Updated Feb '05

We are delighted to host the Welsh Arts Archive. Please let us know how you feel this could develop for the future.

On with the letters...

Royal Relevance?

The recent controversy surrounding the pending civil marriage of Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles has made me think about the whole issue of Royalty in our contemporary society and in particular the relevance of this ancient institution in relation to the visual arts in Wales.

It seems that the 'Royal stamp of approval', as in the case of the Royal Cambrian Academy in Wales or the RA in England, is the only tenuous connection we artists may ever have with 'the family'. Many of us will work for many years hoping to receive some form of recognition from within our art world and this may come in the form of the perceived elevation to membership of a 'Royally recognised' academy. But do these establishments play any role other than to provide a debatable rubber stamp of quality for the artists selected to the clique?

For collectors or other lovers of fine art it can sometimes be difficult to decide where their hard earned money should be spent. Perhaps the membership of an academy provides that reassurance that the work on offer is worthy of collection. But what of those painters or artists who wish to have no association with the Royal's? We are aware of a number of artists, especially in Wales, who have political and moral views that refute such links to colonialism. So what's in place in Wales to provide an equal platform for artists holding such views? Yes, we have the 'Welsh Group', a group that operates on a similar principles of selection to the Royal Cambrian Academy but does the Welsh Group have the same standing with the buying public as the Cambrian? I would suggest not, at least not yet.

So what can those of us, with anti-Royal leanings, do to fill this void? Can we look to our Assembly Government to provide that seemingly essential seal of approval, or perhaps look for a new separate Welsh Awards system in which those who refuse the 'gongs' of Imperialism can receive their just rewards for their work in the community? If we did have a new academy - divorced from Royal patronage - what would it be called? How about the RWA? (the Republic of Wales Academy) just my wishful thinking. How about the AA? (Assembly Academy) perhaps not! But let us not ignore the importance of such associations with these groups. Just take a look at one of our best loved artists - Sir Kyffin Williams RA (he's got the full-house of Royal patronage and it doesn't seem to have harmed his sales) can I dare ask if he would sell as much as he does if not for these connections? As an admirer of the man I find it hard to suggest such a thing but surely his recent work (regurgitate from earlier sketchbooks) is a pale offering compared with his earlier work. But let me quickly add here now that I too would be doing the same as Kyffin if I could sell over £300,000 worth of the stuff a year.

Am I the only person who feels this way? Perhaps I'm small minded and bitter and twisted? I don't think so, but I'd love to hear the views of other readers of your great web site.
Yours Sincerely,
Anonymous (to prevent damage to my chances of a future gong).

Please can you help or supply any info about a painting a friend has....its signed poorly by either
E. David or E. Davis and dated April 1801, a water colour picture of a cottage with a wall and fields in wooden slatted frame......its probably locally here in Dare Valley, Glamorgan.

Any help would be apprciated.

Thanks David Sheriff, Aberdare

Dear Nigel Williams, (or whom it may concern).
Firstly let me congratulate you on your site, it is the first time I have visited it and I am dumbfounded by the amount of information that you have on Welsh Art. My name is Sarah Fish and I have recently been given the position as Publicity Officer for the South Wales Art Society, a position previously held by Maggie Richards, whom has now become the Treasurer. This is a relatively new field for me, but I understand that my mission is to publicise forthcoming events, and entice new members! With that, I will let you do the editorial, and give you the information!!
I note that the telephone number previously given by Maggie is no longer the secretary's, the correction is; . E;mail for the secretary, , e;mail for myself.
Another exhibition is to take place at St Johns Church, The Hayes, Cardiff after a very successful summer exhibition where £400 in prceeds from the artworks sold was donated to the Church. The exhibition and sale of members artwork will take place from 22nd November to 20th December, all welcome. The Society currently also has a rolling Exhibition at Velindre Hospital, Whitchurch, Carduff, and so far sales of artwork have raised £618 donated to the Hospitals Appeal Fund. Members and visitors of the Living Well Premier Health Club in Llanishen in Cardiff may have also noticed artwork from the Society hanging on their walls! So you see, the Society is a really busy and very definately "in touch" body of people. May I also like to point out that the low membership remains the same, even with the abundance of events, workshops, demonstrations, critiques etc from visiting artists! Need I say more?!
In case I do (!) please do not hesitate to contact me, I would be grateful if you would update your website with this information,
Many thanks,
Sarah

The original letter is below...

Dear Art Cymru,
We've just discovered your brilliant website, and would very much like to add ourselves to the GROUPS section. We've written a paragraph for you as follows:-

The South Wales Art Society was established in 1887 and is the largest art society in Wales.

It's membership ranges from the novice, to the very accomplished amateur and professional painter. We also have members who are not artists but appreciate art and enjoy joining us.

Meetings are held fortnightly on Tuesday evenings 7-9pm at the Heath community Centre in Cardiff.

