Angels at Beverley Minster

Friday 18th September, popped into Beverley Minster with a couple of canvas boards and a Sharpie pen. Walking to the east end passing through Lady Chapel I stopped at St. Katherine’s Chapel, a place of quiet reflection. Earlier when I arrived I was pleased to see an old friend and we spoke for a few minutes. Here in the Chapel a circle of chairs invited reflection. I sat near the resting place of Benjamin Lambert (d1772) , looking up I saw a complicated tracery of lines created by columns, arches, vaulting and monumental structures. Sitting on a chair I briefly pondered the situation, could I draw it? Where to start? What to include? I considered it as an exercise and it would be a good challenge. So I started. I began by sketching the two far windows. These would then scale the rest of the elements. The sketch is just that, it is not meant to be a ‘complete’ picture. It is meant to invite the eye to ‘look’ more at our surroundings. Of course the history, skill of the builders is fascinating and humbling and being here, inside the building we become part of that history. On the way here I stopped at an art exhibition in the south aisle by two artists which impressed me. Then I stopped at some plaques dedicated to people from the East Riding who had died in far away places,  Egypt, South Africa, Barbados, South Afghanistan and more. I read all the names.  Perhaps this had made me reflect, prompting this sketch. As I was close to finishing, angelic sounds permeated the building. A choir was singing in the main part of the church. I stopped and wandered back to the Nave. A large crowd were seated. The smell of soup wafted around me, then I remembered. It was a lunchtime concert. I walked over to the war memorial plaques and sat on a stone ledge. From here I could see singers arrive and begin to perform. They were Opera 17. Very accomplished and I decided to make a very quick sketch to capture the moment. 

Here is my sketch with colour added.

This is my very quick sketch of Opera 17 performing their lunchtime concert.