MICHAEL ORGAN WRITTEN IN THE LANDSCAPE
‘The Gloaming’ Oil on Canvas / Olew ar Gynfas
Cover: 'A Canticle for Big Pit – No 4' Oil on Canvas / Olew ar Gynfas
‘Blorenge (Winter)’ Oil on Canvas / Olew ar Gynfas
‘Gower (Pink Light)’ Oil on Canvas / Olew ar Gynfas
‘Edge of Land (Landscape Study)’ Oil on Panel / Olew ar Banel
MICHAEL ORGAN WRITTEN IN THE LANDSCAPE
‘Water Balance Tower’ Oil on Canvas / Ole war Gynfas 2007
Michael Organ
Michael Organ
Michael Organ has a long and highly productive career as an art and design teacher and lecturer, examiner, writer and visual artist.
Bu gyrfa Michael Organ yn un hir a thoreithiog iawn fel athro a darlithydd celf a dylunio, ac fel arholwr, llenor ac artist gweledol.
His most recent work, featured in this exhibition, reflects his long standing fascination with the written word, in its broadest interpretation. The extensive use, which is both freely drawn and rendered with rigorous discipline employs, in different degrees scribble, graffiti, calligraphy and automatic writing, often reminiscent of Cy Twombly and Mark Tobey whose work occupies similar visual territory.
Mae ei waith diweddaraf, a welir yn yr arddangosfa hon, yn adlewyrchu ei ddiddordeb maith yn y gair ysgrifenedig, yn ei ystyr ehangaf. Mae’r defnydd helaeth a wneir o ysgrifen, wedi ei llunio’n rhydd yn ogystal â’i ffurfio mewn modd hynod ddisgybledig yn cynnwys, mewn gwahanol raddau, sgriblo, graffiti, caligraffeg ac ysgrifennu awtomatig, sy’n aml iawn yn ein hatgoffa o Cy Twombly a Mark Tobey, y mae eu gwaith yn rhannu tiriogaeth gweledol tebyg.
As a ceramicist these scribbled and encoded, complex, multi-layered painted drawings posses a strong hepatic dimension. The dense burnished surfaces are rendered in low relief, both building up a drawn/painted patina and etching back into it through shear pressure. These pictures contain dozens of layers, worked, reworked, scraped back and redrawn, over a period of months.
Fel seramegydd, mae’r darluniau paentiedig amlhaenog, cymhleth hyn, sydd wedi eu sgriblo a’u codio, yn meddu ar ddimensiwn hepatig cryf. Caiff yr arwynebau trwchus gloyw eu llunio o fasgerfwedd, trwy greu patina wedi ei ddarlunio / ei baentio ac yna ysgythru ynddo trwy bwyso arno. Mae’r darluniau hyn yn cynnwys dwsinau o haenau gafodd eu gweithio, eu hailweithio, eu crafu’n ôl a’u hail-lunio, dros gyfnod o fisoedd.
This series of works, one might describe them as “Palimpsests”, contain their own “history”, a conservator could deconstruct them layer by layer, however there is also specific historical reference in the content sources. The encoded calligraphic mark making may appear to be purely physical gestures, however this “scribble” is also text. For example “In Praise of Tenby” a 9th/10th Century poem, can be seen, if not actually read, as it is the content of the drawing.The same can be said of “Y Gododdin”, one of the earliest known Welsh translations from the 6th Century, whose title can be clearly deciphered.
Mae’r gyfres yma o weithiau, y gellid eu disgrifio fel “Palimpsestau”, yn cynnwys eu “hanes” eu hunain, gallai gwarchodwr eu dadadeiladu haen ar ôl haen, fodd bynnag ceir hefyd gyfeiriadau hanesyddol penodol yn ffynonellau’r cynnwys. Mae’n bosibl y gallai’r marciau caligraffeg wedi eu codio ymddangos fel pe baent yn ddim mwy nag arwyddion ffisegol, fodd bynnag mae’r “sgriblo” yma’n destun hefyd. Er enghraifft, gellir gweld “Edmyg Dinbych”, cerdd o’r 9ed/10ed Ganrif, hyd yn oed os nad allwch ei darllen, gan mai dyma gynnwys y darlun. Gellir dweud yr un peth am “Y Gododdin”, un o’r llawysgrifau Cymraeg cynharaf o’r 6ed Ganrif, y gellir darllen y teitl yn gwbl eglur.
Michael’s work is broad based and covers other related areas reflecting the history of the South Wales valley landscapes, his affinity with painterly figuration/abstraction, and the narrative content of the work on which much more could be written. Michael is a long distance runner, his energy, commitment and enthusiasm for his work is both remarkable and inspirational.
Mae sail eang iawn i waith Michael ac mae’n cyffwrdd ar feysydd perthynol eraill sy’n adlewyrchu hanes tirwedd cymoedd De Cymru, ei berthynas â darlunio / haniaethu arluniol, a chynnwys naratif y gwaith, y gellid ysgrifennu llawer mwy amdano. Mae Michael yn rhedwr hirbell, ac mae ei egni, ei ymroddiad a’i frwdfrydedd tuag at ei waith yn rhyfeddol yn ogystal ac yn ysbrydoledig.
