Jake Lever
Online event
I have been invited by HeartEdge, an organisation initiated by the congregation of St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, to curate an online event for their programme. Dr Paula Gooder, Chancellor at St Paul’s Cathedral, London will be interviewing me about my practice as an artist, how this relates to my spirituality, and how I have developed ‘Do the Little Things’ during the past six months. I plan to share how this evolving project is gradually creating a web of connection and belonging. The event takes place on Thursday 6 May from 7 to 8 pm, and you can book your place for free here.
Gillian Lever
New commission
This month I have been enjoying finishing work on another oil painting commission. Started early last year in the first Lockdown - the lime and magenta colours of this canvas resonate with the vibrant colours surrounding us in the natural world this new Spring. The title for the painting is ‘All in the end is harvest’ from Edith Sitwell’s poem ‘Eurydice’
”Love is not changed by death
and nothing is lost,
and all in the end is harvest.”
Please contact me if you would like to discuss a commission.
Gillian Lever
New Cards
Over the past few weeks I have enjoyed re-visiting artworks made in recent years.
I came across ‘Morning’ (a mixed media work on card) and thought that it would work well as an Easter or Springtime greeting card. It speaks of new life and promise.
Each card is blank inside.
£10 per pack of three cards includes UK postage.
To order, please visit our shop.
Jake Lever
Update on new work
People have been kindly sharing with me the destination of their boats, purchased as part of Do the Little Things. They have been criss-crossing the UK and beyond to destinations across the globe; boats are now in the hands of people in Canada, USA, Egypt, Holland, Sweden, Germany, France, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand. Sent as tokens of love and belonging with hope and gratitude, hundreds of these individual journeys will be gilded in gold as lines on a map. Recently I have been drawing on black paper with white ink, lines crossing the dark expanse of paper, building up multi-layered webs. These intuitive, experimental drawings explore the nature of these complex, fragile and sacred webs of connection.
Gillian Lever
New Commission and Creative Quiet Day
New Commission and Matisse ‘Tree of Life’ window Creative Quiet Day -
I am continuing to develop oil canvases in the studio including a new commission for
a young couple who got in touch at the end of 2020. (Colour study for the commission below).
Together with Becky Morse-Brown, an Art Therapist and Spiritual Companion, I have started to offer some Creative Quiet Mornings using Zoom this year. In January we held two Creative Quiet Mornings particularly reflecting on Matisse’s ‘Tree of Life window’ from his majestic Chapel of the Rosary in Vence. We have two more Creative Quiet Mornings planned for February and early March.
The mornings include input from the facilitators around the theme, opportunities to work creatively in silence and, for those who wish, time during the session to share reflections with one another.
Each group is limited to a maximum of six participants plus the facilitators. The February and March dates are now fully booked but please contact me if you would like your name to be added to our ‘Creative Quiet Day’ mailing list.
We were very encouraged by feedback to the mornings:
“Inspiring and relaxing.”
“Allowed you to sink into the ideas and images.”
“The chance to play and enjoy making in a shared space was really wonderful.”
“It really re-stocked my ‘trout pond’ and was a joy to be part of.”
“Thank you for a wonderfully absorbing and transporting morning.”