley
- Ilona Bossanyi: Tate’s Ervin Bossanyi Stained Glass Window Mothballed After 2011 Redevelopment
- Louis Carreon: Sampling Art History
- Modus Operandi - What Makes Successful Public Art: Vivien Lovell Interviewed
- Genesis Tramaine: A Queer Devotional Painter
- Lakwena Maciver: Review-Interview Hastings Contemporary
- Nicola Ravenscroft - Sculpture With A Peaceful Stillness
- Artist Hannah Rose Thomas – Tears of Gold – Interview
- Marcus Lyon: Human Atlas Explorations
- Elizabeth Kwant Interview
- Helaine Blumenfeld: Undulating Structures
- National Gallery Explores ‘Sin’ In New Exhibition – Interview Dr Joost Joustra Curator
- Betty Spackman: Posthumanism Debates
- Christopher Clack: Connecting The Material And Immaterial
- Peter Howson Artlyst Interview
- Marleen Hengelaar-Rookmaaker On The Legacy Of ArtWay
- Alastair Gordon A Testament To His Faith
- Katrina Moss Chaiya Art Awards Interview: Where is God in our 21st century world?
- Apocalypse Now: Michael Takeo Magruder Interviewed
- Jonathan Anderson: Religious Inspirations Behind Modernism
- Caravan – An Interview With Rev Paul Gordon Chandler On Arts Peacebuilding
- Art Awakening Humanity Alexander de Cadenet Interviewed
- Michael Pendry New Installation Lights Up St Martin In The Fields
- Mark Dean Projects Stations of the Cross Videos On Henry Moore Altar
- September 2026 Art Diary
- August 2026 Art Diary
- July 2026 Art Diary
- June 2026 Art Diary
- May 2026 Art Diary
- April 2026 Art Diary
- March 2026 Art diary
- February 2026 Art Diary
- January 2026 Art Diary
- The December Art Diary
- The November Art Diary
- The October Art Diary
- The August/September Art Diary
- The July Art Diary
- The June Art Diary 2025
- The May Art Diary 2025
- The April Art Diary 2025
- The Art Diary March 2025
- The Art Diary February 2025
- The Art Diary January 2025
- The Art Diary December 2024
- The Art Diary November 2024
- The Art Diary October 2024
- The Art Diary September 2024
- The Art Diary August 2024
- The Art Diary July 2024
- The Art Diary June 2024
- The Art Diary May 2024
- The Art Diary April 2024
- The Art Diary March 2024
- The Art Diary February 2024
- The Art Diary January 2024
- The Art Diary December 2023
- The Art Diary November 2023
- The Art Diary October 2023
- The Art Diary September 2023
- Jeremy Deller In Rennes And Brittany Post-Impressionism – August Diary
- The Art Diary July 2023
- The Art Diary June 2023
- The Art Diary May 2023
- The Art Diary April 2023
- The Art Diary March 2023
- The Art Diary February 2023
- Surveying New Exhibitions With A Spiritual Twist January 2023 Art Diary
- Christmas: The Art Of Faith December 2022 Diary
- Soulages And Strange Clay November 2022 Art Diary
- Alexander de Cadenet And Michael Forbes October 2022 Diary
- Spiritual Joseph Beuys Plus More: September Diary
- Holiday Snaps – End Of Summer Art Diary
- Art Search: August 2022 Diary
- Re-imagining Essex July 2022 Diary
- Art Illuminating spirituality June 2022 Diary
- Venice To London May 2022 Diary
- Jacob Epstein, Louis Carreon, Titus Kaphar, Betty Spackman – April 2022 Diary
- Audrey Flack Carlo Crivelli And Robert Indiana – March Diary
- My Art Diary And Other Thoughts February 2022
- And On An Art Note: End Of Year Diary 2021
- International Autumn Art Exhibition Reviews
- And On An Art Note: End Of Year Diary 2021
- The Sun and the Moon Saatchi Gallery A Sublime Experience
- The Meaning Of Life Explored At Sainsbury Centre
- Zurbaran Contrasts and Innovations National Gallery London
- Bruegel To Rembrandt Drawing The Rise of Naturalism Compton Verney
- Into Abstraction Meaning Connection And Hope Firstsite
- Nigerian Modernism Explored Tate Modern
- Can We Stop Killing Each Other? – Sainsbury Centre
- Millet Life on the Land National Gallery
- Lubaina Himid With Magda Stawarska Kettle’s Yard
- Arpita Singh Social Observations Serpentine North
