Icon Diploma Student

Part Two – Our Lady of Lincoln

By ronniecruwys on April 23, 2014

 

Greetings Icon friends and my very best wishes for a very happy Eastertide!

After the visit to York Minster, I felt I had to see the work that Aidan Hart, our icon diploma teacher, has been steadily sculpting in the heart of the Shropshire countryside. Aidan has been commissioned to carve in stone a 1.9 metre (6.2 feet) high statue of Our Lady of Lincoln for a chapel at the east end of Lincoln Cathedral. Work is fast approaching completion and to see this magnificent creation in its cradle so to speak, is a rare privelege indeed and again, it’s an experience to be shared.

It was quite something to witness our fellow icon diploma student Martin Earle, hard at work on this magnificent sculpture too! Martin, I am most impressed – you have nerves of steel!

Aidan has written a fascinating article about this sculpture for the Orthodox Arts Journal  and there is a little more on his website here.

I was really excited to be able to see this work being carved in-situ and have no doubt that you would like to catch a glimpse through these images too.

Note the characteristic sweep of the drapery echoing that of the Romanesque carving of Our Lady of York Minster.

I dont want to steal the sheer delight of seeing this work in real life – but Our Lady looks utterly beautiful.

The expression on Our Lady’s face is so inviting and open; she seems to draw you towards her from over the fields and beyond.

I couldn’t resist distracting the workers with a photo call!

Meet Jeremy Schrecker, http://www.schrecker.co.uk/index.html a sculptor who is working in the barn alongside Aidan and Martin – please do have a look at his website. Such talent secreted away in the most unexpected places.

Thanks for letting me visit Aidan and Martin and thank you for reading!