In November 2024, I was commissioned by the National Contemporary Art Gallery for Wales (NCAGW) as part of the Celf ar y Cyd initiative.
The commission was inspired by the River Usk (Afon Wysg) and is now part of the gallery’s national collection, currently held at Newport Museum and Art Gallery.

Working on this commission, I explored the river from multiple perspectives - from the top floor of USW’s Newport campus, within the Engagement Hub, and through a series of photographs and drone shots. These views informed my studio work, including idea boards and a colour palette influenced by Newport’s industrial heritage and changing weather.

One of the criteria was to take an image or object from the collection as a starting point. 'Art lesson by Gerda Roper in the garden of Prospect
Cottage, home of David Hurn'. Students Sian Hurn and Katy Arnatt. Tintern, Wales by David Hurn, founder of the legendary Documentary
Photography course at Newport Art College.

Image credit: Hurn, D. Collection Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales. Item no. NMW A 56385 (1976).

This image resonated with me as it reflects both my values and my art practice: being immersed and fully present within the landscape, sketching on site and gathering inspiration through both photography and drawing, which I then bring back into the studio to develop the painting. I was also inspired by Thomas Rathmell's "The Usk at Newport" as well as glassware by Maurice Marinot.

Learn more about Celf ar y Cyd

Other Paintings

Anglesey inspired these works, where light, colour, and memory shape the paintings.

Beaumaris

Inspired by a wide, empty beach, these paintings capture light, colour, and movement as remembered from nature.

Painting The Colours of the Air

Annwn: A mystical other world in Welsh mythology, sometimes described as a hidden realm with a magical landscape where land, water,and time intertwine. Paintings that move beyond literal interpretation and involve painting intuitively, being in the moment to respond to what unfolds.

Annwn: Imaginary Landscapes

A selection of small pen and ink drawings and paintings inspired by a small village near Safi, Essaouria.

Pen and Ink

This series was made during lockdown 2020 - 2023. They were inspired by all the flowers seen on daily lockdown walks, and provided a distraction from anxiety of the pandemic. Later, I developed the idea of subtle depiction of news events, within the vase reflections to anchor the paintings to this groundbreaking time. The overarching message of the flowers are to celebrate, take notice of nature's fleeting beauty, whilst remind us of our fragility and question our humanity.

Flower Powers

Portraits inspired by the blue light reflected from digital media. Self portrait for 'A Quiet Blue Wall'

Portraits

Lost Connections was created from 2014-16 and transports us from the familiarity of our addiction to social media feeds, the cold blue light of digital screens that constantly distract us – to the largest e-waste dump in the world, in Agbogbloshie, Ghana – the catalyst was the documentary photography of Kevin McElvaney and Andrew McConnell. Lost Connections is an emotional response to the story - raising questions about e-waste; our relationship to digital technology and each other.

Lost Connections