Members are entertained to a variety of painting demonstrations by well known artists plus valuable critiques by knowledgeable guests, of members paintings and 3 dimensional work. We hold workshops throughout the year and also organise coach trips to shows and exhibitions in other parts of the country.

The culmination of the year is an annual exhibition at the Turner House Gallery in Penarth which is always well received by the viewing public.

Membership is £22 for the year, £10 for students.

For more information please contact the secretary on

Or visit our website at :- www.southwalesartsociety.btinternet.co.uk


Thanks so much for including us.
Maggie Richards
Publicity officer

Hi there
What a fantastic site, it's about time we had something like this in Wales.
I am an artist/illustrator who has been working semi-pro for the last 15 years and am now taking the step of quitting my 9 to 5 and giving it a go full time.
I am experienced in most art/craft techniques from cartoon/caricature work to watercolour and acrylic, and have been looking for a place to exhibit for some time. I will also shortly be setting up a website with this in mind and was wondering if we could exchange links.
How do I go about getting work exhibited on your site? Do I send you hard copies or cd-rom (subject to approval of course)?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Carry on the good work.
Yours sincerely
Ian Simmons
"Thanks for the nice comments. We want to launch an Illustrators section, also areas for Graphic Designers, Architects etc, so if you'd like to follow up the enquiry please send images on CD ROM (saved at 72 dpi) or good quality photographs will do (max A4 for photographs and about 10cm for images on CD ROM).
Best wishes for the new career." (Ed)

Dear Sir,
Being an unemployed artist (not very well at the moment) I recently had the opportunity to sit down and watch some morning satellite television. I did the 'wife-maddening' flick through the dozens of channels available and eventually settled down to watch a painting demonstration by this Bob Ross fellow from the United States.
Initially I began to sneer and scoff at the quality of the work being produced, having being trained to ignore everything other than so-called 'high art' during my art college experience. However, the more I watched the guy the more I found myself beginning to admire him - yes I actually began to enjoy the demonstration!
Before you decide to rip up my letter please let me explain.
Bob Ross has discovered a formula for painting wet-in-wet oil paints, which seems to be quite effective, and what's more - seems to be popular with the 'general public.'
Anyone trained in art will of course respond to this with the old chestnut that art isn't for the general public - it is elite. But then again, how many contemporary artists have you heard claim that they are 'for the people'? Indeed several 'high art' movements have been born with this principle in mind. So where does this Ross fellow differ?
It seems he has built a multi-million dollar industry upon his technique. A veritable company of tutors travel the States teaching his methods to thousands of eager pupils.
Okay, so this means that he's turning out mini clones, flooding the car-boot sales of the world with poor copies of his style. But couldn't this same criticism be laid at the feet of all demonstrating artists? At least I did hear Ross encourage those watching his show to use their own palette of colours and not to copy him exactly.
So, what can we say about his painting style?
It is true that the imagery is very 'chocolate-boxy.' He combines palette knife and brush, and sometimes acrylics and oils all within the same composition. Even the compositions are entirely constructed from imagination. However, his results are often quite charming and occasionally very effective. Okay, I accept he will never match the great painters of the world, but how many of us actually ever do?
What is it that he does that is so bad?
He is encouraging vast numbers of people to paint, and that surely can't be a bad thing. Most will eventually realise that it's not as easy as it looks and will perhaps turn to collecting rather than producing.
Bob Ross has found a style that he can sell to vast numbers of people. Couldn't the same be said about Kyffin Williams RA, Shani Rhys James, Val Ganz, and the late Josef Herman? They have stuck by a tried and tested, popular system. The same could actually be said about nearly every other successful artist in Wales at present?
Perhaps it's the subject matter that disturbs people? Is it right to construct fictional landscapes? If this causes problems for us couldn't he argue that imagination and the realisation of ideas is a fundamental attribute for most artists. If we deny this then we should rip down Dali's works from the galleries around the world. Or toss out Picasso's cubist imagery.
Is it the 'chocolate-box' element that offends us then? I am personally sickened by many of Constable's most famous works. If I seen "The Haywain" on another restaurant placemat I think I'll scream.
Perhaps your readers could pull my argument apart and bring me back into the fold?
Yours,
M. James (Mold)
I'm too much of a coward to get involved in this one, but thank you for your comments.
P.S. Bob Ross passed away in 1995 (I think) and although his work may not be to the taste of critics - he certainly got a great number of people painting. That can't be a bad thing, can it?
(Ed)

Dear Nigel,
Just to let you know I've had a look at your site and I am most impressed.
All the best
D.P. Davies (Aberystwyth)

NEW

Dear Nigel, Bernard etc.,

I thought I should put in writing my personal thanks for the work which you carry out for the Artcymru website. For me it is an important link with what is happening in the Welsh art world. I am sure that this also applies to many other artists and people
interested in the arts who are living abroad.

