The upturned face of this land

The mad singing in the hills

The prophetic mouth of the rain

 -Ted Hughes- ‘The Trance of Light’

It is a very human urge to find material proof of something that is otherwise transcendent, numinous or wholly ‘other’.  The phenomena of ‘pilgrimage’, or a sacred journey, is one such example.  The pilgrim traverses the physical landscape to find some clue or connection to the unseen.

The illustrator is in an ideal position to understand and explain this bridge between material and immaterial.  After all, the name ‘illustration’ means to shine light on that which is otherwise hidden from view. 

The focus of my MA has been on a specific pilgrimage site: St Winifred’s Well in Flintshire, North Wales.  My work explores the human voices surrounding the site, both past and present, as they attempt to make sense of, and hope for, a divine encounter as they make their journey.