After a number of rescheduled dates the show at Chapel Arts Studio finally went ahead with an opening event on Saturday 4th September 2021. The show looked fantastic! It was such a pleasure to share this journey with fellow associate artists Maija Liepins and Christine Dodd, and co-create and co-curate together with CAS Curator Susan Francis.

Maija Liepins: “Every element is in relationship with the others. We can see this in the weather when we perceive rain, wind, earth and sunshine not in isolation but where they meet. My elemental and layered film ‘Transmutation’ invites you to experience the balancing of opposites as an expression of human whole-ing, self awareness and creative transformation. Also on show are a number of artifacts from my process. The aim of Nothing ‘is’ Immediate was to explore and reimagine art as being sacred, functional and supportive of wellbeing, so I set myself a wellbeing focused goal. My intention for 2020 was to transform my relationship with the element of Fire. Tired of burning up and burning out, by the end of the year I wanted to learn how to feed my creative fire by focusing on what is nurturing, satisfying and enlivening. Drawing on symbolism from my mythological imagination this body of work explores notions of vitality, desire, strength and courage.”

Christine Dodd: “The creative twists and turns within my practice whilst responding to Tony’s icosahedron sculpture started with my usual creative chaos. I approached the project with an understanding of the relationship between the form and it’s symbolic connection to the Sacral chakra and the element of Water. The Crocodile is a reptile sometimes associated with the sacral chakra, which inspired me to familiarise myself with this beast, researching their attributes and finding those same attributes within myself as I moved like a crocodile. From this, the Crocodile Wisdom Oils were born. The oils come with a handwritten book on how to use them for self healing, spiritual growth and self understanding. The rest of the work created for ‘nothing is immediate’ relates to the water element and my deep connection to the energy that is housed in the sacral chakra. I wanted to make visible the usually unseen life force that is in and around us and through this process I gained more insights into my own healing as I created Healing the mother wound.”