Rather than dictating how his work is seen, the artist responsible for the Stations of the Resurrection exhibition launched today in Liverpool Cathedral says he prefers to allow viewers to complete paintings with their own eyes.
His desire for their faith is similar. Instead of "pretending to fully understand the Christian mysteries", Rob Floyd hopes that his exhibition will be a catalyst for people to explore faith and Scripture.
The exhibition is a natural continuation from Floyd's Stations of the Cross collection, displayed in Manchester Cathedral in 2014. While the 14 Stations of the Cross are well established, their complement, the Stations of the Resurrection, are far less widely known.
The works are being displayed at Liverpool Cathedral, which is – fittingly – known as the Cathedral Church of the Risen Christ. Each painting is based on a particular piece of Scripture, depicting the Biblical events from Jesus rising from the dead through to Pentecost.
"Painting is my attempt to engage with the divine, and I've found in the past – and I hope for these paintings too – that they may be sparks for their viewers' own meditation and thoughts on Scripture," Floyd told Liverpool Cathedral's Sarah Doyle.
"I certainly wouldn't want to be telling people what things mean and what it's all about. So I use a very loose style which I hope is complimentary to that and would like the paintings to be a start of some people's own journeys."
Floyd described how his painting style, which layers fresh paint onto under-layers, leaves a scratchy effect which leaves the blending of the colours to the viewer. "Viewers have to complete the painting with their own eyes through looking through the various layers of paint and light bouncing off those layers."
For Floyd, art and faith are intrinsically joined. He describes the preparation for this exhibition as both an artistic and "a spiritual journey".
As he worked, he would "meditate on each image and each passage of Scripture", waiting to be "inspired" before picking up a paint brush, he says.
"Before I start painting, I say a little prayer and get myself, hopefully, as open to some kind of divine help.
"I know it's a twee thing to say, but I think most artists would understand that feeling when you're in the zone, when the paint is almost painting itself, and you're not having to make too many intellectual decisions, but it's all just flowing and going."
Keen to convey that he remains on a journey with his faith, Boyd said: " I certainly don't feel that I am emerging from the studio enlightened, but certainly enriched for the experience.
"In terms of my own ongoing spiritual journey, being engaged with this subject matter on a daily basis has been again, in turn, terrifying, confusing, enriching and deeply rewarding."
Stations of the Resurrection will be on display from March 30 – May 15, 2016.