Richard Cox 2008
Richard Cox 2008
‘Deluge’ Oil on Panel / Olew ar Banel
In Praise of Tenby – No 2 Oil on Canvas / Olew ar Gynfas 2008
‘A Canticle for Big Pit – No 1’ Oil on Canvas / Olew ar Gynfas 2008
‘A Canticle for Big Pit – No 2’ Oil on Canvas / Olew ar Gynfas 2008
‘A Canticle for Big Pit – No 3’ Oil on Canvas / Olew ar Gynfas 2008
‘A Canticle for Big Pit – No 4’ Oil on Canvas / Olew ar Gynfas 2008
Michael Organ
Michael Organ
Michael Organ was born into a mining family in Penmaen, Gwent in 1939. Michael has worked in the county all his life except for two years National Service with the RAF in Germany. He studied at Caerleon Training College, Cardiff College of Art and the University of Wales. The accumulated experience of a career in art education for over thirty five years has undoubtedly informed his work as an artist.
Ganed Michael Organ i deulu o lowyr ym Mhenmaen, Gwent ym 1939. Gweithiodd Michael yn y sir trwy’i oes, ar wahân i ddwy flynedd o Wasanaeth Cenedlaethol gyda’r RAF yn yr Almaen. Astudiodd yng Ngholeg Hyfforddi Caerleon, Coleg Celf Caerdydd a Phrifysgol Cymru. Yn sicr, mae’r profiad a gasglodd yn ystod gyrfa ym maes addysg celf dros bymtheng mlynedd ar hugain wedi hysbysu ei waith fel artist.
Michael’s achievements in art education are varied and interesting. He served on the main Art Committee of the former Schools Council of Great Britain and for a period was joint course leader for B.Ed. (Art Education) INSET (University of Wales). In 1991, Michael was invited to deposit a selection of pupils’ art works into the Laurence Batley Centre for the National Arts Education, Bretton Hall, West Yorkshire.
Mae llwyddiannau Michael ym maes addysg celf yn amrywiol a diddorol. Gwasanaethodd ar brif Bwyllgor Celf cyn-Gyngor Ysgolion Prydain Fawr ac, am gyfnod, bu’n gydarweinydd cwrs B.Add. (Addysg Celf) HMS (Prifysgol Cymru). Ym 1991 gwahoddwyd Michael i gyflwyno detholiad o weithiau celf disgyblion i Ganolfan Laurence Batley ar ran Addysg Celf Cenedlaethol yn Bretton Hall, Gorllewin Swydd Efrog.
The main themes of Michael’s work evolve from an integration of disparate elements: memories, literature, mass media, the natural environment, cultural sign offerings and not least, art, craft and design history. He has no qualms about re-rendering styles or adopting techniques from historical sources or other cultures. Intuition and spontaneity are vital and at the heart of the work. Various configurations are employed to fix a relationship between ideas and formal values. The end results can sometimes be agreeably ambiguous and unpredictable but remain open to a free interpretation by the spectator.
‘The Gododdin’ Mixed Media on Paper / Cyfrwng Cymysg ar Bapur 2008
A long term member of the Welsh Group of artists and honorary member of South Wales Potters, Michael has exhibited widely throughout the UK and abroad. Michael’s work is represented in public and private collections.
Mae prif themâu gwaith Michael yn esblygu o gyfuno elfennau cwbl wahanol: atgofion, llenyddiaeth, y cyfryngau torfol, yr amgylchedd naturiol, arwyddion diwylliannol ac wrth gwrs hanes arlunio, celf a dylunio. Nid yw’n meddwl ddwywaith am ail-weithio arddulliau neu fabwysiadu technegau o ffynonellau hanesyddol neu ddiwylliannau eraill. Mae greddf a naturioldeb yn allweddol ac wrth wreiddyn ei waith. Defnyddir amrywiol gyfluniadau i bennu’r berthynas rhwng syniadau a gwerthoedd ffurfiol. Gall y cynnyrch terfynol, ar brydiau, fod yn ddymunol amwys ac anrhagweladwy, ond mae wastad yn caniatáu i’r sylwedydd lunio ei ddehongliad personol ei hun.
Yn aelod ffyddlon o’r grw^ p Artistiaid Cymreig ac yn aelod anrhydeddus o Grochenwyr De Cymru, mae Michael wedi arddangos yn helaeth ym mhob cwr o’r DU a thramor. Cynrychiolir gwaith Michael mewn casgliadau cyhoeddus a phreifat.
‘Recumbant Figure’ Mixed Media on Paper / Cyfrwng Cymysg ar Bapur 2008
MICHAEL ORGAN WRITTEN IN THE LANDSCAPE Published by: Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre Text © the authors and LGAC 2008 Photography © Daniel Salter ISBN 978-0-9556047-1-3 Produced by Carrick Design & Print A Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre Curated Exhibition Canolfan y Celfyddydau Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre St. David’s Road Cwmbran Torfaen NP44 1PD 01633 483321 info@ lgac.org.uk Company Limited by Guarantee no: 2616241 Registered Charity no: 1006933 Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre receives support from the Arts Council of Wales,Torfaen County Borough Council and Monmouthshire County Council.