Sculpture of a Pilgrim - St Mary's Church, Newick. I started the sculpture of a pilgrim by thinking about the nature of pilgrimage itself. It seemed to be about change, growth, trust and faith. The first steps of a pilgrim must be the most important, starting in a blind commitment of faith, not knowing what the consequences of the journey might be, but to believe it is right to embark upon. I also thought of the analogy between pilgrimage, in the terms stated above, and the journey of faith generally; the pilgrimage not just to Canterbury, but to Christ.

The sculpture is of someone taking these first steps leaving behind the protective coat of their past and taking tentative steps in faith into a symbolic void, an unknown future.

One leg and arm hold onto the past certainty of the wall, with the other leg and arm seeking forward.

The pilgrim wears loose clothing flapping in the wind, symbolic of the person, or the pilgrim's, new freedom. The same notion underlies the reason for the person having bare feet.