Moray Gallery

Stations of the Cross

1-27 October 2016

Paintings by Jessica Crothall

The title refers to the ancient tradition of believers reflecting on Jesus Christ's journey to death on a cross. This journey was broken down into stages called stations. This series of paintings are not direct illustrations of the events but there are allusions to crosses. All Christians are carrying crosses of different sorts on their journey of life. Easter in New Zealand always happens in autumn, hence the colours. I'm also entering a new season in my life.

These works are exercises in using lines crossing one another, overlapping and going off into infinite space. They are part of a greater whole.  They give the impression of being like diptychs and thus on that level you could say that they are fourteen different paintings. Traditionally there are always fourteen Stations of the Cross. Sometimes there are fifteen to encompass the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which comes at the end.  Life has times of darkness, suffering and pain, as well as times of great joy and light. All this is woven together in a pattern in this series, echoing the wider world.

 As viewers you are invited to enter into whatever part of these series of shapes, colours and patterns that you find strikes a chord with your own personal experience, and these around you. The multi dimensional illusion in some of these works suggests different levels of interpreting and applying these works: personal, local, national and international. This concludes a period in my life and art that started dramatically with experiencing earthquakes in Christchurch 2010-2011. These events have generated the form and direction of my art over the last five years. This Stations of the Cross completes my responses to the earthquakes in Christchurch, the rebuild of the city, and the promise of new beginnings after citywide disaster and chaos.

Otago Daily Times Art Seen Review  - LINK