- Siena: The Creative Achievement Of Christendom
- An Uncommon Thread Hauser & Wirth Somerset
- Michelangelo Leonardo Raphael At The Royal Academy Review
- Modern Art Oxford Reopens After £2million Redesign
- Leonora Carrington Still Relevant Firstsite Colchester
- Ken Currie, Kehinde Wiley, Susie Hamilton Three Exhibitions About Communities
- The Victorian Radicals And Other Related Exhibitions
- Cedric Morris And Arthur Lett-Haines Gainsborough House
- Lunar Lullabies, David Lock and Concrete Dreams Three Shows To See At Firstsite
- Tate Expressionists Exhibition Reveals Spirituality and Past Gender Disparity
- The Last Caravaggio National Gallery
- Issam Kourbaj Kettle’s Yard And Heong Gallery Cambridge
- Li Yuan-chia And Friends Kettles Yard Cambridge
- Antony Gormley Explores Self Awareness White Cube Bermondsey
- Holbein: Politics Religion And Draughtsmanship – The Queen’s Gallery
- R B Kitaj And Philip Guston: Figurative Painting Celebrated
- Paula Rego And Lord Harries Respond To Art And Religion
- A World In Common: Contemporary African Photography Tate Modern
- Chris Ofili Exploring Sin At Victoria Miro
- Ai Weiwei - The Artist of Resistance - The Design Museum
- Saint Francis of Assisi A Timely Exhibition - National Gallery
- Why Critics Have A Problem With The Pre-Raphaelites?
- Religion and Spirituality in Post Impressionism National Gallery
- Black Artists From The American South Royal Academy
- Donatello: The Divine Fused With The Human V&A
- Lucian Freud And His Circle Surveyed In Two London Exhibitions
- A Question Of Clay: Strange Clay – Hayward Gallery
- William Kentridge: Merging Politics With Aesthetics – RA
- Winslow Homer: Beyond The Sea – National Gallery
- Hidden Depths: The Woman in the Window – Dulwich Picture Gallery
- Heavenly Visions: Churches As Spaces For Contemporary Art
- In The Black Fantastic London’s Best Summer Exhibition
- Hew Locke And The Christian Roots Of Carnival – Tate BritainLes Lalanne, Schütte And Gursky London Spring Exhibition Highlights
- Sensuous Sickert and Philpot Two Major UK Solo Exhibitions
- Raphael The Human And Divine – National Gallery
- Damien Hirst The Visceral Reality Of Death
- Ali Cherri: Artist in Residence National Gallery
- Surrealism Outside The Usual Story – Tate Modern
- Marcus Lyon Creates Fields of Vision At St Martin-in-the-Fields London
- Van Gogh Self Portraits The Infinite And The Ordinary
- Marvellous Icons: The London Jesuit Centre
- Albrecht Dürer Travels Of A Renaissance Artist – National Gallery London
- Diasporan Identities: Life Between Islands Caribbean British Art – Tate Britain
- Isamu Noguchi: Socially Engaged Art – Barbican Centre
- Pablo Bronstein: A This-World Vision Of Hell
- Bosco Sodi: In The Beginning Of Wisdom
- George Condo Lockdown Works Hauser & Wirth
- Theaster Gates Clay As A Profound Metaphor
- Mark Rothko: Mesmerising And Intimate Works On Paper
- Roger Cecil: A Once In A Generation Welsh Painter
- Tino Sehgal: Location, Nature And Pandemic – Blenheim Palace
- Michael Armitage And The Power Of Art – Royal Academy
- Marie Raymond And Post-War Avant Garde Painting In Paris
- Rachel Kneebone: A Complex Tableau Of Organic And Geometric Forms
- Rodin: Suffering And Conflict – Tate Modern
- Barbara Hepworth: Symbols Of Art & Life – Hepworth Wakefield
- 20th Century Women Artists Challenging Conventions In Britain
- Chaiya Art Awards 2021 Gallery OXO
- Marc Chagall’s Exquisite Stained Glass Window Commissions
- George Gittoes Equal parts artist and warrior
- Keith Haring: Personal Spiritual Imagery
- Sean Scully: Philosophical Poetic Pastoral The 12 / Dark Windows
- Arthur Jafa: The Art Of Cutting And Pasting
- Blackpentecostal Breath: Spirit-Led Movement Jumps From Music To Visual Art
- Made in USA Ed Ruscha An American Perspective
- Robert Smithson: The Archetypal Nature Of Things
- If Jesus Is A Man Of Colour Why Did We Make Him Aryan?
