LET’S START AT THE BEGINNING Welcome to the first publication looking in some detail at the first 10 years of my journey following the theme “Transparency of Landscapes” As a youngster growing up in South Wales I was always interested in art of all types and loved viewing the great masters in Cardiff Museum. For the first 30+ years of my working life I was an art teacher in a local secondary school , I remained fascinated by all things artistic and endeavoured to share this enthusiasm with my young pupils who would bounce ideas off me and demand imaginative encouragement. With my teaching I also ran a craft pottery on Anglesey and then developed some oil and watercolour painting which was challenging but I felt there was something much more creative waiting to come out.
Why “Transparency of Landscapes”? These are a series of original paintings evolved from the idea that there is a certain transparency to viewed landscapes and the viewers mind will recreate hidden pieces of the visual image. Foreground features can mask mid and distant features but we can re-form a complete image by “looking through” the foreground. These painting aim to strip away the opaqueness to reveal an element of transparency. Light and visual perspective will have a strong influence on how the forms in a landscape inter-relate with strong beams of light illuminating areas and with distance sunlight influencing the colours and shades observed. The strong unpolluted light of Welsh skies can cause strong contrasts of light and shade and this with the powerful skies gives an opportunity to use dramatic colour elements. These are individual semi-abstract works which recreate emotional response to a familiar environment around Anglesey and other familiar areas of Wales. Some colours reflect warmth and familiarity with others combining simplistic naive shapes to form unusual compositions related to landscape features such as castles, bridges, towers and other structures. By removing the opaqueness of some features new elements of the landscape can inter-relate and offer a different interpretation of the great landscape painting traditions of the past. Much of the work involves a relationship between the fragility and vulnerability of man made landscape features with the power and reassuring permanence of mountains, sea and sky. Using illustrations of a sample of my work I will explain my main considerations when planning my artwork from conception to finished piece, it should show my thought processes and the type of questions I ask when involved in a project.
Crossing light off point lynas Off the north Anglesey coast the light on the headland warning passive ships of dangerous rocks crosses the glow of the sun setting in the west. In the foreground shapes represent the wrecks which have floundered on this coastline. It captures the drama of the location and the danger it poses.
PORTMEIRION COLOURS
TELFORD’s PRIDE
This painting of the classic Italian style village in north Wales has taken a distant view from the sea and a closer view on the buildings and overlaid one on the other to create new shapes and patterns which can present some visual contradictions. The lighter shapes in the sky emphasise the wind above a still horizontal sea.
Sometimes the structure in a composition can be emphasised by over-laying several transparent images. Here the importance of Thomas Telford’s Menai Bridge has been presented as a triple image of archways, towers, yachts and buildings.
The early experimental days I always loved the unorthodox styles of the Cubist masters –Klee, Fenninger, Braque, Metzinger and of course Picasso who wanted to create images which were more than visual recreations. I wanted to take something familiar and present it in a different way with inventive use of colour and composition. These artists set a desire in me to re-appraise my artwork in 2002 and plan to create a new style which could combine elements of their thinking with some cubism techniques and experimental use of colour. In 2002 having seen a Paul Klee print in Ikea I promised my wife we would not have to buy it but that I could do something similar myself. We returned home and Klee’s layered perspective image was the stimulus for a painting of an old copper mine on the island at Parys Mountain,the brown and ocre colours were perfect but the final image was a rather sombre one. While painting this a number of alternative images came to mind and so the series took on a thread which continues with my work ten years later. Early images were often simple compositions of shapes, such as arch structures, passing sails and simple optical illusions.
cONWY PANORAMA A morning mist drifts across the facade of the majestic castle on the River Conwy
A love affair with colour I feel colour lifts the soul, it creates emotions, lightens the heart and its versatility has endless applications when creating inspirational work. I was familiar with the strengths of oil paint and the subtleties of watercolour and had used both but acrylics were the way I wanted to go, vibrant, versatile and fast drying was just what I needed for the images in my mind at the time. I knew that colour in combination with different light sources gave variety and depth so this became my first target and resulted in some simple pictures which remain some of the most popular today. Sunlight on solid surfaces, reflected and refracted light on water, shadow behind shapes, dappled light through clouds, twinkling moonlight, sunsets and dawn light all have fantastic potential and began appearing in the series. By adopting this direction my style changed dramatically and in the first 3 years I felt like a child painting for the first time again with total freedom of choice and direction. This was refreshing and laid a foundation for the way the series developed in the following years.
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Rainbow bridge Quite a strong abstract interpretation of the main elements of the Menai Bridge- tower, chains and arches with the colours of land, sea and sky. The image hides three figures which are not seen at first but become more familiar the more you look. 1. A large figure, reclining but holding up the tower. 2. Thomas Telford, admiring his design. 3. A cubist style face wearing a top hat.
Caernarfon Castle Skyline A very graphic interpretation of the famous castle where I wanted to concentrate on the tone and colours in the water reflections with the vibrancy in the top half of the picture and calmness below.
