Designer Desire: Valériane Leblond

Montage of Valériane Leblond artworks

Happy 2023 everybody. Every, single year, I get caught out. I keep meaning to buy one of Valériane Leblond’s exquisitely illustrated calendars, but by the time I remember, she’s already sold out. I’ll have to set myself a reminder for next year!

Valériane Leblond is a French-born artist brought up in Angers. She moved to mid-Wales around 2007 and is currently living in an old farmhouse near Aberystwyth with her 3 sons, several cats and too many chickens.

My style is influenced by folk and primitive art, and there are often stories happening in the detail. The kitchen or the hearth, the washing drying on the line, the attended garden are often present in my paintings and illustrations. My pictures convey the idea of home, and show how people inhabit the land.
The sea is not far from where I live, and going for walks in the hills or on the beach is always an inspiration. The landscape plays a big part in my work, with the passing of the seasons, the variations in colours and lights, and the ever-changing sea. credit

Valériane was short-listed for the prestigious Tir na n-Og Award annually between 2015 & 2019. Two books illustrated by her won the Welsh-language primary category; Pedair Cainc y Mabinogi (2016) and Cymru ar y Map (2019).

I also admire country folk, fishermen, housewives, and those who live off the land and the sea; especially their efforts and perseverance. credit

The list of her books include The Quilt, Little Honey Bee, Wales on the Map and Four Branches of the Mabinogi.

Valériane Leblond has also illustrated books for other authors and poets including Alison Acheson, Peter Stevenson, Siân Lewis, Caryl Lewis and Elinor Wyn Reynolds.

She sells a small selection of limited editions prints on her Etsy shop or in Oriel y Bont in Aberystwyth town centre.

You’ll find many of these books on Amazon and Abe Books. In addition, there is a selection of her greeting cards available for sale on Green Pebble.

Portrait of Valériane Leblond

All image credits

Designer Desire: Karel Lek

Montage of Karel Lek artworks

Karel Lek discovered his love for art as a four year old when his father would take him to museums in Antwerp where he found inspiration in Belgian artists such as Constant Permeke and James Ensor.

Lek (1929-2020) and his family fled Antwerp during WWII, arriving as Jewish refugees to North Wales in 1940 when he was still a young boy. He lived there for 17 years before he moved to Beaumaris on Anglesey.

All I ever wanted to be was a painter and coming to Wales really helped me achieve my dream.

He was educated at Friars Grammar School in Bangor and, between 1946 & 52, attended Liverpool College of Art. In 1955, Karel Lek became a member of the Royal Cambrian Academy and was awarded an MBE in 2005.

Because I am an artist, north Wales, Anglesey and Gwynedd, are my main source of inspiration.

Karel Lek exhibited across Wales and in London, Amsterdam and Chicago. His work is contained within the collections of Contemporary Art Society for Wales, National Library of Wales, University of Bangor, Oriel Ynys Môn and Kansas City Art Gallery.

When you are dead, you’re work becomes your heart and your name becomes a brand. I hope I will have left behind a legacy.

Portrait of Karel Lekcredit

Additional image credits:
Art UK | Ask Art | Invaluable

Auction Alert: Rogers Jones Co Welsh Sale

3 Welsh love spoons

The Rogers Jones Co Welsh Sale takes place on Saturday 19th November 2022, from 9am at their Cardiff site.

Of the 608 lots on offer, our favourites by far are the antique Welsh lovespoons. There’s even one example (lot #592) that’s perfect for us; it’s carved with an ‘A’ and a ‘J’… for Adelle & Justin!

Rogers Jones Co’s buyer’s premium stands at 28.8%. There will be an added fee if you bid via The Saleroom. Before bidding on any original artworks please bear in mind:

There will also be a Droit de Suite / Artist’s Resale Right charge of 4% on original artwork by EEA based artists on hammer prices of 1000 euros or over (GBP equivalent)

KAREL LEK limited-edition print

Lot 19: KAREL LEK limited edition (13/13) print
Seated male with pint glass and cigarette, signed in pencil
Dimensions: 33 x 26cms
Provenance: private collection Gwynedd
Condition report: framed and glazed, no problems
Estimate: £100 – £200

PAUL PETER PIECH limited-edition, 3-colour lithograph

Lot 34: PAUL PETER PIECH limited edition (8/25) three-colour lithograph
Homage to R S Thomas, signed and dated 1993, signed
Dimensions: 53 x 44cms
Provenance: private collection Cardiff
Condition report: framed and glazed
Estimate: £150 – £250

VALERIE GANZ limited-edition print

Lot 36: VALERIE GANZ limited edition (4/50) print
Head and shoulders study of four miners entitled ‘Leaving the Coalface’, signed
Dimensions: 18 x 38cms
Provenance: private collection South East of England
Condition report: framed and glazed, ready to hang
Estimate: £150 – £200

MIKE JONES mixed media colourwash & ink

Lot 155: MIKE JONES mixed media, colourwash and ink
Seated gentleman with legs crossed, signed
Dimensions: 22 x 17cms
Provenance: private collection Cardiff
Condition report: framed and glazed, no problems
Estimate: £300 – £500

