I’m a contemporary Welsh artist currently living in Ceredigion, west Wales. Through my work, I explore ideas relating to cultural memory, history, land and people. I work from my studio in west Wales and lecture at the Carmarthen School of Art. Following a BA and a Master’s in Fine Art, specialising in painting and printmaking, my work has been displayed in both group and solo shows in Wales and London. My background and journey as an artist include working with film and theatre companies, Arts Council funded projects, public art commissions, exhibitions and lecturing.

I’ve always been inspired by the landscape, the history and the stories that connect us with the land. My paintings and drawings often reflect on characters from folk stories and history and are re-imagined in a romantic style combined with traditional techniques. Figurative work, colour and composition play a very important role in my paintings. The work often refers to political and cultural struggles throughout Welsh history and are reflected through a contemporary narrative. What inspires me? Well, I would say in very simple terms; people, stories, community, history and land. I enjoy 18th century portrait paintings and early Victorian photographs where characters posed and presented themselves in their best dressed clothes, often to symbolise something important in their lives. I drew some inspiration from these for some of my latest works, a collection of paintings and intaglio prints representing Merched Beca (The Rebecca Riots).

Many artworks - both historical and contemporary - have inspired and informed my painting practice throughout the years but seeing themes relating to Wales and its people has particularly inspired my thinking. Artists such as Ivor Davies, Evan Walters, Brenda Chamberlain, Ernest Zobole, Mary Lloyd Jones, Iwan Bala, Bedwyr Williams to name but a few.

The first part of the process is research. I always carry a small sketchbook and ideas are often formed through conversations, the people I meet, stories and history. The ideas often formulate through personal experience and connect with my own upbringing or surroundings. The creation of paintings will usually develop through a series of large-scale drawings with charcoal on paper, combining imagery, ideas and people I have drawn and photographed. Once I have found a narrative and a composition to work from, I develop the painting with oil paint on linen or using intaglio printmaking processes.

I mainly work with oil paints and intaglio print making making processes. In the past, I have worked with a variety of mediums such as multimedia installations which combine painted imagery with sound, objects and film.

Over time, I have developed a more figurative approach to my paintings to include character and narrative. I will often refer to objects, symbolism, patterns and fabrics, taking inspiration from the home. In the past, I explored a wide range of materials and processes which is important I think as part of the development of your practice as an artist. I have always been drawn back to oil painting and value the slow drying processes as a method of working. I also really appreciate the fact that printmaking is an unpredictable process.