PARYS RUINS Derelict mine buildings stand on the old Anglesey copper mountain near Amlwch. A dramatic sunset is used to complement the red, brown and ocre colours of the mine waste and the purple of the heathers which have now reclaimed the land from the industrial days.
So what about the endless skies... waiting to cross The bright canal boats wait to cross the aqueduct near Llangollen in a painting with double perspective to include arches and the reflective water surface. The broken images are confined to the areas below the skyline to help emphasise the dramatic sky colours.
Aberdaron evening service This is a well known view of the church on the Llyn Peninsula. Here I wanted to balance the welcoming warmth of the church lights with the dramatic sky and shadows on the stones. A typical Welsh sunset gives distant perspective which draws you into the picture.
In Anglesey the light is perfect for artists and we have sunrises and sunsets of such intensity and drama that they cannot be ignored and have the ability to stimulate powerful emotions. These had to be in integral part of my work and so over the years I have used several sky techniques each suited to the subject matter. We can always feel the wind, and where I live it can be strong, but we rarely see it, we see its effects on the landscape, moving trees, stirring up waves and moving clouds. I wanted to show this invisible power in my work so decided to take a cubist trick of fragmentation to break my skies into layered geometric shapes and planes which were often painted in a translucent style giving them a presence and indication of movement. The shapes did not exist but they were my interpretation of these elements and could be enhanced to show cloud, mist, rain and fog. The direction of these lines and shapes could also be a strong focus of the overall composition.
THROUGH THE OVAL BASIN
aberffraw moonlight
This painting shows my technique of breaking up the sky into shapes to show moving air over the waters edge in Cardiff Bay. This busy sky helps balance the complex details in the foreground which represent goods passing through when it was a dock.
Broken moonlight on the dark prussian blue has a dramatic effect.
SUNBURST A dramatic stormy sky captures the mood.
Diving red kite A client asked me to paint a bird of prey in the fragmented style. It was a challenge, but the result was very effective and showed the speed of the bird with it breaking up in the dive similar to a comet disintegrating in space.
Circle of life A painting as a donation to a charity auction in Scotland was requested by an art dealer. The life cycle of wild salmon was the result with the swirling waters broken giving great movement. The view looks down through reeds to all stages of life.
Fragmentation an old Cubist trick Much of my current style in Transparency of Landscapes and latest work involves fragmentation or breaking up of the composition with lines of some form. Curved, angled or straight these each have a planned function to help the viewing process by suggesting movement, depth, atmosphere, distance and form. Many great masters found that by breaking up a painting with fine black lines helped the colours placed in each section react better with each other creating a dynamic conflict which would grab the viewers attention. Again the harmonious norms and comfortable techniques of traditional landscape painting were dealt a contemporary blow by the maverick cubists and their work. The Cubist masters learnt that by offering the viewer an image unlike that expected or anticipated it could challenge their interpretation of their work.
RED CUBIST BRIDGE The painting of the Weeping Woman by Picasso was a broken and distorted interpretation but at the same time emotionally beautiful and something we can all empathise with. My series began to break up recognisable imagery and reform the picture, sometimes with elements removed so the observer could recreate the whole picture in their mind in their own way. Although I could not be considered as a traditional Cubist artist because I do not follow all of the key cubist principles my ideas have been influenced by their use of light, transparency and manipulation of form. This freedom from traditional landscape interpretation gave my imagination huge creative opportunity and took away any fear I may have had of needing to paint to impress, I felt liberated to paint my interpretations as I saw them and wanted to stimulate comment and opinion on my work.
This painting reflected the time when I felt I had complete freedom in my ideas so the bridge contains optical illusions and visual tricks to create interest and stimulate comment.
MUMBLES HEADLAND The rugged headland protecting Swansea Bay was once a gun emplacement and stands on this complex rock stucture. The light beams out into inky blue skies.
CUTTING WIND The sails on the working Anglesey mill break up the light and sky in a fantastic puzzle of colour. Their colouring and tones give this picture dynamic movement.
CAN YOU SEE WHAT IT IS YET? It has often been quoted that “every picture tells a story� either about the artists thoughts , an atmosphere, emotion or memory. This is so often true and as this series has progressed I have enjoyed this element of storytelling and narrative in my work. It may be a hidden image in the picture of it may recall a past moment in time now lost to us. The narrative behind the creative processes are the real soul of art as are the facts and information we all crave as observers, so we can share ownership through understanding
End of the Day Beside the river Ogwen near Bethesda is a well known bridge which links the town with the Penrhyn slate quarry. Workers would cross here when going to and from their work. This design shows two workers resting on their way home after a days work to chat, fill a pipe or blow a nose before going home. Their images are transparent suggesting they do not cross today but their memory remains as a footprint in time.
Tatton Park Parachutes During World War 2 Tatton Park in Cheshire was used to train every soldier who had to make a parachute jump. They would be hoisted up to a cage suspended below a barrage balloon and make two successful jumps.. Although the park is famous today for the beautiful house and estate, deer park and Japanese garden I thought that parachutes disguised as clouds would add an interesting story to the work.
