Easter Saturday

During lockdown, the Easter story became particularly important. I decided to explore the events of each day artistically as I pondered what happened.

I played with different materials and digitally manipulated photos I took during the creative process to try out different effects. “Easter Saturday” is an example of this approach. 

I found imagining Easter Saturday challenging, as the gospels focus on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

I imagine it was a time of grief and utter bewilderment for Jesus’ loved ones and friends, even though Jesus had talked about his betrayal, death and resurrection before it happened. There were also hints on Good Friday that the world order was changing, as light and darkness seemed to switch places. (It went dark at midday, and the light in the Holy of Holies was unexpectedly exposed when the heavy temple curtains ripped from top to bottom.) Who can think clearly though when emotions take over?

I incorporated some bright inks into my piece to show that there was hope, life and beauty on Easter Saturday, even if it went unnoticed at the time. I also wanted to show a sense of disorientation and confusion, of being sucked into an emotional vortex, so used a filter in Photoshop Elements 6 to create the desired effect.

Check out the print “Easter Story” to check out how the work developed.

I am aiming to make environment-friendly choices in my whole production process, which includes using older software until it stops working (Photoshop Elements 6 came out in 2007!) and using a carbon neutral printing company with printing facilities in the UK, EU and US. I print my work on Hahnemühle Bamboo due to the paper’s longevity and environmental credentials.

This is what Hahnemühle write about their paper: “Hahnemühle Bamboo is the world’s first FineArt inkjet paper made from 90% bamboo fibres, for a natural look and environmentally friendly paper production. The natural white, warm-toned bamboo paper does not contain optical brighteners, and stands out thanks to its soft, lightly textured felt structure and sensual feel. The matt premium inkjet coating delivers excellent printing results with defined reproduction of colour and detail, particularly for warm hues and monochrome prints. Bamboo is acid- and lignin-free and meets the most precise requirements in terms of age resistance. The unique combination of sustainable bamboo fibres, soft surface texture and impressive print quality gives the artwork outstanding expression and soul.”

The print is offered in 2 sizes: 20cm x 20cm (8″ x 8″) and 30cm x 30cm (12″ x 12″). This includes a 1.5 cm (0.6″) border.