Come And See Me Up The Rhondda.

I’m off to Ynyshir in The Rhondda Valley on Friday 15th September for a one-day residency at The Workers Gallery, a little cultural gem in this former mining community. I’ve done a lot of work over the past few years around the Mari Lwyd, an ancient Welsh mid-winter tradition, so I thought I’d take lovely papers and fabrics and re-print some of my Mari Lwyd lino blocks, experimenting with fabric inks and dyes, and chine colle on paper. I’ll also be bringing the “flat pack Mari” I started to make during the Covid19 lockdown.

You’re very welcome to pop in for a visit to see me at work and to explore this gorgeous gallery and art shop.

Save Kilvey Hill.

Musical demonstrators outside Swansea’s Guildhall.

Husb and I went to a demonstration this evening, to protest against the plans to erect a “Skyline” zipwire complex on Swansea’s iconic Kilvey Hill. When I was a kid, the hill was completely black, not a thing grew there, it was dead, killed by the Industrial Revolution. Then in the early 1960s, Swansea University began the “Lower Swansea Valley Project” to experiment with reclaiming industrial wasteland. It was a phenomenal success and in 60 years the hill has become a beautiful wooded nature reserve, full of streams, ponds and wildlife. But it’s now under threat from a massive commercial development and local people are organising protests to keep the reclaimed hill as nature intended. Some of the protestors gathered outside the council meeting this evening to sing protest songs while others went in to voice their objections. I scribbled them.

Here’s a short film of what the area was like before and after being reclaimed.

A Palace Of Organs Up The Rhondda.

Paul Kirner’s Music Palace.

Husb and I had a great visit to the little village of Ynyshir in the Rhondda Valley last Saturday. First we visited the Workers Gallery, to catch the end of the drawing workshop by internationally renowned documentary photographer David Hurn. Then we adjourned to the next street, to an old converted chapel, to listen to David in conversation with the legendary Welsh actor, Michael Sheen. I scribbled them (here).

Ben Snowdon plays the organ.

But I was gobsmacked to see that the chapel has been converted into a museum of organs. The Wurlitzer types that used to be played in cinemas and dance halls. You know the sort, they rise up majestically from a hole in the stage and they’re beautifully designed and built. Not only is tiny little Ynyshir the home of the most excellent Workers Gallery, it also hosts Paul Kirner’s Music Palace. It’s incredible inside and the organs on display are fantastic.

Ynyshir is a little cultural gem nestling in the steep valleys north of Cardiff. Don’t bother with the capital, this is where culture is thriving. Oh and by the way, I’m doing an artist in residence day on September 15th at The Workers.

Fun In The Sun.

Botanical Badges.

Had a lovely afternoon today, doing some community art in the glorious sunshine. I was working at the Graft Garden at the National Waterfront Museum, taking graphite rubbings from some of the abundant plants growing there and then turning them into badges. Fun and I like the results.

#StandingStoneSunday

#StandingStoneSunday 7

Two Legends In A Valley Village.

Husb and I went to a fantastic event in the Rhondda Valley village of Ynyshir this afternoon, organised by the wonderful Workers Gallery which is currently showing an exhibition of rarely seen work by the renowned photographer David Hurn. And today they organised a conversation and Q&A session between David and the renowned actor Michael Sheen.

Two legends in one place!!!! Of course, I had to have a scribble! I didn’t spend long drawing as their conversation was so interesting.

The conversation didn’t happen at the gallery but in a nearby venue which was, let’s say, quirky! More on that in my next post

Weirdness Up A Mountain.

Husb and I took a walk up the mountain Llyn y Fan on the Bank Holiday to visit the smaller of the mountain lakes, Llyn y Fan Fach. I took some sheets of Somerset paper that I’d prepared in advance. This sheet was primed with white acrylic gesso, than brushed roughly with my home made walnut husk ink and finally I painted on the swirls with Bideford Black mixed with Nori paste (read about the process here).

I’ve been trying to push out of my comfort zone so I used this sheet up the mountain, at the lake. It’s so weird that I couldn’t even begin to do anything representational. The black swirls dominate so I just sat on the grass and got into the atmosphere of the place and let it guide my choice of colours and what I did with them. Maybe a bit like the Surrealists used to do.

Llyn y Fan Fach on a murky August day.

Blue And Red Balls.

Still having some fun with my little round gel-plate, onion nets, bubble wrap and Cranfield Safe-Wash Relief inks.

A Blue Cast …

Here’s another little gel-plate experiment using a 10cm diameter round plate, with three primary colours – Process Yellow, Magenta and Cyan – with lots of Extender to make the colours translucent. It’s quite a random process and each one has turned out different. This has an overall Cyan cast but also the Magenta is quite dominant and the overlaid Cyan makes the Magenta more purply.

The textures are built up with layers of onion nets and bubble wrap, with the Yellow going on first, then Magenta and finally Cyan.

Blue Gelli.

I spent a bit more time playing with a gel plate at Swansea Print Workshop this afternoon, using a round gel plate, a few pieces of used bubble wrap, Cranfield Safe-Wash Process Cyan relief ink and Extender onto HoSho paper. I overprinted the pieces I’ve done in the last two weeks, mixing very little of the blue pigment into the Extender, to give the red and yellow underneath a chance to shine through. The translucency of the colours allows the colours to mix, so there’s a range of secondary as well as primary colours.

The yellow and red layers were textured with plastic nets (that onions are sold in) and the final blue layer was textured with bubble wrap.