Priest Hole

  • Robin Arthur

Expressive abstract painting in acrylic on canvas board. The first photo is taken in front of my house in Colorado, USA. It's late-January and VERY cold and wintery here, as of this posting. I'd forgotten how green it gets in the summertime! There is a whirling figure hidden in the canvas, the inspiration behind its title. I've always been fascinated by religion and the violence associated with it. What a waste of life and emotion. Here's a definition of a priest hole, via Wikipedia: A priest hole is a hiding place for a priest built into many of the principal Catholic houses of England, Wales and Ireland during the period when Catholics were persecuted by law. When Queen Elizabeth I came to the throne in 1558, there were several Catholic plots designed to remove her[1] and severe measures were taken against Catholic priests. Many great houses had a priest hole built so that the presence of a priest could be concealed when searches were made of the building. They were concealed in walls, under floors, behind wainscoting and other locations and were often successful in concealing their occupant. Thoughts?