These beautiful Stations of the Cross were made for the opening of St Paul’s Catholic Church in Foxbar, Paisley, in 1964 by local parishioner and art teacher David Devine (1918-2004).

David had graduated from The Glasgow School of Art in 1947, his studies being interrupted by World War II: he was called up in 1940 to the Royal Engineers 930 Port Construction Company to help build the Mulberry Harbour and partake in the D-Day Landings in 1944. He returned to his studies in 1946.

When he was asked to make the Stations of the Cross in 1962, before St Paul’s was built, he was teaching Art full-time at St Pius secondary school, Drumchapel (he subsequently became Principal Teacher of Art at Bellarmine Secondary in Pollok, Glasgow, now St Paul’s High School). He also helped fundraise for the building of the church and ran the St Paul’s Sweep in 1960, when the parish was founded.
His wife Margaret (nee Coll) was also a full-time Art teacher, at St Margaret’s Convent School in Paisley. They met as students at The Glasgow School of Art.
David, Margaret and their four young children were living in a ground-floor council flat in Spey Avenue, Foxbar. He took one of the three bedrooms as his studio for the 18 months it took to complete the prestigious voluntary commission from St Paul’s founding parish priest, Fr Luke Brady.

All four children slept in the one bedroom for the duration of the project. Each has precious vivid memories of seeing their father make these Stations of the Cross: the smell of the linseed oil he used to keep his paint tubes and brushes from seizing up in the tiny north-facing bedroom studio that had no heating and faced the freezing wind as it blew up from Elderslie and Johnstone. The palette knives for mixing oil paint; piles of differently shaped glass pieces; the large inward- facing easel; reels of H-shaped lead; being asked to choose one design from the many patterns David had pencilled onto the tiles of the 1950s fireplace in the living room of the flat. From diamonds, trapezes, squares, oblongs, teardrops and squiggles, the family chose the tiny circles that are still visible on the surround of each picture.

The painted leaded glass sheets of each Station are placed as one piece over detailed illustrations painted on a single sheet of paper. The lettering is done by hand. The artist matched the grey surround panels to the hue of the church’s stone walls, and his handmade oak frames to the pews.
 
The Devine family left Foxbar and became parishioners of St Peter’s, Paisley. David was asked to paint the holy crests that remain on the wall behind the altar there. However, St Paul’s Stations of the Cross remain the greatest testament to David Devine’s God-given artistic gift - nourished by his piety, humility and devotion.