I am an Artist who focuses on how art can enable a sense of connection. During the lockdowns of 2021-22, I started to refine my artwork and focus heavily on portraiture. A large portion of my work is about establishing a narrative and conveying the thought processes behind it. I think deeply about how I can convey a story or express an emotion within the artwork I make. Connection is extremely important to me, and I want my artwork to give people the opportunity to reflect on themselves and inspire giving space to talk, whether that's about the subject of the artwork or the meaning behind it. I have become passionate about exploring topics that are not talked about enough, hopefully creating a therapeutic space to explore these topics. Through this journey, I've started exploring my own narrative and allowing the artwork to express my feelings but, equally, I'm interested in allowing the artwork to become a conduit for other people's narratives to be told.
The portraits series ‘The Faces of Pontypridd Market’ consists of 4 acrylic paintings. The first portrait is of Linda from Linda’s Picture Framing and Art Supplies, painted on an 8”x8” canvas board and placed in a old wooden frame to celebrate her practice in framing. The two paintings placed in the Cortile Coffee
Piano Room were painted on paper originally, before being transferred using digital prints of the portraits on water-slide decal paper that were then affixed on a ceramic side plate and a cup and saucer. The side plate is a portrait of the owner of Cortile Coffee, Sara, and the cup and saucer is an image of Sara standing with two of her co-workers behind the counter of the shop. The final portrait is of Theresa, the owner of The Welsh Cake Shop. Her portrait is painted on slate, reminiscent of the griddles used to cook the Welsh cakes sold at the stall. Alongside each portrait are QR codes that, when scanned with a phone, take you to audio recordings of conversations with each of my portrait subjects when I had the opportunity to learn more about their story.
Please note: My work will be on display at The Market Quarter Pontypridd the Friday and Saturday of the Art Trail before moving to Cortile Coffee on Taff Street for the last day of the trail on Sunday.
