Photograph The Bath Chronicle
Easter Monday, and the carving starts
Carving the hair, 3rd of August
The Carving is complete, November 2000, click to see a bigger picture.
Bishop Jim blesses the finished work, Easter Sunday, 2001
This is my last update on the resurrection carving.
It's a cold sunny November morning which is quite a relief after the torrents of rain of late. We are not used to extremes of weather and there has been flooding all around us. Thankfully the river defences in Bath were only breached in small areas. The scaffolding was removed yesterday and while I swept up the last remnants of stone dust around the sculptures plinth my spirits are low. Now the excitement of carving is over and I am missing my Abbey friends and all the interesting visitors who came to see me over the summer. This is a normal reaction, I have experienced it many times, but the emptiness is especially deep after such a wonderful project. Its like a party after all the guests have gone home and all the tidying up has been done. As I take some photos to aid my search for the next commission my spirits are lifted by a couple who stand in front of the carving for their own photograph. This is soon repeated as another woman sits on the plinth. Next a couple come by and say the carving is lovely but wonder who it is. This is my chance to tell them. Another man says he has watched it from the beginning and is amazed. In the space of an hour a dozen or so people have interacted with the statue.
I feel ok now remembering the huge response of my visitors. Way back at the beginning before even the stone had arrived I said to a meeting of the Friends of Bath Abbey that this project was primarily about people and not sculpture. My job was to connect with the visitors and become part of the team of Abbey volunteers who meet the public daily. This was very difficult to begin with because I am used to working alone in my country workshop. All of a sudden I have a constant stream of visitors wanting me to pose for a photo and asking me questions.
If you passed by you would have more likely seen me talking than carving and I still wonder how the stone got carved at all. To begin with finding my place between interruptions was a problem, but after two weeks practice I could break off for the short questions and photo calls and return to the exact spot as if no one had stopped me. The longer talks were generally more important and deeper so my concentration always had to be shifted into another gear for these meetings but these exchanges where hugely valuable to me. They provided a real chance to gauge how I was communicating and to receive criticism and encouragement. I have not been able to fallow up on Emails yet as I don't own a computer capable of doing this but I do hope to get this computer deficit sorted out soon. Meanwhile my friend is putting this on the web site.
My main priority and problem in doing this sculpture was to tell people about Jesus using the carving, the meetings with visitors at the Abbey and this web site. To be very honest with you I didn't find talking about my belief in Christ very easy. In this situation Roy Dolman was literally my Godsend and many more people were aware of the message because of his daily help. All year round since Roy retired from his job on the local council he can be found sitting on a bench somewhere in the centre of town willing to share his love of Jesus with any one who will sit beside him and listen. His commitment is a great help and inspiration to me and he has shown me that we have a great assignment from Jesus to tell the world about him and the salvation he offers and there is no need for embarrassment.
Out of this mixture of strength and weakness a statement in stone has been made which amazingly communicates the truth that sets us free from our bonds. The way I see it is that doing your best to say what you believe is better than doing nothing. If we wait until we have got it all sorted and we are completely confident then nothing will ever happen. After all Jesus commanded us to go out and tell the world the most important message any one can hear, That we can have new and everlasting life in him, and I know he is around helping when we are trying our best to do that.
Hello to
Dee and Richard with their lovely little son Noah from Cearleon near Newport Wales Friends who I am so sorry to have missed you if you of any one who knows you see this please get in touch.
Wendy Brown and Erica Musgrove of Aberfeldie Baptist church Melbourne Australia
A 94 year old who had never seen a stone carving in progress proving you can live a long life and not see everything!
Manfred Junemann a surgeon from Buenos Aries. Shared experiences of constructing human form.
Glenys Dean Yastrid Mymach and Collin Kerrigan St Martins art students.
Tegwin Evens of Caerphilly Wales shared about the sculpture of William Davis circa 1920
Van Nuss Frederik from Schoten near Antwerp who was once an artists model who saw me measuring arms and legs and was kind in his appreciation.
Phill Hancock who believes in Jesus Christ and the resurrection. Thanks for your encouragement
Collin Kelsey Leigh from Rocklin
Alan James of Lavington NSW Australia
Jake Jacob of Bath who knows Dawn Huggins who taught sculpture at Bath Academy of Art. Hello Dawn if by chance you get to see this my very best wishes.
Karl Sanchez and Joe Alphonse of Sydney Australia
Patrick Henry Florida USA
Charlotta Traustadottir and Magnus Siqurdsson from Iceland
Jim and Jan Mintura Evangelical convent church Mankato Mn USA
Young -
Alan Llewellyn Sherston England
Andrew and Strachelle Wyns Niagara Community Church Canada
Melinda Lewes art teacher in Yorktown VA USA
Eric Inman regular visitor to Bath thanks for your support and the photos.
Maureen Johnson Church organist at St Thomas the Apostle Melbourne Australia
Diethelm Wertz Bramsche Germany who's great interest in Indian sculpture has inspired us
Mard Zoe Strelow of Westerkappeen Germany.
Jean Slater and Elizabeta Beeden of Shaftesbury England
Ton de Groot A very special visitor and traveller bringing wisdom and exchanging experiences.
Margo Roman a Veterinary surgeon in Hopkinton MA USA
The Peace Abbey Shubourn Mas USA www.peaceabbey.org stone walk for the unknown civilians killed in war
Rabbi Bar-
Joe Cribb curator of South Asian coins at the British Museum
John Turner of London I am keeping an eye on Rob and his amazing cabinet making.
Welsh Many telling me about Joe Cribb Eric Gills first apprentice
Greg Funk of LA USA
Carla Emkow of the Ngano gallery Berlin showing Zimbabwe sculpture told me about the Chopungu sculpture park Harare Zimbabwe.
Leonard Hooper photographer from Ashford Kent
Allison Small sculptor in stone in Boulder Colorado USA
Some one said to me "the church is like an unfinished statue just chipped out a bit around the edges"
Ema Zoek and David Australia and England
Lawrence Kennedy counsellor from Vienna Vagina USA
Ena and Gordon Joyues of Yeovil Somerset. Them selves healed of cancer by Christ became healers in his name.
Father Thoddeus Grzelak of New York. Artist priest and music lover. Ace communicator who loves the lord of the dance.
Lucia Meoin of Florence A magic encounter with a lover of the arts
Roseleen Round and Elizabeth Weir Cotton whose grandfather Thomas Ingram Thompson carved in Belfast at the beginning of the last century and whose work can be seen in the cathedral baptistery and at Stormont
Stanley Romovokich from Yale USA where creation is being described beautifully in the language of ciphers.
Doris Krueger of New Jersey USA
Michael Farrow stonemason from Finedon making Northhants look beautiful
Love Alleen from Denmark . Keep walking the sharing road.
Paul Schotterler Winsconsin Marine biologist. Your words are for those with ears to hear and eyes to see.
B Hathway of Bristol who knows all the old skills and materials of the plasterers trade reminded me of my grandfather who worked decorating those famous London cinemas. Mr Hathway you are the last in a very long line to have been handed down the knowledge of materials and skills that totally rely on your understanding to be successfully applied. No dry lining or ready mix plaster. You had to slake lime, mature it, gauge it and mix in ashes as aggregate. You had to get it onto lathed ceilings judging the right consistencies and the right timing. Using the same basic materials you could create finishes from stucco to scagliola from a smooth rendered surface to ornate cornice and ceiling roses. I take my hat off to you.
Your Comments: email: laurence@tindall26.fsnet.co.uk
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BATH ABBEY 2000
Welcome to the carving of Christ's Resurrection
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