Companions on the way
Those who read this blog regularly will have noticed that it has been a little quiet on here lately. Those of you who read this post will know why.
You may also be aware that things have ben very quiet so far as the progress of my book Journey: the way of the disciple , is concerned. The typescript is now making its way through the editorial process. However, I had some really exciting news yesterday about the book’s illustrations.
Back in February I put out a plea for illustrators to help me bring the book to life. A number of people got in touch, and every chapter is illustrated. I received confirmation yesterday that these illustrations will now find their way into the finished work. The artists who have joined me are:
Max Ellis – a photographer and illustrator, working on everything from majestic photographs of stags to caricatures of musicians.
Ryan Cartwright – a computer worker by day and an illustrator and children’s book author by night.
Ashley Fitzgerald – a multi-media artist whose Jewish roots and personal experiences inform his art.
Rachel Morrison – an artist and illustrator living in Teddington.
Danielle Somerfield – an independent graphic designer and artist.
Maureen Kerr – an illustrator currently working as a cook at the Army Base on the island of St Kilda
You can see a snatch of their images below, although you will have to wait for publication to get a feel for how captivating, warm and imaginative they really are.
Today a brave young woman, the wife of a friend of mine, will be laid to rest. In the past two years her faith has been radiant to the point of brilliance in the face of adversity. As I look at these images again, I find myself re-reading a segment from the book’s penultimate chapter ‘Scattered ways and new monks':
When these secret pilgrims find that journey’s end hoves in sight they will point it out to each other instead of looking the other way. They will remember, like the imprint of a forgotten childhood moment, that this is where they were heading all along. It will not seem so strange, or foreboding or dark as they might have imagined. Rather, their spirits will soar at the prospect of it and they will urge each other on. When at last one or another walks through the city gate into the city the others will wave fondly knowing that the footsore pilgrim is home, and that their turn will come when the time is right.
I look forward to sharing the rest of the book with you when the time comes, and pass on my thanks to those wonderful artistic companions who have helped to bring it to life.
