Chirton, Wiltshire

B and I went to the Grayson Perry tapestry exhibition at the Victoria Art Gallery in Bath today. It was Amazing. This is not particularly the place to get carried away about it. But suffice to say we were thoroughly rejuvenated by his work. Such amazing colours and detail, and reflecting truths about modern society while being firmly rooted in art from previous eras. So much to think about.

The creative urge rubbed off and we went home to get on with something. What could we go and draw? (the family selling a car at the petrol station? another bit of Norman sculpture? NO. We ought to actually finish something and make a bit of art from one of our many many sketches.)

B is writing an article about Chirton for a local magazine, but it needs photos or illustrations. I made up my mind. I took my sketch here (which doesn't look much like that in the flesh) and the above is the result. It's cut mountboard (a long standing favourite technique of mine... maybe I even invented it :)... dark green really because that's the colour I had... and size A1.

I am very chuffed with it. I am currently in that glorious state of mind where I am very pleased with it and am enjoying looking at it. I know from previous experience that this will wear off and the anxiety and dissatisfaction with one's efforts will return :) but that is the curse of the creator of bits of art. In the meantime I'm going to enjoy it, and use my new-found positive energy to get on with some Moss-Dissertation-Related very necessary work tomorrow.

Hurrah for inspiration and getting on with something. And down with wasting time fiddling on the internet (oh the irony). More must be done. And to think this morning I was feeling particularly Januaryish and unable to see anything to look forward to.

You can see a photo of the font here, in fact the figure on the right could be the very figure (St Peter with his key to heaven) that I originally drew. It makes me realise that it's been quite a transformation! but I feel like I've remained true to the original carver's intentions in some way.

Bromyard, Herefordshire

En route elsewhere, B and I stopped in Bromyard to check out the Romanesque carving at St Peter's church. I'd been super-organised beforehand and looked at the church's website - it said encouragingly that it was usually open all day. But it's so rare that we actually bump into anybody that we were a bit taken aback to find the car park full and the sound of jolly Christian singing in the air.

I'd missed the page that said the churchgoers were becoming a Missional Community. Which is lovely for them of course. And (quite seriously) I am very glad that someone's looking after this amazing building. And even (despite my cynicism) probably, that they're using it for its original purpose. I guess. If I sound mean it's only because the mindset of a Missional Community could not be further from my own. It's not that I disagree with the idea of local community, or being charitable, moral, kind, decent and helpful to others, not killing people, refraining from coveting your neighbour's ass or any of those other sensible Christian tenets. It's the other bits about believing in Jesus as the Son of God and a virgin, who died for your sins in a horrible way on a cross, the bits about angels and devils and Noah's ark and the bible being the inspired and direct word of God, oh and the resurrection. No amount of missional communitying is going to get me to go for any of that.

Here's St Peter and his keys. You can see a photo by Matthew Wells on Flickr.

So we wandered around the outside of the building admiring the lovely carvings, which in some way seemed even nicer for their slightly softened eroded look. At the front door another wandering touristy pair walked past us and into the church. We could hear them being offered alcoholic drinks. It struck me as a bit odd. I suppose Jesus liked a drink, after all he did turn water into wine. But it smacked of a bribe. Or maybe 'what do heathens like drinking? I know, booze. That'll lure them in.' Or a way to relax the unwary so they could be talked to persuasively. I dunno, it was just a bit odd.


We sooo wanted to see the font, it looks smashing. You can see the lovely carvings on the CRSBI website (one side is swirly, the other side an alleged tree of life).

But I felt a bit like a vampire unable to cross the threshold. The Pimms-clutching pair emerged from the church almost immediately, looking vaguely bemused. We decided not to go in.

Images copyright Rhiannon 2014.