Shadowbeach

shadowbeach

 

I’m lucky to live near one of the loveliest beaches anywhere, Swansea Bay, and Husb and I often wander down for a stroll. I used to sketch it a lot but haven’t done for ages because it got boring; I couldn’t find anything new to draw. I had recently been thinking about the drawings of van Gogh and his wonderful expressive mark-making and so today I decided to take a different approach. Instead of trying to find something different about the subject, I concentrated on mark-making, on the way I put the drawing down on the paper. That took my attention away from what I was drawing and onto how I was drawing and in a roundabout way the subject emerged more or less on its own. The mark making took in the lengthy shadows on the beach cast by an evening summer sun, the pier, the smoke from the Port Talbot chimneys in the distance, the tiny figures strolling near the water’s edge.

 

I’m currently working on a series of expressive drawings of ancestral sites and if you want to see some of my other artworks, please click here.

Methodology, Mountain And Memorial

mel june 2016
Melanie Ezra with some of her automata

 

South Wales is so full of talented artists, despite the poor economy and our relative isolation on the Western fringes of Europe – or maybe because of it. Property is cheap and there’s an intensity and freedom to be had from being so far from the frenetic centre of the art establishment in London. Husb and I went to the opening of Melanie Ezra’s new exhibition, Methodology, at The Workers Gallery in Ynyshir in the Rhondda Valley. I love The Workers Gallery. Started by illustrator Gale Rogers and sculptor Chris Williams about 18 months ago it continues defiantly in an area of immense social and economic deprivation, receiving no public funding, building a stable of enthusiastic and eclectic artists across the area. It was lovely there this afternoon, with lashings of tea and Welsh cakes. I also met up with some fellow artists who follow this blog and had some great conversations with them. About art of course 😀

 

mountain1
My favourite trainers overwhelmed by wild flowers

 

The image that many people have of Wales is one of post industrial dereliction but what avaricious industrialists once destroyed, nature has reclaimed and the mountains and valleys are now breathtakingly beautiful and can stand comparison with anywhere in Europe. We drove back across the mountain via Treherbert and stopped at a viewing spot above Llyn Fawr, a carpet of wild flowers spilled over my feet.

 

mountain2
The memorials above Llyn Fawr

 

People have constructed memorials at the edge of the mountain, looking across the valley. This resonates with so much of my work, from Yr Helfa (The Hunt) about the ancient Neolithic ancestral stones I have been drawing in recent months; to last year’s series, Er Gôf, based on the Holocaust Memorial; from the currently ongoing drawn portraits of Baby Boomers, to the series of monotypes, Warrior, working with a young Welsh soldier – so much of my art is about loss, mortality and memory.

 

I’m currently working on a series of expressive drawings of ancestral sites and if you want to see some of my other artworks, please click here.

The Red Admiral

dress

 

I went to the opening of the Art In The Tawe Valley (AitTV) group show this evening at Pontardawe Arts Centre. It was fab. Lots of lovely art, artists and conversations. I took a few minutes for a quick scribble, a woman in a backless dress showing her rather lovely butterfly tattoo – a Red Admiral I think. I used to recognise lots of butterflies when I was little, but there don’t seem to be so many around any more.

 

Here are three of the artists exhibiting at the show who have close links with Swansea Print Workshop. Viv is exhibiting a beautiful landscape in hand-made felt, Leanne a delicate illustrative canvas, and Doodlemum a selection of her delightful drawings of everyday family life. The Tawe Valley Arts Week is happening at many venues up and down the Swansea Valley until June the 19th. Check out what’s happening here.

 

I’m currently working on a series of expressive drawings of ancestral sites and if you want to see some of my other artworks, please click here.

Come and Join Me!

Here’s one from fellow Swansea artist, Melanie Ezra

melaniehonebone's avatarMelanie Honebone

Dear World,

I’d love for you to join me on Saturday 11th June 2-4pm at Workers Gallery, Ynyshir, Rhondda for the launch of my new show Methodology.

My creations have always questioned the nature of how art is made. Here I’ll be sharing my policies and approach in a rigorous examination of the ‘facts’ that artists are fed as apprentices of their craft. I believe it is the duty of every artist to openly question and assess as thoroughly as scientists. Using influences as diverse as theoretical physics, astronomy, literature, maths, and music, I try to leave no stone unturned in questioning the nature of our being as artists. Through sharing my Methodology, I’ll be transforming cake into cameras, photographs into assemblage, collage into print, and bringing life to the inanimate.

In questioning my own procedures I’ve always felt I’m reflecting on the continuous flux of my own identity. Previous versions of ourselves are rewritten…

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The Lido

blackpill 2016

I had a meeting today so we took advantage of the extraordinary dry and sunny weather to go al fresco at Blackpill Lido, half way between the city centre and Mumbles. I met up with my fellow artists Sylvie Evans and Graham Parker to hatch some plans for the future of our artist collective, 15 Hundred Lives. Of course I had a scribble; there were loads of people enjoying the sun, supping tea at the Junction cafe, playing in the paddling pool, looking at the wildlife on the beach. I drew with a Faber Castell Pitt drawing pen into a leatherbound, Steampunk style A5 sketchbook. Here’s an interesting site with historical anecdotes about Blackpill.

