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Description
Spirit of Mercy (2012) Mixed Media Textiles

Spirit of Mercy was born out a conversation about stained glass windows of Venerable Catherine McAuley and out of a love for the way that exterior landscape affects the view out of stained glass windows.

Catherine died in 1841 (a fact which still surprises my non-Catholic friends, who assume, by the way I talk of her, that she is bodily present in my life!) but her spirit has been within the growth of Mercy ever since. Sisters of Mercy can be found worldwide, alleviating poverty and injustice, feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, nurturing those in need of support, providing education services, and in general, reaching out to all those in need. The branches of Mercy never stop seeking to help, they never say 'it is enough'; the roots of Mercy reach down to a heart of compassionate love that was a key feature of Catherine's character.

Comprising of handpainted silk, linen, felt and machine lace, Spirit of Mercy contains about three km (two miles) worth of silk, cotton and rayon thread, and took easily fifty hours to complete, and over five hours to display the first time... It is now housed permanently at Mercy International in Dublin. It has no frame, or backing - instead, it is velcroed to the wall (the velcro was a nightmare to sew on!) and each root and branch is individually tacked in to the wall, to create the organic feeling of growth.

Dimensions: Circular piece is 2ft in diameter, branches reach 3.5 ft wide, height overall is approx 4 ft.

Description
Spirit of Mercy (2012) Mixed Media Textiles

Spirit of Mercy was born out a conversation about stained glass windows of Venerable Catherine McAuley and out of a love for the way that exterior landscape affects the view out of stained glass windows.

Catherine died in 1841 (a fact which still surprises my non-Catholic friends, who assume, by the way I talk of her, that she is bodily present in my life!) but her spirit has been within the growth of Mercy ever since. Sisters of Mercy can be found worldwide, alleviating poverty and injustice, feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, nurturing those in need of support, providing education services, and in general, reaching out to all those in need. The branches of Mercy never stop seeking to help, they never say 'it is enough'; the roots of Mercy reach down to a heart of compassionate love that was a key feature of Catherine's character.

Comprising of handpainted silk, linen, felt and machine lace, Spirit of Mercy contains about three km (two miles) worth of silk, cotton and rayon thread, and took easily fifty hours to complete, and over five hours to display the first time... It is now housed permanently at Mercy International in Dublin. It has no frame, or backing - instead, it is velcroed to the wall (the velcro was a nightmare to sew on!) and each root and branch is individually tacked in to the wall, to create the organic feeling of growth.

Dimensions: Circular piece is 2ft in diameter, branches reach 3.5 ft wide, height overall is approx 4 ft.