WHEN an idea for an art exhibition was put to the administrator at Crediton Congregational Church the answer was what better way than to combine it with a cream tea.

This happened on the first Sunday afternoon in September, with tables laid for tea in the church courtyard facing the High Street, the work of three artists on show inside.

They were Mirela Tudor, Anthony Martin from Crediton and Simon Edwards of Exeter. All their work was quite different from each other and all really interesting with use of colour and shape.

Anthony Martin studied fine-art at Winchester School Of Art. His recent work explores issues of Christianity in a modern, partly autobiographical, semi-figurative style.

His next art project will feature Paralympic blade runners! 

Simon, who had been a graffiti artist in London moved to Exeter in 1989 when he became a student at Exeter Art College.

“I did not want to go anywhere else,” he said. He is now also developing t-shirts, applying graffiti-based imagery for contemporary Christian t-shirts, several of which were for sale.

All profits from the sale of t-shirts and cards that day went to Kuanzia Trust to support two pastors and their work in the Jinja and Mbale areas of Uganda.

Mirela and Marius Tudor are Romanian and moved to Crediton to Pastor the Church at Bow. They are both highly qualified teachers. They suddenly got teaching jobs and housing in Barcelona, Spain so were unable to be at the Art Exhibition in person. 

Donations for the teas were for Afghanistan aid.