Gods & Queens
Gods & Queens draws together four observations of worship & wealth through
printmaking, etching and metal sculpture.
Fourty Three
A metal etching 100cm x 100cm and postage stamp created in response to the two following pieces of text:
1st source text
God save our gracious Queen,
Long live our noble Queen,
God save the Queen.
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God save the Queen!
Thy choicest gifts in store,
On her be pleased to pour,
Long may she reign.
May she defend our laws,
And ever give us cause,
To sing with heart and voice,
God save the Queen!
(Plate available for purchase).
2nd source text
Homeless people are more likely to die young with an average age of death of homeless women at 43*
*Homelessness kills:
An analysis of the mortality of homeless people
in early 21st century England Summary.
By Bethan Thomas, University of Sheffield.
Commissioned by Crisis UK.
(Stamp available for purchase).
Thirty One
The etched copper kettle and print taken from the kettle were created from the two following pieces of text:
1st source text
‘When the engine broke it was a tremendous crash for in dropping she knocked away timber and everything else in her path. The engine rod on which we were travelling shook violently. The smash gave a terrible shock to us all, and everybody lost heart and nerve entirely.
The screams of some of the men were awful, as they gripped the rod like grim death. A number of them had the presence to the nearest place, and saved themselves by the skin of their teeth.
Robert Penaluna, a young miner from St Just, who was on the man engine at the time of the 1919 Levant Mine Disaster in which 31 men died.
(Kettle available for purchase).
2nd source text
In Levant’s first 20 years of business, £170,000 (15.3m today) was made from mining copper. There were 20 share holders and each on average made a profit of £8500 (£765,000 today) over the 20 year period.
(Print available for purchase).
Street Market Traders
A series of etched metal plates (60x60cm) and one-off dry point prints (10cm x 15cm) based on traders working in the small town street markets of Taiwan.
In 2019 I toured Taiwan & was struck by the community of street traders in every town, selling sometimes just one type of vegetable at the road side.
(Plates available for purchase).
God Functions
Top row of images: small one-off dry point prints of local market traders and oyster farmers working in small taiwanese towns.
(Prints available for purchase).
Bottom row of images: small one-off dry point prints describing the different functions of Taiwanese gods.
There are thousands of gods from different religions in Taiwan, most of them based on members of the community born into common professions such as fishing, farming and government officials. Each of these gods has their own individual ‘God Function’, ie they provide specialist support for certain prayers. So you can choose which god is suitable for your particular requirements.
(Prints available for purchase).