Artist in Residence - September 2024

In a little village in the east of England, there is a small church called St Peter and St Paul’s Edgefield. A few years ago, I contacted the rector, Reverend David Longe, to see if I might come and spend time painting there. I explained that I was the great-great-granddaughter of Walter & Sarah Marcon – Walter who served as a rector at St Peter and St Paul for most of his life. As it turned out I was able to paint there for a month, in this place that generations of my people have called home. A very special place of engagement for me loaded with potential and painting encounter possibilities.

The first time I encountered Edgefield in person was a few years ago when for a week I began to make some paintings there both inside and outside the church building, and was warmly welcomed by Richard and the dedicated people who look after the parish, and I felt so grateful to be there. It was the home of my great-great-grandparents, and also my great-great-great-grandparents and a whole lot of extended family before and either side of them. One of the reasons I was drawn to painting here was that in the 1880s Walter Marcon organised the relocation of the building, literally stone by stone, a few hundred meters down the road to its present position. So he, and all the people who were involved, were literally physically connected to the place as well as quite probably spiritually and emotionally as well. I’m not sure why that matters, but there is a sense that the physicality of the place was well-known by my people, and I wanted to connect with the place by painting there.

During September 2024 I developed a new body of work on-site over a duration of three weeks - making several more substantial paintings in collaboration with the place. There was 40 square meters of canvas and linen that I used to ‘wrap’ the building, and then to paint on it in the way that I do. The expanse of this size canvas posed a few physical challenges to navigate, both in the making and the installation of the work. On the rainy days I worked inside the church, rolling back the pews, and exploring the stone arches, wooden panels, stone floor, and the ambience that filled the space. All the while remembering that I was in the place that generations of my family had also been in - there was something poignant about that. Each morning before beginning work, I would be still and sing and pray in the space - these were wonderful times where I sensed a welcoming to begin work for the day. The work was installed in-situ in the church at the end of this time for public viewing, and will be shown at the University of Waikato in Aotearoa in November 2025 and shared through talks and publications.

Warm thanks for the support of Reverend David Longe, Richard Peaver, Kay and Kevin (my ‘painting assistants’) and the St Peter’s & St Paul’s Church Parish Committee, Helen and Tom for their warm and generous hospitality, and the local community on my journey of painting in Edgefield during. Thanks also to friends and family and for the support of the Waikato Institute of Technology; Caleb at ITIA/St Andrews University; Mary at DJCAD/University of Dundee; Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts Gallery, Murray Rae at the University of Otago, and the Journal of Visual Arts Practice, for your wider support of me and this mahi.

Title: ‘An Ink-soaked Atrium’, 212x143cm, Ink on canvas

Title: ‘Where the shadows fall along cocooned masonry, before, now, and yet to be’. 1000x180cm, Ink on canvas

Title: ‘Pathways through a filigree laden resting place’. Ink and pigment on linen, 312x205cm.

Title: ‘Emanation among illuminated walls.’ Ink on linen, 206x306cm.

Ink on linen, 300x200mm [gifted to St Peters & St Pauls Edgefield]

Title: “Painting with Edgefield II, 325x260mm, ink and pigment on 600gsm hot-pressed paper.”

Title: “Painting with Edgefield VIII,” 325x260mm, ink and pigment on 600gsm hot-pressed paper.

Events

Opening Blessing, 8th September 2024; Painting Residency at St Peter’s & St Paul’s Church in Edgefield, Sweetbriar Ln, Melton Constable NR24 2AF, UK; Exhibition: ‘Vital Union: Painting with Edgefield’, Saturday 28th September 2024, St Peter’s & St Paul’s; Research Presentation: ‘Vital Union: Seeing the Real in Site-responsive Painting’, ITIA Research Seminar, School of Divinity, St Andrews University, 12.00pm, 4th October 2024; Research Seminar: Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design [DJCAD], University of Dundee, Scotland, 8th October 2024; Research Presentation: ‘Vital Union: Seeing the Real in Site-responsive Painting’, panel speaker, Art Association of Australia and New Zealand. Australian National University, Canberra. 4th December2024; Research Presentation: ‘Vital Union: Seeing the Real in Site-responsive Painting’, Edinburgh College of Art's, Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (ESALA), ‘PROKALO’ Lecture Series, 10th April 2025; Presentation & Workshop: ‘Vital Union: Seeing the Real in Site-responsive Painting’, Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Art Educators National Conference, April 15th 2025; Artist Publication Book Launch, 21st November 2025; Lecture, Art & Theology Winter Programme, University of Otago, 21st July 2025.

Upcoming Exhibition

‘Vital Union: Painting with Spaces & Places’, 21st November 2025 - 20th February 2026, Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts Gallery, University of Waikato, Kirikiriroa, Aotearoa New Zealand.

Photography by Mark Purdom