MURIEL DELAYAHE oil on board

Lot 468: MURIEL DELAYAHE oil on board
Two figures struggling with umbrellas, signed
Dimensions: 46 x 61cms
Provenance: private collection Ynys Mon
Condition report: framed, sl. attention required to frame, ready to hang
Estimate: £2,000 – £3,000

ARTS & CRAFTS SLIPWARE POTTERY JUG BY HORACE ELLIOTT

Lot 565: AN IMPORTANT ARTS & CRAFTS SLIPWARE POTTERY JUG BY HORACE ELLIOTT
Yellow glaze and brown slip, of baluster form tapering to a circular spreading foot, with angel wing-form handle and wide curved spout, sgraffito feathers to wing and to the body ‘Here is a mixture, of Earth and Heaven, An Angel’s wing to a pitcher given, Take hold of the wing, for a handle, pray! Or the vessel of earth may fly away’. signed at foot ‘Copyright Horace Elliott’ and at base ‘Elliott, London 1893’
Dimensions: 28cms high
Provenance: private collection Kansas City, USA
Condition report: minor losses to glaze, crazing / stress marks from use as a vase but excellent overall
Tip of feather chipped and other small chips to handle. Slip glaze faults beneath spout.
Estimate: £700 – £1,000

WILLIAM IV WELSH NEEDLEWORK SAMPLER

Lot 572: WILLIAM IV WELSH NEEDLEWORK SAMPLER
By Rachael John, aged 14, Narberth, December 3 1832, decorated with alphabet, numbers, four-line poem, birds, trees, house, Adam & Eve under the tree of life etc
Dimensions: 40 x 41cms
Provenance: deceased estate South Wales
Condition report: framed and glazed, faded and browned. There are some holes present, mainly around the edges. The sampler has faded and browned in colour.
Estimate: £200 – £300

3 Welsh love spoons

Lot 591: LATE 18TH CENTURY CARVED TREEN WELSH LOVE SPOON
Having a pointed bowl to an unusual openwork stem to the arched handle, profusely carved with opposing geometric shapes, panels and hearts and with the letters ‘N’ and ‘S’ to flank a centre spoked wheel
Dimensions: 25.5cms long
Provenance: private collection Denbighshire
Condition report: good overall, old repair and splits to decoration, small chips as one would expect
Estimate: £500 – £700

Lot 592: LARGE WELSH LOVESPOON
Early 19th Century, pointed bowl, long-handle with dome top having geometric pierce-work carving and inlay within sgraffito-line frame and painted sgraffito initials ‘A J’
Dimensions: 35.5cms
Provenance: private collection Denbighshire, by descent
Condition report: small nicks to bowl tip, split in terminal
Estimate: £1,000 – £1,500

Lot 593: RARE WELSH YEW DOUBLE BOWL LOVESPOON
Late 18th Century, having pointed bowls with pierce-work handle of centre triskele (trisgel), flanking hearts and flowers, repeated piercework at terminal
Dimensions: 23cms long
Provenance: private collection Denbighshire, by descent
Condition report: restored break
Estimate: £1,500 – £2,000

Designer Desire: Jean Powell

Montage of ceramic tile items by Jean Powell

Jean Powell (1926-2021) was a Wales-based ceramic designer. I only came across her work this week – I can’t remember exactly where now – but I was struck by its beauty and technical expertise.

After meeting at Wallasey Art School during the 1940s, Jean and her husband Rhys (Taffy) (d. 1994) moved to the heart of Denbigh, North Wales in the following decade. It was there that they founded their pottery studio at Craig Bragdy, (Welsh for ‘Rock Brewery’ – an indication of the property’s original 18th century purpose). Their company was named after this home and studio.

The couple started out creating small items such as salt and pepper shakers; however, they soon progressed on to hand-made ceramic murals and eventually to swimming pools – as they create today. Two of Jean’s sons, Shon and Nick now run the company.

In the early 1960s, the Powell family moved to the 400-year-old Brookhouse Mill which gave them more floor space, which was essential for them to be able to produce their large-scale murals.

Over the subsequent 50+ years, Jean and her family developed an extremely successful international business. Even into her 10th decade, she still visited the Craig Bragdy factory and swimming pool design room as part of her daily routine.

It was back around 1979-80 that she designed the tiled base of the pool at the Empire Hotel in Llandudno.  Though a modest project, it was the beginning of an important future activity for the company. Jean remembers:

We were asked for a mermaid design for a client, but I wasn’t sure how risqué it could be, so I drew hair and seaweed to cover [the breasts]. But I soon received a message which read, ‘More revealing, please’, so off came the seaweed! Nuvo Magazine

Jean Powell penned a book, Earth, Fire and Water – a collection of stories about her life, her art and the people she worked with around the world.

Find examples of her tile designs for sale at Blondes Fine Art.

Portrait of Jean Powellcredit

Additional image credits:
Live Auctioneers