Glory was a local exhibition of paintings by Wivenhoe artist and Wivenhoe Community Church co-leader Dirk Paterson, held at the Old Grocery in Wivenhoe.

The exhibition brought together a collection of Dirk’s work exploring the human form, faith and our encounters with the divine.

The human narrative is central to Dirk’s painting. Rather than approaching his subjects simply as portraits, his work explores the experiences and emotions we recognise in one another: goodness and love, pain and grief, regret and joy.

Biblical scripture also provides inspiration for many of the paintings in Glory. Through brush, knife and colour, Dirk explores stories and moments including the prodigal son and daughter, the woman reaching for the cloak of Jesus, Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well, worship and creation.

As Dirk explains, his work also attempts to capture those moments when we go beyond ourselves through worship, prayer and repentance, and what it can mean to encounter the glory of God.

The exhibition offered visitors an opportunity to spend time with the paintings, their stories and the scripture that inspired them.

Dirk’s work reflects his belief that creativity is something we all share. As people made in the image of a creator God, he sees the instinct to create as a natural part of being human and something that can contribute to our sense of fulfilment and wellbeing.

During the exhibition, Wivenhoe Community Church also held its Sunday gathering at the Old Grocery, giving us the unusual opportunity to meet and worship surrounded by the paintings.

Rather than simply viewing the work, we spent time contemplating individual paintings alongside the scripture that inspired them and talking about the thoughts and feelings they prompted.

Different works resonated with different people, from the feet of Jesus and the prodigal son and daughter series to images of worship, creation and encounters with Jesus.

It was an opportunity to experience worship in a visual environment, using art as a starting point for reflection, conversation and prayer.