I had planned to produce a charcoal drawing of each station, but the creative process is never a straight line.
Listening to John Tavener’s Lamentations, I started with a standard dominant hand (right) drawing.
Dissatisfied, I drew it again with my left hand.
Normally the left hand produces a less controlled image, but not this time.
I was seeking a more abstracted image, but still not right. By this time I was feeling nauseous, a combination of the air in the Chapel and kneeling on the floor looking up and down repeatedly.
Outside the air is fresh, with a faint smell of the sea, and the sun offers much needed warmth. I reflect on the image I am trying to create. I am reminded of the work of Edward Burra, a Rye watercolourist who died in Hastings in 1976. I saw The Watcher, 1937, a painting about the Spanish civil war. (I don’t seem to be able to download an image), at the Pallant House Exhibition Conscience and Conflict in 2015. I am also reminded of the work of Kashmir Malevich, an influential Russian painter who died in 1935.
I return to the first station, inspired by those that went before.
Not perfect, but close enough for now. I move on to the second station.
The nausea returns. I work on, I want to ensure I am heading in the right direction.
