After two pieces depicting knights, I turned my attention to the brass monument of Alyne Clopton (1325). The original image suggests to me the qualities of modesty, dignity and purity. For this reason, I restrain ornamentation and present a simple human form veiled in monochromatic drapery, much like the images in the "into great silence" series.
I have just started work on a piece depicting Robert de Waldeby, Archbishop of Dublin (1396), whose brass monument is found in Westminster Abbey. Rather than joined in a gesture of prayer, his hands suggest that he continues his work as shepherd: blessing with one hand and holding his staff with the other.
As I sketch an outline onto a plank of wood, I find myself thinking about how little the vestments of priests and bishops have changed over the centuries. It is now rare to see bishops wearing episcopal gloves (which are embroidered on the back to symbolize the wounds of Christ). Other than this, Robert de Waldeby's vestments could be those of a 21st century bishop.