The Bridge Painting

'The Bridge' is a 63.5" x 51.5" pastel piece on Stockwell Bockingford, 400gsm in an black oak frame. It is supplied with hanging apparatus. Its story began on the 22 February 2003, more than 10 years before it materialised on paper, with a sketch in my prayer journal, accompanied by a poem, portraying a chasm with the word death on one side and life on the other. The poem tells the separation of the King from his people and the arrival of darkness, death and fear. 10 years later, a second drawing, this time with the cross bridging the chasm, appeared in my sketch book and within a year I had started work on my biggest work yet. It took 8 months to complete, working when I could, in my kitchen, clearing away all my materials at the end of the day so the family could cook and eat. The basic idea and shape remained throughout although some items disappeared - an altar with a trussed lamb in the foreground and a cliff face with the appearance of a skull - when I judged them to be superfluous to the message of the piece. I was pleased with the piece when I finally finished yet had no idea that it was in fact the beginning of another journey. A month later I was invited to speak on the piece at a local arts evening, sharing the platform with an art critic, a poet and a musician. I spoke, hesitantly, just 15 minutes but was surprised at the positive reaction - people came up to afterwards to tell me how moved they were. A few months later, in October, I was again invited to speak on the piece. This time a church in the north of England had hired an arts centre for me to use. This time I brought my guitar and sang some of my songs which reflected the themes in the art. I also read some of my poetry. Again, I was overwhelmed by the reaction. it certainly wasn't me; but there was something special about that evening, as people came to tell me how moved they were and how they'd struggled with this and that issue: one person emptied her purse onto the stage. It was God-inspired; that was the only way to describe it. 'The Bridge' stayed at that church through the winter before it was transported to Middlesbrough Cathedral in the north of England where in stayed throughout Lent and beyond as I gave two more expositions. The wonderful thing is, not only has God been able to work through this piece to bless and heal but it has been used across the denominations, from Roman Catholic to Church of England to a community church: the next exposition will be as part of a Churches Together outreach. Reactions to 'The Bridge': 'That's incredible, Anthony.' Johnny, Turkey, 03.2.15 'It's amazing!' Eve, art student, London, 03.02.15 'Epic. Nice to related to someone so talented.' Stephanie, 04.02.15 'WOWzer! What awesome work. God's given you a very special gift.' Don, C of E pastor. 'Super Powerful!', Jinny, shop manager, Cornwall. 04.02.15

Painting:Pastel on Paper

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:51.5 W x 63.5 H x 2 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.