…to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying:
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,and on earth peace among those whom he favours!”
Luke 2:11-14
I feel that God gives us hope in many ways. For most of us, we have not seen a host of angels to help us on our way. But we have been ‘nudged’ forward, little-by-little at times, and sometimes given clear messages. We can take hope from this, that God cares about us, and wants the best for us.
I know in my own life especially when I was working in IT and really not liking it, there were many ‘doors’ that God seemed to open. I was made redundant from my computing job. At first, this didn’t seem to be helpful. But it helped me decide that I really didn’t want to carry on in computing. And within weeks, I cannot say effortlessly, I had started on a program of study that eventually led me to a pharmacy degree at Brighton University and becoming a pharmacist.
Daily Share
The ‘daily share’ is a hint each day for how you could share some hope in your life, today.
Is there something that has been niggling you to change? Can you pray about it and ask God for more direction? Feel hopeful that God is with you and can help you.
Pamela Charman
Pamela is a pharmacist based at a GP surgery, and lives in Lewes with her husband and daughter. She likes learning about new vegan recipes, and taking long walks along the river with her little family.
Suzanne is a semi-abstract, contemporary landscape painter and a teacher. She is inspired by the land, sea and big skies. She paints in oils and mixed-media from memory and experience, and her work is developed using artistic intuition. She says ‘my greatest loves are atmospheric weather and fleeting light and this I try to capture in my work, through my own emotional response.
Sarah is an award-winning Illustrator, author and painter. With an illustration career spanning 18 years, Sarah has illustrated for many clients including Kew Gardens, IKEA and The Guardian. Her staple work comes from illustrating funny children’s books. Her latest book CHARLIE CHANGES INTO A CHICKEN is the best selling debut middle grade book of 2019.
Martina is an artist and theology student with a background in professional photography and this is her second time exhibiting at TRINITY. Her photographic work this year considers how experiencing the world through digital media has changed our perception of it, while her community sculpture project invites to look inward and explore themes of holiness and wholeness.
John Norris is an aspiring part time metal sculptor from Hurstpierpoint. He bought a welder in December 2018 and started tinkering in his spare time. He dreams of one day being able to make a full time career out of metal sculpting. The pieces on display at the Lewes Art Wave festival are still some of his very first creations!
Suzanne Hennegrave is a semi-abstract, contemporary landscape painter and a teacher. She is inspired by the land, sea and big skies. She paints in oils and mixed-media from memory and experience and her work is developed using artistic intuition.
Although I have been sculpting in clay for many years, it was as a mature student that I went to study ceramics at Falmouth College of Art. Returning to Sussex I set up my own studio producing figurative stoneware sculpture. Singers, dancers, performers, some written over with sonnets or songs, my work reflects my love of literature and my early career in the theatre. I constantly go back to basics, which for me is an endless exploration of the human form.
The theme of Communication for this exhibition is a broad one. Visibly, verbally and tangibly, art is the great communicator, giving us fresh insight into the human condition. I like the image in the bible of the body being the temple of the soul. I hope these quiet abstract nudes have a meditative quality - meditation being perhaps one of the purest forms of communication.
The other two figures were inspired by events in the life of Jesus Christ 2000 years ago, but they are very modern tragedies. A Syrian refugee, her child in her arms and her possessions on her back, flees her country. A mother cradles her son after violence on a Hackney street. Only you, the viewer can say what, if anything they communicate, but if you have paused to look and wonder for a moment why these things happen, then thank you.
Martina was struck by the stories of pain, suffering and incredible strength and integrity she discovered just among friends and family. All hidden behind the socially acceptable facade of: ‘I’m fine’.
For this series she has photographed women with a hidden illness or trauma. The women choose a flower, branch or other foliage to represent the fact that there is more to discover than can be seen on the outside. The choice of foliage or its positioning may reveal something about their illness or struggle and how it affects their relationships and identity.
Jo Marks is a British figurative artist. Using graphic lines, her chalk and charcoal drawings are developed from a fascination with the human form.
Her unedited marks reflect the energy and urgency with which the subject was observed. Whether these marks are intuitively abstract or more true to life, they always express an authentic understanding of form.
While Jo tries to reflect this sense of dichotomy in her carefully balanced compositions, she also aims to ensure her work brings a sense of peace. “Knowing when to stop is a huge challenge, I never want to over-bake my pieces but instead reflect the joy with which they were made.”
