After managing to attach each double sided painting to several trees, my first observation was that the works seemed to be swallowed in the vastness of the woods. It seemed that however big one thinks a work is, nature transforms it into a detail.

Now I had only to wait and see if my plans would work. Although the wind sometimes moved the paintings too much for my taste, I managed to secure them by tightening the string.

It was a very successful day, despite the bad weather, and the advantages of exhibiting in the woods were many. Because most of us stayed on-site during the day, we could have direct feedback from the visitors, but I also started to notice that people (children and adults alike) couldn’t help interacting with the paintings by pushing them with their index fingers, making them turn a bit more rapidly.
It taught me a lot about the nature of a painting when it is presented as a 3D installation, and I enjoyed the interaction people got with each piece.

I managed to film some of my paintings in motion, which I have put on the
Video section under the Work tab.

Getting close to the 30^th and the Ogwen River Festival. All of the 5 double-sided paintings are done and ready to be displayed. I hope the weather won’t be too bad on the day and that my installation won’t blow away with the wind!

The temptation would be to flip each painting to reveal a more recognisable image, but all of the paintings have actually been painted the way they’ll be displayed. My goal was to play with the shapes and try to focus on them, and to introduce to the woods a focal point that would act like a moving sculpture attracting the eye to these spots.

More photos to come when the work is installed in the woods.

I am taking part in the Gŵyl Afon Ogwen River Festival, which is in Bethesda and will take place on 29 September. I chose to apply my work on abstracts inspired by rural and urban landscapes (on a series of small canvases in my last exhibition) to the woods of Bethesda. The woods of course also include the Ogwen river.

I decided to make five installations of paintings, which will hang from several trees in Parc Meurig. Each work will have two paintings, one on each side of the board, transforming them into 3D objects. So far I have made two paintings, which I found when finished had a Pop Art feel to them with their flat colours and thick black outlines. They reminded me of Patrick Caulfield or Roy Lichtenstein. This was not entirely intentional; my idea is to reduce the complexity of an ecosystem such as the woods and the river to lines and colours, to have a bold sense of rhythm and dynamic without too many details. The intention is also for the works to be seen from a distance and to play with several shades of green.

My work “Beyond 2” has been accepted in the Qube open art exhibition 2017 in Oswestry and will be on display from the 10^th of August until the 2^nd of October 2017. If you are in the area please drop by.

Qube
Oswald Road
Oswestry
Shropshire
SY11 1RB 

Visit the Qube website for more information on the gallery.

So I finally graduated in June with a Fine Art Degree and received a First Class honours classification, and I feel that all the hard work has paid off.

I will be adding the work that was presented in the Degree show exhibition, including all the paintings, the prints, the miniature canvas part of an installation on the floor and a short film. So far the paintings and prints can all be found in the “Work” section of the website.

Here are also some more photos of the exhibition.