Tag: painting

Designer Desire: Ogwyn Davies

Montage of Ogwyn Davies artworks

Born in Trebanos, Neath Port Talbot, Ogwyn Davies (1925-2015) was a Welsh fine artist, ceramist and school teacher. He attended Swansea School of Art between 1947 & 52 before going on to teach at Tregaron Comprehensive (Ysgol Uchradd) from 1955 to 1985. He was one of the founder members (along with Hywel Harries) of the Cardiganshire Art Society which was established in 1963.

I find farm buildings interest me greatly. Very often, the human association of several generations can be seen in the barns and sheds and a sense of poetry seems ever present. They record so graphically the passing of time as it leaves its marks on the walls. For decades many Welsh walls have become part of the world of protest and my interest in walls and marks have resulted in works reflecting this. The use of the words of our National Anthem came about I think after regular attendance at the Arms Park in Cardiff and hearing choirs of over fifty thousand voices singing the words so movingly [credit]

His most famous work is probably Soar y Mynydd (top left in the montage above) the Grade II listed, Calvinist Methodist chapel in Llanddewi Brefi near Tregaron, Ceredigion. Built in 1822, it’s claimed to be the remotest chapel in all of Wales.

Examples of his work can be found in the permanent collections of National Library of Wales, National Museum Wales, Ceredigion Museum and Aberystwyth University.

credit

Additional image credits:
ArtUK | MOMA Cymru | Mutual Art

Designer Desire: Hywel Harries

Montage of Hywel Harries paintings

Hywel Harries (1921-1990) was a Welsh fine artist specialising in oil paintings of landscapes and also book & magazine illustrations and cartoons.

Since living in Wales and getting to know our local area, some of his scenes have become very familiar. For example, Machynlleth with its prominent clock tower (shown above), Aberystwyth seafront and Aberaeron harbour.

He tried his had at many artistic styles; I particularly like his 1970s interpretations of Sydney Curnow Vosper’s famous Salem painting (top of the montage above).

Alongside his own practice, he had a long career in art education. He became art master at Machynlleth secondary school in 1950 moving on to becoming head of the art department in Arwyn Grammar School, Aberystwyth in 1954. Following local reorganisation of secondary education, he held the post at Penglais School. He retired from education in 1981.

In 1963, he founded the Ceredigion Art Society. He also served time on the boards of the Royal Cambrian Academy, the Art and Craft Committee of the Council of the National Eisteddfod as well as the North Wales Federation of Art Groups.

© Bangor University | Ceredigion Museum | National Museum Wales | The National Library of Wales

Designer Desire: Julian Merrow-Smith

Montage of oil paintings by Julian Merrow-Smith

Julian Merrow-Smith is a British fine artist based in Provençal France. He paints landscapes and portraits however, it’s his still life works that we love the most.

These compositions often contain fruit & veg, bread, onions, garlic, kitchenalia, tumblers of whisky and bottles of wine and olive oil. I love his technique and confident style; his paintings are full of life and the way he captures light, shadow and reflection is just magical.

He was commissioned by Cunard to paint 8 paintings for the Queen Mary II ocean liner and was twice selected for the National Portrait Gallery BP Portrait Award (2017 [the self-portrait below] & 1999). His work has been bought by collectors from all around the world.

In 2005, Julian Merrow-Smith began his Postcard from Provence project whereby, each day, he creates a small painting which he then auctions off, on his own website, to registered users. Each work is usually around the  To date (21st May 2021) he has produced 3,244 oil on board works as part of the scheme.

I’ve now registered, in the hope that one day I’ll be the winning bidder of one of his beautiful still lifes.

Self-portrait oil painting by Julian Merrow-SmithAll image credits: Julian Merrow-Smith©

Designer Desire: Dmitry Kustanovich

Montage of Dmitry Kustanovich paintings
Dmitry Kustanovich (b. 1970) is a Russian fine artist/painter. He was born in Minsk and currently lives & works in St. Petersburg. He attended the Belarusian State Pedagogical University, where he graduated in 1996. He has exhibited regularly and widely in Russia as well as internationally – including France, Germany, Lithuania, Netherlands and Portugal.

It was his paintings of bumblebees that I saw first (Four pictured in the montage above) and admired. I love the way he captures the movement and energy in his subjects. He has a very personal style; sometimes impressionist, sometimes quite cubist, other times a bit Fauvist.

He layers his paint on to the canvas with palette knife rather than brush. His colour palette can be both bright or subdued and his subject matter can range from insects to flora & fauna to cityscapes and portraits.

His work – both prints and originals – can be purchased from Absolute Arts, Saachi Art and Pixels.

Portrait of Dmitry Kustanovichcredit

All images Dmitry Kustanovich ©