Artist Statement

I am a mixed-media artist, mainly working with paint. Painting is not only a passion, it is a feeling.  Whether with watercolour, acrylics, oil paints or more, the therapeutic properties inherent in the act of painting never change for me. It provides escapism, distraction, focus and relief, and can be an alternative way of communicating without someone having to explain themselves through speech.

I do not attribute my practice to any particular genre, but I do paint in the moment: whether depicting my immediate location, surrounding people, or my emotions at that time. I believe that this allows for a sense of freedom in my practice, and the outcomes are frequently quite personal. However, this may not always be obvious to the viewer. I enjoy working with texture to ground my work in the place and time within which it was created. I have previously used sand, cotton wool balls, cardboard, and many more materials in my paintings to give them a texture that naturally invites the viewer to touch.

The artwork exhibited here has been inspired by responses to a call out where I asked the local people of Pontypridd Town, ‘What does Clwb y Bont mean to you?’. Every response focused on the live music performed at Clwb y Bont, and the opportunity for new and upcoming bands to play. Each consequent artwork produced is based on an individual’s response. I translated the specific music they have enjoyed at the venue into abstract, paint pour paintings. The unique qualities of the music have been represented through colour, these colours being those that I instinctively feel whilst listening to the songs. I embedded a range of materials such as beer mats, posters, newspaper, song lyrics and the Clwb y Bont logo into each painting to evoke the atmosphere and nature of Clwb y Bont. The beer mats and posters used were provided by the venue. Click on the link to hear an audio description of each painting read aloud by Terry Chinn from Clwb y Bont. Download a QR scanner app to your mobile phone or tablet and scan the QR code on the beer mat of each painting to hear the music track that inspired it.