Blackpill Lido
Blackpill Lido

 

I’m currently working on a series of expressive drawings of ancestral sites and if you want to see some of my other artworks, please click here.

Disaster In The Print Room

 

dud

Making art can be so frustrating, things don’t always turn out right. I was down at Swansea Print Workshop yesterday working on a new full-colour monotype. It’s a complex process and things can go badly wrong at any stage. But more often than not, it will go wrong when you remove the final plate, after a long day of printmaking. And that’s what happened yesterday. The technique produces two pieces – the first one is full colour and the second one is much paler, a ‘ghost’ monotype. Well, the first one I did I left far too much dark blue ink on the plate for the final layer and the whole thing is almost black!

dud ghost

Then when I put the final plate onto the paper for the ghost image, I wasn’t paying attention and I put the plate on the wrong way round so the final print is a higgledy piggledy mish mash. Thank goodness yesterday is over.

 

If you want to find out more about the full-colour reduction monotype technique, please click here.

 

I’m currently working on a series of expressive drawings of ancestral sites and if you want to see some of my other artworks, please click here.

The Lucky Winner

Winner

 

I rarely win anything, probably because I don’t enter competitions or do the lottery and things like that. But sometimes you see little competitions on Facebook and Twitter asking you to like and repost / retweet something and then you’ll be entered for a prize draw. I often click these and I’ve won twice. The first time I won a lovely printed tote bag designed by illustrator Gayle Rogers from the Workers Gallery. And recently I clicked on a link to the Sunday Times Watercolour competition organised by Parker Harris and my prize came through the post today, a pad of very expensive Saunders cotton paper from St. Cuthbert’s Mill. Lovely.

I’m currently working on a series of expressive drawings of ancestral sites and if you want to see some of my other artworks, please click here.

Before And After

Tair Carn 4

This is a piece of Fabriano Accademica paper, prepared with charcoal, acrylic paint and my home made walnut ink.

Tair Carn 5

And this is the same piece after I have visited an ancient monument and drawn it onto the paper in charcoal and Daler Rowney soft pastels.

The Giant

Tri Crug

I went out drawing up the mountains in the Carreg Cennen area, at Tair Carn Isaf (The Three Lower Cairns). The area is covered in cairns, skipping over the countryside along rocky outcrops arranged like a spine across the landscape. In the distance is a rounded hill – I think it’s called Tri Grug – and legend has it a giant lived upon it and for entertainment, he created the cairns in the area by throwing stones from his hilltop.

Tri Crug 2

I took with me a portfolio stuffed full of Fabriano Accademica paper prepared with charcoal, white acrylic and home-made walnut ink – see how I prepared it here. I used Daler Rowney soft pastels (artist quality) to draw lines representing the contours of the landscape in front of me. It was difficult to do because although the weather was very sunny, there was a ferocious wind up on the mountain which kept buffeting my drawing board and wrenching it around.

 

I’ve been travelling around South Wales with archaeologist Dewi Bowen, who is researching his new book on Neolithic / Bronze Age monuments. His previous book on the stones of Ancient Siluria (South East Wales) can be found here. Also with us  is film maker Melvyn Williams, recording a documentary about our experiences. Some of Melvyn’s short films can be seen here. If you want to see some of my other artworks, please click here.

Bronze Age Piles Of Rocks

Tair Carn 2

Drawing at  Tair Carn Isaf (the Three Lower Cairns) yesterday with Dewi the archaeologist and Melvyn the film maker. It’s a complex site made up of many cairns, large and small, with more in the distance, lining up along a number of large rocky outcrops gambolling across the landscape. The problem for me as an artist is how to approach drawing these monuments which, although Bronze Age graves, are basically piles of rocks and to be honest, one pile of rocks is much the same as another.

Tair Carn 3

For this one, I chose an aspect that shows the most easterly of the three cairns on the Tair Carn Isaf (Three Lower Cairns) site, with two of the three cairns on the Tair Carn Uchaf (Three Upper Cairns) site in the distance. I chose a piece of Fabriano prepared with charcoal, white acrylic paint and walnut ink (that I made myself). Then, with Daler Rowney artists’ soft pastels I used a variety of colours to indicate the contours of the landscape and the shape of the cairns against the sky.

Dewi is researching his new book on Neolithic / Bronze Age monuments. His previous book on the stones of Ancient Siluria (South East Wales) can be found here. Melvyn is recording a documentary about our experiences. Some of Melvyn’s short films can be seen here. I’m currently working on a series of expressive drawings of ancestral sites and if you want to see some of my other artworks, please click here.