- Cosmic Patches And Quilts Five Exhibitions
- Everyday Heroes: Southbank Exhibition Celebrates Low-paid Key Workers
- Entwining Spiritualism And Art – Three Shows
- Of Church And The Visual Arts
- Has The Word Master Reached Its Sell-By Date?
- The People Behind Community Is Kindness Billboard Campaign
- André Daughtry: Art, Rebellion And Racial Justice
- Salisbury Cathedral 800 Years Of Art And Spirit
- Home Alone Together Twenty Five Artists
- Botanical Mind Online: Art, Mysticism and the Cosmic Tree
- Salvador Dalí The Enigma of Faith
- Art And Faith A Time For Seeing
- Andy Warhol: Catholicism His Work, Faith And Legacy
- Kiki Smith: Embodied Art
- Art and Christianity Awards A Positive New Millennium Legacy
- Arnulf Rainer: 90th Birthday Exhibition Celebrated At Albertina Museum
- A Belonging Project And Exiles Loss and Displacement
- Robert Polidori: Fra Angelico Opus Operantis
- Art, Faith, Church Patronage and Modernity
- Contemplating the Spiritual in Contemporary Art
- Mat Collishaw Challenges Faith Perspectives With Ushaw Installation
- Waterloo Festival Launches At St. John’s Waterloo
- John Bellany Alan Davie Spiritual Joy and Magic
- RIFT Unites 17 Art and Science MA Graduates At Central St Martins
- Visionary Cities: Michael Takeo Magruder – British Library
- Van Gogh’s Religious Journey Around London
- William Congdon Holy Sites And The Kettle’s Yard Connection
- Mark Dean Premieres Pastiche Mass At Banqueting Hall Chelsea College of Arts
- John Kirby: The Torment
- Underlying The Civilised Facade
- Curating Spiritual Sensibilities In Changing Times
- Homeless Highlighted: New Beau Exhibition At St Martin-in-the-Fields
- Ken Currie: Protest Defeat And Victory
- Bosco Sodi: A Moment Of Genesis
- Bill Viola And The Art Of Contemplation
- Art In Churches 2018: Spiritual Combinations Explored
- Sister Wendy Beckett – A Reminiscence
- Guido Guidi: Per Strada Flowers Gallery London
- Peter Howson: The play is over – Flowers Gallery
- Camille Henrot: Scientific History And Creation Story Mash Up
- Nicola Green Explores Recent And Contemporary Religious Leaders – St Martin-in-the-Fields
- Art And The Consequences Of War Explored In Two Exhibitions
- Helaine Blumenfeld Translating Her Vision
- Sam Ivin: Physically Scratched Portraits Of Asylum Seekers Exhibited
- Sacred Noise: Explores Religion, Faith And Divinity
- Bill Viola: Quiet Contemplative Video Installation St Cuthbert’s Church Edinburgh
- The ground-breaking work of Sister Corita Kent
- Picasso To Souza: The Crucifixion Imagery Rarely Exhibited
- Michael Takeo Magruder: De / coding the Apocalypse – Panacea Museum
- Giorgio Griffa: The Golden Ratio And Inexplicable Knowledge
- Arabella Dorman Unveils New Installation At St James Church Piccadilly
- Can Art Transform Society?
- Art Awakening Humanity Conference Report
- Central St Martins in the Fields Design Then And Now
- The Sacramental And Liturgical Nature Of Conceptual Art
- Polish Art In Britain: Centenary Marked At London’s Ben Uri Gallery
- Refugee Artists: Learning from The Lives Of Others
- The Religious Impulses Of Robert Rauschenberg
- The Christian Science Connection Within The British Modern Art Movement
- Artists Rebranding The Christmas Tree Tradition
- Art Impacted - A Radical Response To Radicalisation
- The Art of St Martin-in-the-Fields
- Was Caravaggio A Good Christian?
Iain Archer - Frozen Northern Shores.
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