Photography time..

From focusing on the religious souvenirs, I decided to photograph some of the typical souvenirs people come away with from their religious outings.  I set up a black backdrop with some lighting and photographed the objects.

My next plan for my project is to make some metal etchings which depict the typical souvenirs like keychains and that and possibly print up to10 of each which will then all be put together under the heading of "You cannot serve both God and money."

Knock Shops..

When i decided to focus on the materialistic side of religion, I used the photos taken in shops in Knock and displayed them as purely that - just photographs where the levels of contrast were altered slightly.

From these, I then decided to draw the images so that my project still had its drawing element that I had wanted at the very beginning.  I chose a different more abstract style to draw these which I found quite freeing and less frustrating than trying to draw an image that was perfect.  At first I drew them photo size, about 6x4 with some being a tad smaller.  But then with some encouragement I decided to go bigger, up to A1 size using a projector which I found really enjoyable and I loved the end result.

I also started to incorporate text into these images, as well as turning one into a woodblock and printing it, just to start off and bring an element of print into my work.

Woodcut

As well as these drawings, I also started a series of shop fronts which are simple line drawings.  My original intention was to incorporate some collage art into the windows of them but I really liked how they looked as just line drawings and in a series.  So instead I've decided to just keep them as they are and have a very clever title over them, a title I have yet to think of but I'll have it come assessment time ;)

Shur the bant was mighty in Knock..

I decided I needed to broaden my research for my project and when I heard that the mother was going off to Knock for the day, I tagged along! Checking in at "Knock Shrine" on Facebook got some hilarious reactions as people told me not to burn, burst into flames etc.  The trip was well worth it though as it helped me get some clear ideas for my project and where I wanted it to go...and also made me realise what a nice place Knock actually is.

Some of the pictures sneakily taken around Knock :P

From these, I decided to put them into Photoshop to edit them and attach passages and quotes which I found of interest in the Bible....quotes which I thought were in someways controversial.

As with all religious places and attractions, there was of course an abundance of shops and stalls selling religious souvenirs, sticks of rock, cards etc. which were what caught my attention most.  One quote from the Bible reads "You cannot serve both God and money"..something which made me think as one of the most widely agreed opinions on the Catholic Church is its hunger and greed when it comes to wealth.  Therefore I decided to focus in on that particular aspect for the next phase of my project.