Much of the art on the Early Work page of this website is figurative. At the time, I was drawn to Art brut: raw art, the art of outsiders. I saw in art of this kind a vital echo of my experience in the early days of my ministry as an Anglican priest. Postwar European art offered an emotional landscape that resonated with me.
Over time, I have gravitated towards abstraction. This trajectory is apparent on the pages To 2021, 2022 and 2023. Abstract painting provides me with a language that is deeply felt yet reflective, spontaneous yet crafted.
I haven’t tried to have an art career, but I have exhibited from time to time. Significant exhibitions include:
2003: Crossings
St Andrew Holborn
2004: Crossings
Guildford Cathedral
2005-7: Crossings
St Paul Old Ford
A selection of large crosses from this exhibition can be viewed in the gallery of St Michael London Fields.
2016: Foundations of the City
St Stephen Walbrook
2023: Dulwich Festival Open House
All Saints West Dulwich
Writing:
Following the Grenfell Tower fire, in September 2017 The Guardian published a long poem of mine. This was followed in 2018 by a memoir and theological reflection, as the vicar of the Grenfell parish: After the Fire: Finding words for Grenfell.