I’ve just returned from a visit to Worcester, where the Cathedral is now playing host to my exhibition on the theme of the “Green Man”. What a tremendous privilege it is to be able to exhibit work in a setting of that kind! The location of this exhibition is rather more congenial than the setting in which it appeared in Lincoln Cathedral, where building work outside the Chapter House resulted in a reduction in the natural light getting into the place. What is more, the exhibition boards that Worcester supply are all individually lit. So I really did have the feeling that my work is being shown to its advantage. We artists do tend to be rather picky about how our work is presented, but although I might have liked to see things tweaked in one way or another, I think that it looks well on this occasion.
Space helps. I was struck by the fact that one of my pieces, which I have only ever really looked at from a fairly close range, really had a more impressive feel about it when seen across the breadth of the Dean’s Chapel.
Possibly the most gratifying aspect of the visit has been the enthusiastic response of the staff members who saw it. (I had to leave before the public had had an opportunity to view it.) I’m really encouraged to hope that it might be well-received.
It is astonishing just how much physical and emotional effort is involved in this kind of enterprise. My wife pointed out to me this morning that we had actually slept for ten hours after finishing the hanging. (A contributory factor, of course, might have been the celebratory meal we shared when the job was done.)