This was a very satisfying piece to create and complete. We are drawn into seeking light in darkness. Having returned to Quaker practice in January 2022, the idea of the Light of the Spirit within us all had taken on a refreshed meaning. An earlier piece I had made and exhibited in my 2018 Crypt Gallery Exhibition is clearly an influence in my creation and completion of From Darkness Into Light.

‘I started Grief (2015) in the period between the death of my father, Ronald Watkins, aged 90, in late July and his funeral in early August 2015. I finished the piece as winter approached. He had achieved academic and commercial success and earned a distinguished war record. At the end of his life, those around him talked of ‘a kind man’; ‘a good man’; ‘a humble man’. I miss him.

For this piece, I used the traditional colours associated with Victorian mourning – black, greys, and different shades of purple.

My design was created to show the different stages of grief, moving from the black of extreme grief to the lighter shades of grey and purple to represent the moves to mourning and the acceptance of loss. There are patches of lighter shades within the darkness and darker shades within the lightness to capture the nuances of a complex journey.’

Perhaps Grief was the precursor of Warning – both maybe seminal influences behind my engagement with the colour Purple.

My From Darkness Into Light measures 33.5” x 34.5”.