Will you also pass on my best wishes to the members of the Neath/Port Talbot Art Forum. It is good to find such activity in my home town area. Perhaps I could join them one evening during a return visit to Wales.

Best wishes,

James Selway
(Spain)

Hello . (E-mail to our editor Nigel Williams)
I hope this email gets to you. I am writing from Melbourne Australia where I have lived for the past 17 years. However, the place of my birth and where I spent most of my life is Swansea in Wales. I was recently researching the works of Josef Herman and came across a link to your work. May I say how overcome I was with emotion at seeing your works, especially Angel, which takes me back to my own childhood and being tightly wrapped in my mothers shawl. I am writing to find out if any of your works are in print form for purchase? And, if so, who should I contact to purchase a copy?
I hope you have the time to reply to this message and I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Leslie Newcombe.

REPLY - Nothing in print as yet - I'm still struggling, like many others, to get a gallery to represent my work. It's strange, I had the offer to submit work to the Saatchi Gallery in London but, apart from the Washington and Taliesin, I can't get a gallery in Wales interested in my work.
I will certainly enquire about printing a short run of Angel I and update the page whenever that comes about.

FROM NEALE HOWELLS

hiya nigel
i'm hoping to get a list of artist names in wales who would be willing to open up their studio for a couple of hours a week so the public can meet them and get an insight into contemporary art... could you mention this on your website... i've been trying to get the welsh tourist board involved with unit21, our studio here that is open in porttalbot thurs to fri 2 - 4pm..... but continuing the chat we disussed that if we could get an umbrella of artists together willing to open they doors we could market it as a major point in the arts of wales... and there would be substantial money to do it... anyway the more artists across wales we can get interested the better chances this project has of happening... so perhaps the head line 'HOWELLS NEEDS YOU NOW' or ' JOIN THE ARTISTS ARMY, TODAY'... anyway trying to get this idea circlated....

all the best
neale

www.nealehowells.freewebsites.com

ONLINE ART COMPETITION

Dear Sirs,

I have been looking through your site and see you have many contemporary artists in Wales.
Netsibition.com is a major sponsor of the Daily Mail's Not The Turner Prize and handle all electronic data and image processing for Associated Newspapers
We are launching an internet based contemporary art competition for early 2005 and want to contact as many artists as possible directly to invite entries etc.
Do you have a list of artists and their email addresses or could you help us to find this information?

Thank you for your help,
Hugh Boileau.

THE BRIDGE GALLERY
New Premises
After 4 successful years, we are moving to new larger premises across the road. This will enable Wendy to continue and expand her very popular watercolour painting classes and also allow us to display a larger variety of paintings by our gallery artists in a much improved setting.

Framing Service
We have also invested in new equipment so that we can now offer a framing service.

Website redesign
We have also redesigned the website, so why not visit us online at www.bridge-gallery.co.uk where you can preview the exhibition and also purchase originals, prints and cards through our secure shop.

Thanks for your continued interest in our work.
Best wishes
Wendy Powell Jones

Our new address is: The Bridge Gallery, 133 Rhosmaen St., Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire SA19 6EN
Our telephone/fax number remains the same at:
We are an Arts Council of Wales 'Collector Plan' gallery.

Gallery Artists: Wendy Powell Jones, Anthony Richards, Julian Brown, Annabel Greenhalgh, Megan Jones, Gordon Miles, Ric Bower, and Susan Crossman-Jones-a selection of their work can be seen on the website by clicking here

Dear Artcymru

We write from Australia and have just visited your fine art site. The art you display is fabulous. Our site is The Worldwide Art Gallery at www.theartgallery.com.au and we would like to exchange links as we've found that by exchanging links with other websites we have been able to increase traffic for everyone.

We would love to give you a reciprocal link so please go to www.theartgallery.com.au/directory and add your site to our directory. Plus if you want we will also provide a second link on our search the web page with your banner link.

Our details are:
Title: The Worldwide Art Gallery
URL: www.theartgallery.com.au
Description: All things art site. Art History, Art Directory, Kids' Art Gallery and education resource, free art quiz (win prizes) plus contemporary international and Australian Art.

Hope you like our site and we hear back from you so we can be of mutual benefit
Kindest Regards
Mark Plumridge & Morgen Brown
Directors,
The Worldwide Art Gallery www.theartgallery.com.au
Health & Happiness For You www.healthhappiness.com.au

Dear Sir,
I recently read the current issue of PLANET magazine and was pleased to see an encouraging review of your site.
I love the format and content of your magazine and it's nice to see someone attempting to remove the barriers from contemporary art.
However, I do have one request - would it be possible to open the site to community arts projects?
Jeff Dunn (Bargoed)
Dear Jeff,
We are working on a number of projects to accompany the web site. The archive is providing a big draw to the magazine and with improved finance from advertising we should be able to begin to implement these plans. It's still a little too early to let you in on them yet. Watch this space...
Ed.

Well, what's your view?
DO YOU DISAGREE?