The portrait was well received by the congregation, who observed its more contemporary style and radiant ambience.
Artist Gabrielle Martin said she was thrilled with the opportunity to paint a portrait of Bishop Shane. Although, at the request of the National Portrait Gallery, she had painted a portrait of Eva Boroughs, General of the Salvation Army International, Gabrielle has always been an exhibiting artist and not pursued commissions. So, in undertaking this project, Gabrielle said she was determined not to compromise on what she felt was true to Bishop Shane for who he is, and what he represents, as well as being true to herself as an artist. “It was important to me that I did what I wanted to do; I didn’t want to compromise,” she said.
Having said that, Gabrielle said she found that Bishop Shane intuitively understood her portrait painting process and feels that the resulting portrait is a collaboration of their shared ideas.
“A portrait succeeds as a representation of a person when it evokes their presence,” said Gabrielle. “A painting might be beautiful in its own right, but a portrait must also have a life to it and a warmth about it. I wanted to paint something true to my impression of Bishop Shane; something with a presence over and beyond an individual person,” explained Gabrielle, adding that it’s important to inspire a sense of the spiritual in whatever way you find it.
To make her work come to life, it was important for Gabrielle to step into parts of Bishop Shane’s world to get a sense of the person to be transposed on to canvas. Painter and subject initially met at the Chancery and then spent time surveying Sacred Heart Cathedral.
“It was fascinating to walk around the Cathedral with Bishop Shane,” recounts Gabrielle. “He has strong feelings about the Cathedral; a detailed knowledge; and is engaged with the space. He’s very observant, noticing various aspects of the light pouring into the space, for example. I started to get a feeling for how he imagined the portrait could be.”
To prepare for her work, Gabrielle also studied the seven portraits of the previous Sandhurst Bishops which hang high in the transept of the Cathedral, where Bishop Shane’s portrait will eventually be placed.
“There was one portrait (Bishop Bernard Stewart) which included the Cathedral in the background,” observed Gabrielle. “The idea of including elements of the Cathedral in the portrait appealed to me and added to the challenge, and to the fun, so I worked with it,” said Gabrielle.
“I’m not slavish to real space and I felt free to take what elements we needed,” said Gabrielle, adding that Bishop Shane was completely comfortable with her thinking. Gabrielle said she has always enjoyed religious renaissance portraits and drew on them for inspiration. “I’m a painter who likes to reflect the dialogue between present and past,” she explained.
After taking initial photographs to develop the composition with rough sketches, Gabrielle worked from sittings, focusing particularly on her subject’s head and hands and the colours of the vestments, which Gabrielle said were important to get right. “Bishop Shane would bring his vestments to the sitting to ensure the colours were portrayed in the right way, given what they symbolise,” said Gabrielle.
Over several sittings in her Malmsbury studio with Classic FM playing in the background, Gabrielle found Bishop Shane to be “easy company”. “We talked philosophy and religion broadly. Sometimes he was happy to just sit quietly; it felt very comfortable for me, but I suspect sitting in a chair for so long was not so comfortable for Bishop Shane.”
Gabrielle composed the painting with consideration to its final position in the transept of the Cathedral, next to the other bishops’ portraits well above eye level. “I kept this in mind when creating the composition and I also increased the contrast so that it won’t ‘disappear’,” she said. “It was also important for me to add something of the feminine and fortunately, there is a beautiful statue of Mary in the Cathedral so I included that in the painting.”
Bishop Shane’s portrait is suffused with a radiant warmth which we could interpret as hope and spiritual enlightenment, and the subtly illuminated background suggests a tranquil and ethereal atmosphere evoking a sense of serenity and divine presence.
Indeed, as Kevin Hart, theologian, philosopher and poet writes: Gabrielle Martin makes no attempt to reduce her subjects to a particular vision, but lets each subject arrive in their own way before her. “Gabrielle Martin’s true subject in her portraits is mystery.”
The unveiling of Bishop Shane’s portrait marks a milestone in the history of the Diocese of Sandhurst. The portrait will serve as an historical record of Bishop Shane’s contribution to the Diocese and the shared vision of our time.
Read more about Gabrielle Martin and her artwork here.
