Ffocws #3

“I am a mixed media abstract artist. A love of colour, nature and surface drives my practice. The paintings are created layer by layer playing with colour, texture and mark making using a variety of media, sometimes sanding and scratching back to reveal hidden treasures underneath.”

“My ongoing inspiration as an artist comes from the landscapes of North Wales. It is here that I have spent my whole life exploring, inspired by many places that give me a sense of freedom and cut out the white noise of everyday life. The context of my work represents specific elements of rural life that create an escape through the practice of drawing. The corvids are an ongoing subject; deeply beautiful, mischievous and their presence within the landscape really captivates me. Their energies have informed the expressive mark making within my entire art practice to the extent that whatever the subject may be, there is always a ‘crow like’ feeling. I use a variety of drawing and printmaking techniques which have been developed from my Masters degree at the School of Creative Arts, Wrexham. I initially work with charcoal and later move to printing techniques such as etching, drypoint, collagraph, linocut and silkscreen. I can get really immersed through the act of drawing, so much that I lose sense of time and self being.”

“I simply paint the world around me, the land, still life and every day situations. I believe in creating original pieces and seeing the world afresh, simply reacting to what is in front of me. I am interested in colour and shape within the land, as well as the vast history and culture we have here in North Wales which is embedded in to the slate quarries and surrounding mountains. Although some works seem figurative, I am constantly pushing boundaries and taking risks, sometimes producing abstract works, shifting between different methodology and approaches, keeping myself interested and engaged. The land is very important to me, and I want to continue exploring the great outdoors. I simply react to the land where I was born and have been brought up in, trying to capture a moment in time through a creative process.”

Elin is an artist from Machynlleth who makes prints using Collograph and Linocut. This series is based on the landscape around her in the Dovey Valley. The work derives from her appreciation of the rural way of life, traditions, the Welsh language, Welsh culture and the beauty of the landscape surrounding her which is an integral part of her life.