Preparation And Plein Air

Here’s another view of Maen Bradwen, or Carreg Bica on Mynydd Drummau Mountain in Neath Port Talbot. It’s a massive stone and local legend has it that it bathes in the River Neath on Easter morning. I drew this fairly quickly with Daler Rowney soft pastels onto Fabriano paper that had been prepared with twoContinue reading “Preparation And Plein Air”

Best Quality

I did three drawings of Maen Bredwan this week, drawing directly onto prepared Fabriano paper that had been coated with gesso and then covered randomly with my own home-made walnut ink. I quickly sketched the basic details with a white conté crayon and then worked into it with Daler Rowney soft pastels (artist quality). It’sContinue reading “Best Quality”

Manure Mountain

Today I was back tramping around the South Wales countryside, continuing with Yr Helfa, The Hunt, a series of drawings done en plein air from ancient stone monuments. It’s been going on for a year now, with filmmaker Melvyn Williams and prehistorian Dewi Bowen and in between I had a solo show of around 40Continue reading “Manure Mountain”

Remember

Today is Remembrance Sunday. In Britain there is a poignant service to remember the war dead, not glorifying war, but remembering the awful cost of war. So much of my work is about remembrance and memorial. The song ‘1916’ by Mötorhead, possibly the best anti-war song ever. So sad, so gentle…..   I am hugelyContinue reading “Remember”

Creative Learning

I had a great day, working with a group of fellow artists to deliver demonstrations to primary school teachers in a lovely school on the Gower Peninsula. I showed a selection of printmaking techniques suitable for younger children including two kinds of monotype – direct line and reductive, blind embossing and colour printing with collagraphContinue reading “Creative Learning”

The Oscar Speech

Wow! What an evening. It was the last night of my solo show, ‘Yr Helfa / The Hunt’, in the lovely Workers Gallery in Ynyshir and I joined my collaborators, prehistorian Dewi Bowen and filmmaker Melvyn Williams for an ‘in conversation’. Melvyn showed excerpts of the film he’s working on (he’s been following Dewi andContinue reading “The Oscar Speech”

Stalking The Prehistorian

Since February, I’ve been stomping across the wild places of South Wales hunting the wild megalith, stalking prehistorian Dewi Bowen and filmaker Melvyn Williams. I’ve been drawing as I’ve gone along and these drawings have just opened in my first solo show at The Workers Gallery in Ynyshir. Melvyn has been filming throughout the months andContinue reading “Stalking The Prehistorian”

Siadwel Live!

Husb and I managed to get hold of two audience tickets for a radio show recording at the BBC featuring the comedian John Sparkes’ character  Siadwel (pronounced Shadwell). We’ve been fans for years and think he’s one of the most underestimated comedy actors in Britain so it was a real treat for us to beContinue reading “Siadwel Live!”

Honeysuckle Rose

One of the loveliest things I’m experiencing as I’m travelling across South Wales drawing ancient Neolithic stones is the flora; the lichens on the stones unchanging throughout the seasons, plants in the fields and hedgerows an ever-changing delight of colour, scent and texture. Last week’s journey to Kidwelly and Ferryside took us through hedgerows fullContinue reading “Honeysuckle Rose”

The Past: The Future

While I’ve been travelling across South Wales with archaeologist Dewi Bowen, drawing megaliths in the ancient Neolithic landscape, we’ve been accompanied by film maker Melvyn Williams and he’s been editing up short films as we go along. Here’s his latest instalment in the story of The Hunt / Yr Helfa. All the work I’m doingContinue reading “The Past: The Future”