Let's get philosophical - whilst thinking of ways to convey to the outside world the visual serenity of Rebecca Newnham's Epiphany Series, I realised that the word 'epiphany' has another meaning that is poignant to the time of year that these works are on display here at Wink.
It's Christmas time, a celebration of the birth of Christ. Epiphany is a festival that falls on the Twelfth Night, after Christmas Day. This marks the amount of time it took after the birth of baby Jesus for the Magi, also known as the Three kings or the Wise Men to travel to Bethlehem for the Epiphany when they recognised him as the son of God. The Epiphany falls on the 6th January. This is also the time traditionally all the Christmas decorations should come down. I have to admit, I never paid much attention before to the significance of the Twelfth Night or Epiphany, not having had a Christian upbringing, so it's a revelation to delve into this a little more. Quite serendipitous in actual fact.
Rebecca's works are not related to the biblical Epiphany at all, they are about a different kind of celebration entirely. A celebration of a passage of time, lives lived, fleeting moments of nature. The sketches on glass are of Rebecca's experiences of time spent observing nature in Japan and enjoying nature in her own environment. They are stories of pot plants, bees swarming and bonfires lit and children fleeing the nest. Epiphany is a personal story of reflection.
Do come and see how the light falls on these sketches, experience the stories. Time for a personal epiphany.
The collection can be seen in person at the Wink Gallery until the 6th January. To view the whole collection, including the Vermeer series, click on the link below;
Also on display are Ruth Dresman's compellingly stylised images drawn from the world of plants and animals and sand blasted onto hand blown glass bowls.