TRINITY IMAGES
NORWEGIAN CHURCH
Caernarfon FISHERMEN
Dublin cherishes its history and in the centre of the city within the grounds of Trinity College is housed The Book of Kells. This ancient book contains beautifully I Illustrated Celtic stories using Celtic imagery. Here I have this culture passing through the gates of the famous university faรงade into the lives of passing Dubliners.
The trade in timber between Norway and Cardiff as coalmine pit props in South Wales developed strong links. The Norwegian sailors built their own church on the dockside and here their transparent memory footprint is shown as they prepare for the journey home.
On the quay below the great high walls of Caernarfon castle fishermen clear their nets in the evening to prepare for an early start next day. The face of the man with the pipe in the foreground is a cubist version of my father, he is also a transparent image hinting at a generation no longer working from these docks but well remembered.
Not everything goes to plan The Grace O ‘Malley story Before setting up to exhibit in the UK I will do some research into the location to ensure I have something with a local reference, a landscape or story which will interest visitors. Prior to a trip to a large show in Dublin I found the true story of Irish freedom fighter and heroine Grace O Malley who travelled the seas like a female buccaneer fighting on behalf of ordinary Irish folk. Her heroic deeds are recorded in Irish history including the time when she was summoned to the court of Queen Elizabeth 1st in London. Apparently they held a mutual admiration for each other as liberated women in a male dominated world. This picture tells the story of her secret visit to Howth castle near Dublin where having been refused hospitality by the local lord one evening (a response un-heard of when she was involved) she returned to her ship in the harbour and seeing the son of the lord, promptly kidnapped him and sailed away. The boy was held aboard ship for 4 years until the Lord vowed never to turn away any future caller, and promised to burn a candle in the window and lay a table for guests. This tradition continues today at Howth castle. Initially I painted Grace as a flame red haired beauty tugging at the reluctant child (top left picture)but my wife commented , quite accurately that she looked too Hollywood and not the determined ruthless woman as she was described in history books. So I repainted a new head over the old one with what my wife and I agree is a better interpretation. If in 200 years they x-ray the painting as they do now the secrets of the painting will be revealed.
Emotion and atmosphere putting us in the picture Since beginning this creative journey I have been fortunate in that my developing style has continued to stimulate much interest and constructive comment . Abstract and semi-abstract art is often difficult to understand and fully appreciate but by relating it to a recognisable source my images have been well received, encouraging me to continue. One current direction I am developing is to create images with atmosphere or sense of place which may trigger an emotional response. Often we put ourselves into a picture as if we were there or had experienced the sensations at first hand. Others involve memories or ambitions which create uplifting ,pensive ,happy and reflective moods. Art has always been able to do this and if I can create this my work is done.
Tintern Archways The atmospheric ruins of this famous abbey never fail to capture the imagination. The light through the tracery windows lifts the structure to look as if it floats.
Tower & Tracery Dublin Castle is a contradiction with its defensive round tower adjoining church architecture with the tracery windows. However it is an ideal place to capture light and feel a real sense of place.
Portmeirion Shapes The Italian fantasy village is full of surprises and romance. Its buildings make wonderful groupings and a collage of shapes, structures and colours.
Rhosneigr Fishers
Llangollen Dancers
Home with the sheep
For several years my family lived in Rhosneigr and one evening I sketched this family group on a well known local rock casting a rod. They soon moved away but I kept the image of them all balancing on the stone clearly in my mind. For a moment they were part or the landscape and their presence added to my enjoyment of it so they are immortalised in this work
The Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod is a wonderful cultural and eclectic mix of music dance and performance arts. My tribute to this event is this painting which captures the energy and movement of the dancing groups and the vibrancy of their costumes all within the shadow of the performance pavilion and distant reflections of Llangollen town.
Possibly the favourite painting of both me and my wife is this one of the modern day shepherd in boiler suit bringing in sheep from the mountains behind Caernarfon.There is something spiritual about the way the sunlight falls on him as the ultimate carer. His facial profile is that of my son and being transparent he is only passing through on his journey home to safety.
So what now... The creative journey which is “Transparency of Landscapes” has reached its 10th year in 2012. From an experiment in image construction in 2002 to new more interpretive work on the studio easels today there have been almost 250 paintings completed in the series. My plans and future directions today are as clear now as they were a decade ago, my only concern is where those years have gone. I have identified some exciting developments and variations on the theme which will continue the journey of enlightenment for me personally…
ICON REBORN
LYING IN THE REEDS
A competition winning design to celebrate the renovation of an iconic local building in Llangefni on Anglesey. Images relating to the history of the area lie on rocks being pushed aside by the rising reborn historical building, it rises today like a phoenix from the ashes of the fire which damaged it.
Sea trout rest between the flowing reeds waiting for the best moment to move up river. Sunlight through the water catches parts of the fish and emphasise their beautiful color details.
Llanddwyn dawn A sunrise illuminates this skyline off the Anglesey coast at Ynys Llanddwyn, the island of Welsh lovers.
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