The feeling of panic in the hall was tangible – as Paul, our guest artist and workshop leader told us calmly and cheerfully that we would have 3 hours to create whatever we liked from the pile of objects we had brought in from home and the huge table of sticks, paper, glue, chickenwire et al in the centre of the room...then we would have the opportunity to present our work to the rest of the group at the end...

Paul Hobbs specialises in abstract, symbolic and conceptual art and is based in Gloucester. Between exhibitions he runs workshops in art galleries, schools, colleges, churches, cathedrals and art groups.

Paul started our workshop with a slide show of some of his artwork, showing us how he interprets themes as diverse as famine, the refugee situation, homelessness, fatherhood, the Beatitudes, the Trinity, and faith, hope & love, using layers of materials, objects and acrylic paint to produce visual stories with multiple meanings.

We were free to ask questions, and Paul did well to keep his train of thought as he was thoroughly quizzed! It was fascinating to hear and see how Paul’s faith is reflected in his work and how art can be used to challenge people of all faiths and beliefs, or none, about our attitude to the world we live in.

When asked how he got inspiration Paul did say that once he did just pray for an idea – which took 8 years to come to fruition! Glad to say that in the 3 hours we had (including time for a lovely meal together) everyone had managed to produce something, and it was really encouraging and quite moving to see how all the group had responded to Paul’s challenge!

Take a look at Paul’s website to see more of his work.