New directions: paintings on paper

In which I remind myself, again, that I paint now.

Madonna, by me, in the style of the Italian Trecento. Egg tempera and 24 carat gold leaf on archival watercolour paper.

Let’s take our mind off the Big Things for a moment. Today is an Art Day.

I’ve been trying alternating writing some days with painting on others. In the last ten days or so I was doing this little painting in egg tempera on paper.

I finished it yesterday.

The real thing: the Crevole Madonna (detail), by Duccio di Buoninsegna

I wrote today about why painting and why I left the world of activism and journalism. Someone asked how did I get into it, and it’s a bit of a convoluted story.

To summarise, I think it’s in response to a call from God: “And so the Lord says, ‘You must leave them and separate yourselves from them. Have nothing to do with what is unclean, and I will accept you.’”

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I first did the drawing while on a train. I find drawing on trains very relaxing and calming.

I needed calming because I was heading to Rome in October 2019 to attend some meetings and conferences set up by some old friends and colleagues about the Amazon Synod. I was thinking at that time of how to proceed in life in general, and wondering if the best thing might be to "get back into it". Journalism and activism and all that. 

Yes, I know. A mad idea…

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Read the rest here…

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Many thanks to all who have been dropping tips in the jar in the last few days. To be honest, we’re at the end of this month and I could really use your help. Living off the beaten path means my expenses are very low, but rent day comes around.

I’ve been riding along on the payment I received for the last commission, but I’m coming to the end of that now and as usual am still not done the next one. My focus in the next year or so will be on producing these works faster. It’s a matter of outrunning the end of the month; can I make it to the end of the next painting before the end of the last payment? I’m closing the gap.

And yes, we’re going to get back to Russia and Ukraine. I’ve got about 1200 words of the next post written, but I don’t think we want to be deluged with stuff, right? It’s all a bit overwhelming, for me too. So let’s take it carefully.

One thing I really do appreciate is the interactions I have with readers, the people in our little club. Since posting the first in the series about the war in Ukraine, I’ve had some really interesting and useful questions and have done some reading and asking around and given them some thought, and I hope to offer something helpful tomorrow or in the next day or so.

We really do need to keep talking about these things. I know the situation is very confusing, and we’re challenged by the problems of finding accurate information. So many people are shouting, it’s hard to know whom to listen to.

There’s a lot to wade through, and I’m far from any kind of expert. But I did spend many years poking my nose into things. The thing I really do know how to do is ask people questions and write down what they say, and analyse the responses by comparing them. I’m taking the attitude of just feeling my way forward, gathering data, talking to people and sharing with all of you whatever I find that seems helpful.

If you have enjoyed these posts or found them useful, I hope you’ll click to subscribe and also consider donating through my Ko-fi page, Hilary White; Sacred Art. For the time being, writing and painting are my sole sources of income and I could really use your help.

Thanks again,

HJMW.