Vespers

Twenty years ago I had the privilege of studying in Italy as an art student. One of the more remarkable things that semester was the opportunity to participate in a Vespers service with cloistered nuns. Every day I made my way thru multiple doors and gates to pray with these women. On Easter morning, after the Great Vigil, I had the opportunity to meet them for the first time thru the grille and exchange names and pleasantries. It was such an unexpected moment, that I was not prepared for after the solemnity of Lent and the carefully measured and appropriately introspective time and one for which I am immensely thankful. I did not have a clean studio to work in at the time, but did have a desk in my shared room, from which I was able to work with paintmarkers (the fumes were immense and the windows were open), white-out, and an exacto blade. These materials meant that ever mark was permanent, every line a record.