Each ancient stone monument I visit on my travels across South Wales affects me in different ways and this is being reflected in my drawings. Here at the Neolithic ring cairn atop Mynydd Llangyndeyrn, Carmarthenshire, the angular stones contrasted sharply with the grassy hummocks surrounding them. I’m not interested in doing topographical drawings, I wantContinue reading “Channelling Cezanne”
Category Archives: Arty Stuff
The Sentinel
The Sentinel is a massive quartzite standing stone, the first ancient monument we met as we walked up Mynydd Llangyndeyrn, which translates from the Welsh as the Mountain of the Church of Saint Cyndeyrn. The stone was flat on the ground until 1976, when its socket was found and it was re-erected. Nobody is sureContinue reading “The Sentinel”
Grumble In The Jumble
What influences a drawing? Lots of things; the subject, the artist’s reactions to the subject; the drawing materials; the weather. That’s right, the weather. I was so cold by the time I reached this sub-Megalithic burial chamber on Mynydd Llangynderyn that I couldn’t be bothered to faff about with my carrying tube of paper andContinue reading “Grumble In The Jumble”
Stones, Slurry, Sun
This morning was bright, sunny and cold and I took off with archaeologist Dewi Bowen and film maker Melvyn Williams for a second day following the trail of Bronze Age monuments across West Wales. We had a trek up Mynydd Llangyndeyrn, between the villages of Pontyberem and Crwbin to see a magnificent standing stone; aContinue reading “Stones, Slurry, Sun”
Up The Workers (with added cat)!
I have a permanent exhibition at The Workers Gallery in Ynyshir where I am one of the gallery artists. Started by Gayle Rogers and Chris Williams just over a year ago, The Workers has developed into a major cultural force in The Rhondda Valley. Originally the village library, Gayle and Chris took it over afterContinue reading “Up The Workers (with added cat)!”
Myrddin’s Quoits
I’m continuing to work on a series of drawings done in the field, quite literally, of ancient stone monuments in West Wales, linked with the legends of the Mabinogion. This is Myrddin’s Quoits. Myrddin is the Welsh version of Merlin, who is a major figure in Welsh / ancient British mythology. I visited these stones,Continue reading “Myrddin’s Quoits”
Little Lovely Leftovers
Just finished stitching a set of 15 little prints for the Leftovers VI international print exchange organised by the irrepressible Amy Nack at Wingtip Press in Boise, Idaho, USA. The premise of Leftovers is to use up some of those scraps of beautiful printmaking papers that are often left over from our projects. I haveContinue reading “Little Lovely Leftovers”
Ropes And Buckets
I caught up with an artist chum from way back when recently. Chris Bird-Jones and I were in Swansea Art College in the 1970s when the world was a very different place. Chris recently came back from an artist residency at the University of Hawai’i where she had an exhibition of the art she createdContinue reading “Ropes And Buckets”
The Greyhound’s Kennel
This is the first of the ancient stone monuments I drew a couple of days ago when I was trekking around muddy Carmarthenshire with an archaeologist and a film maker. The Welsh name is Twlc Y Filiast which translates as the Kennel of the (female) Greyhound, but the monument is also known as Arthur’s TableContinue reading “The Greyhound’s Kennel”
The Vastness Of Time
I was out and about with archaeologist Dewi Bowen (left) and film maker Melvyn Williams (middle) yesterday, following a Bronze Age route to visit 4 sites of ancient stones. I was planning on drawing them all but this one turned out to be a bit on the short side and I couldn’t get any inspirationContinue reading “The Vastness Of Time”
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