Donald Pass : A Man Who Visions
Interview by Iliana McCloud
Donald Pass is a visionary artist in the sense that he belongs to those men who still see visions. Hailed as a modern William Blake, he has often sighted angels and has experienced an overwhelming vision that irrevocably changed the nature of his work. His exquisite renderings in watercolour invoke the power and mystery of that vision.
vision 2003 by Donald Pass
In this interview, Donald Pass, a master of our times, offers a glimpse into his extraordinary life and work.
For readers unfamiliar with your art, could you describe the vision your work is based upon?
First of all, I have seen angels since I was twelve and occasionally since. It was a series of things that led me to a churchyard in Sussex, England in 1969 and this is where I saw the vision of the Resurrection. I was looking at a grave of a RAF pilot who was killed during the war and thinking how sad it was that someone should die so young, and suddenly everything went darker and darker and then it opened up. There was a vast landscape that went on and on. Tremendous lights appeared in the sky, and everything became quite different. Time did not matter. Then I began to see these lights coming towards me that appeared to be angels. There were masses of human figures and things like souls were rising from their bodies like something emerging from a chrysalis, something that was reborn.
Some of these beings were standing nearby and some of them were collecting rising souls, and in the far, far distance there were some very dark figures. There was a tremendous sound of wind. A great angel appeared coming towards me and then there was a head, and all the light came from it. I could not see the faces of some of the beings at all; some had faces of lions, and others had a very mysterious feel about them.
Eventually it all faded and I was looking at the grave again. The day had all changed. The vision began about eleven o’clock and now it was much darker, about six. I had arranged to meet my wife at the pub and this lady came towards me and asked “were you the artist drawing in the churchyard? Everything was dark except you, and you were surrounded by light.”
Some of your paintings show the human figures separated into three pathways. Was this in the vision as well?
There were some figures going towards these dark figures in the distance. Someone said that they were the stern guardians of hell. Whether that is true or not, I do not know. The other was in the middle situation, tended by angels, and the other one was going higher and being taken in by angels.
Did you have previous visions before that?
There was one occasion when I was a child when I saw an angel in the hedge with a face like a lion. Another time I think I had a chance of meeting one at a railroad station. He told my future, and he had a beautiful face, very calm and beautiful looking. He went through the door and I went after him, but he disappeared – he just wasn’t there.
Another experience was when I felt I was lifted and held by something. This great being was holding me, and I felt as though I was about to be taken away and that I was a small and helpless child, but then it faded. Then another time I was standing by the door and this great thing and flurry of wings passed me.
I was lying in bed in Chelsea one day and a beautiful golden face flooded into the room and filled it with golden light. Afterwards, various symbols led me to the graveyard in Sussex.
Before the vision, what type of art did you produce?
I was painting abstract paintings of British landscapes and this went on for some years. I then started on other paintings based on the Christian vision, and did one on the Crucifixion that was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in Skopje, Macedonia. I did paint one angel.
After the vision, my work completely changed. After it I could not see the point in anything else; all I could paint was the vision. I did three large drawings of the Resurrection and that was all I did for a long time. I did not come to terms with it for a long time, but I have been painting it ever since.
I think that one of the most important aspects of your art is that it tells of the reality of the spiritual worlds. Do you think that the affirmation of spiritual realities is an important function of art?
I really do not know why I had this vision, but I think it was meant to be seen. I think others throughout history have seen this too. I think it is an important point that artists must have some spiritual content. All I am trying to do is record what I saw and have my work to be a mirror of the Resurrection.
Many thanks to Donald and Jackie for this interview!
View more of the extraordinary work of Donald Pass at www.donaldpass.com