ECVA - Ann James Massey - Layers of Hope

The Blessing of the Animals

Multi-layered painting

Artist Statement: Growing up as a cradle Episcopalian in El Paso, Texas, whenever I would have difficult thoughts or overwhelming emotions, I would go into our church (Christ Episcopal Church which was always open in those simpler days) to sit on a pew alone with God. There was usually a lot of praying, crying, and sometimes yelling, but I would always find some peace within the church walls. Over the years, like everyone, I have had some difficult periods where I sought the same help to get through the darkness. In the three worst times stemming from different reasons, amazing incidents happened inside the church (separately St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in La Union, NM, Notre Dame in Paris, and The American Cathedral in Paris) that were personally miraculous, returning hope when I felt hopeless. I have always wanted to create a painting that would reflect my love and gratitude for the help I received. The result is The Blessing of the Animals.

The Blessing of the Animals is a multilayered painting created using traditional methods on sapele mahogany board and was inspired by the yearly service (in honor of St. Francis of Assisi) in my church, The American Cathedral. Though the setting is the Cathedral and includes some clergy members and participants of services in the past, this is not an exact recreation of the actual service, but rather my own interpretation completed with family members, friends, pets, and other source material I’ve gathered over the last 50 years. Created entirely by hand (i.e. no mechanical means) over 7 years, the painting is a tribute to love and all the precious layers in our lives: faith, family, friendship, companionship, animals and art.

It took a year, drawing hundreds of sketches on tracing and vellum paper, to decide on and refine the composition. Gestural drawings eventually became groupings by laying new vellum sheets upon prior ones to refine the imagery cleanly and clearly. The entire cathedral was also drawn separately in detail. As was common in the Old Masters work, I purposely drew the setting on a larger scale and flattened the perspective in order to fit the groupings of participants and present the entire scene in a pleasing manner. Then arranging the combined chosen groupings on top of the background, a final detailed line drawing on vellum paper was achieved. This was then transferred to the prepared mahogany board. Making my own paint using powdered pigment and Old Masters black oil, I started the piece with a burnt umber layer in the manner of the Primitive Flemish artists (Van Eyck, Memling, etc.). Three or more layers of color and a little final scumbling and glazing followed. Before each area is to be painted, I brush a thin film of hand made medium. This process, though painted sparingly overall, creates an illusion of real depth in the painting when viewed in person…somewhat akin to layers of stained glass where each layer affects the final outcome.

The process of creating this piece, including some of the source photos, sketches, layering methods, step by step photos, etc. can be seen on my website post The Making of the Blessing of the Animals:
https://www.annjamesmassey.com/the-making-of-the-blessing-of-the-animals/

Bio: From my earliest memories, my passion for detail and admiration for the primitive Flemish and 16th Century Dutch masters have been a guiding influence. Since moving to France (a country that cherishes past and present) in 1994, a major focus has become creating that juxtaposition in my subject matter. Into that mix, I am now adding the element of tributes to influencing factors in my life: religion, family, animals, books, music, friends, art, etc. Even as I create my own style, always, we artists rest upon the shoulders of those masters who came before us. My artwork has been shown in close to 200 shows and exhibitions from New York to California, from Texas to Chicago, from London and Paris to Mexico, from live to virtual (during the pandemic); and I or my works have been recognized on almost 100 occasions with honors and awards and have been published in 29 magazines and 37 books. Among my memberships are The Society of Women Artists UK, The American Artists Professional League (Signature Member), Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club (Elected Member), Allied Artists of America (Elected Member), Colored Pencil Society of America (Charter and Signature Member), United Kingdom Coloured Pencil Society (Charter, Silver and awarded Life Member, past President), and Mensa.