P.Wharton
22/1
Living Water
Living Water is a reworked (left) wing section from an earlier piece entitled Hope’s Last Call.
Given the purpose of this piece I couldn’t help being very mindful of all the students in lockdown (2020) planning their future. And that of the student who will be receiving this piece. Who and where are they now during lockdown?
Similar to an earlier piece entitled Phoenix, this piece also took on that perspective. A perspective of getting back up stronger than you went down. And The Samaritan woman at the well is to thank for the title.
Dr Gavin Hopps is Senior Lecturer in Literature and Theology, and Director of ITIA.
Living Water ‘Its beauty -- in both iterations -- robs me of speech. As with so much of your work, its delicate and elegantly flowing forms have an understated suggestiveness that is all the more powerful for their referential reserve. I absolutely love it.’
Living water.
Medium/solid Sheffield pewter
Approximately/W9cm/H19cm/D9cm
Weight/1.194kg
Living water/prototype
Medium/white fibreglass paste
Approximately/W9cm/H19cm/D18.5
Weight/261 grams
In private collection.
The last day of winter. Menrfa. 2020
Apex.
The keystone plaque of Menrfa bears the leafless branch of winter. And marks the last day of winter. The point at which light breaks through and we who are here gather up our loss and reach
forward.
Medium/polished Portland cement.
Approximately/W25cm/H38cm/D15cm
On Reflection. Menrfa.
For some time now I have been taken by a character I happened upon (via YouTube ramblings) named Menrfa. By all accounts, the Etruscan Goddess of wisdom and the arts.
Every Shadow and angle of her serenity is so deeply layered, and perhaps reflective. This was something I'd neither planned or worked upon. It just happened. She has been a real lady throughout this process of discovery.
So taken by her, I decided to make three, and by incidental arrangement they took on a dialogue between themselves. And it’s this exact arrangement in the piece entitled On Reflection. Menrfa.
Like myself in the artwork (2020/1) Hope’s Last Call, On Reflection, Menrfa also reflects back on the narrow perspectives of her younger self in relation to the vast, well-lived-in ones she now inhabits. An internal dialogue seemingly poles apart. And explores the arts to convey those perspectives. The experience of wisdom.
Throughout my life I have gathered many experiences of wisdom. The internet is full of them. But these snippets of wisdom are now in danger of becoming junk food. An effortless quick fix to get us through. We gorge on them and become obese with cliche. And we learn nothing of our place in the world beyond our wants.
To better understand yourself through the world, confront your place in the world beyond that of your wants. The universe is as vast inwardly thinking. So expand within. Express through the arts. And be kind.
Medium/Fibreglass/plywood.
Approximately/W56cm/H27cm/D21cm
A Past life
Menrfa.
As the three busts of Menrfa became one piece. So I set out to make another. Menrfa, in polished cement. And liked this so much I set about the larger piece entitled, The last day of winter.
Medium/polished Portland cement.
Approximately/W10cm/H20cm/Depth9cm
Weight 1.083kg
In private collection of MW.
Hope's Last Call/2020
Click here 2020/1 to continue