Art in Wales – on walls, and on a mountain

The other day a friend brought me to the opening of a show by The Welsh Group in Llandrindod Wells, and another artshow opening the same evening, at Bleddfa. (Hmm, I hope I spelled those place names right, they are easier to spell than to pronounce.) As the evening progressed my photos blurred and then stopped altogether thanks to a glass or two of wine but no dinner, but here is some visual evidence from an early stage of the evening. The artists were there in force at both shows, and I took photos of some of them near their paintings. An artist I didn’t manage to photograph was using sheep’s wool to make eco-art on a mountain. Pip Woolf aims to mend an old scar on a mountain that dates back to a drought in 1976, by sort of weaving lines of wool over the scar to help new growth, with the help of anyone who feels like joining in.

The Loveseat at Radnorshire Museum, Llandrindod Wells

Heather Eastes with her work

Sculpture (left), a piece by Islyn Watkins (right)

Apparently the Vicar did not like this painting by Heather Eastes, but she likes it.

Alan Salisbury with two of his mixed media artworks

Islyn Watkins and “the Opie”

Artwork for the exhibition poster by Jean Walcot

Getting blurry at the Welsh Group show, 2012

The Welsh Group Exhibition 2012 is at Radnorshire Museum, Llandrindod Wells, Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm, until June 23. Admission free.

The Sense of Place Exhibition by artists from the Redlake Valley is at The Old School Gallery, Bleddfa Weds to Suns, 2pm to 5pm, until Saturday 26 May. Admission free.

Pip Woolf’s Woollenline can be found online and on the mountain, for some time. If you are at the Hay Festival next month you can take a bus ride and a walk to visit the work on Pen Trumau, on 6 June. You’ll be helping gather seeds. To book, email Pip at gilpip AT googlemail.com.

Art on a Welsh mountain, by Pip Woolf

 

Reading: Greenacre Mini Litfest, London, Sat 26 May

Looking forward to giving a reading at a new literary festival in North London organised by  Greenacre Writers. Other writers reading and talking that afternoon include Alex Wheatle, Paolo Hewitt, Emily Benet and Andrew Bradford.  If you’re out and about in north London that day, the event sounds worth dropping in on. I’ll be reading from a soon-to-be-published new short story, and am on towards the second half, so you won’t need to skip lunch to catch my session. To request a free ticket for you plus friend, email greenacrewriters@gmail.com

Greenacre Writers Mini Litfest, Sat 26 May, 2pm to 5.30pm VENUE: Trinity Centre, Finchley, London N12 7NN. Getting there: bus to Tally Ho Corner [134, 263, 125, 82, 460, 221], from there it is a few minutes walk to Nether Street. Nearest tube: Finchley Central or Woodside Park.

Do I need a social media policy, as a writer?

I don’t  have a social media policy or practice; sometimes I put stuff live online, sometimes I’m quiet. Just like the way that sometimes I’m out meeting people, while other times I’ll stay in and write. And yet it’s been bothering me for while… should I have a more consistent approach? Every so often I’ll read a piece by another author that confirms this niggling feeling, and here is the latest instalment: Irish writer Laurence OBryan, in his blog, has tackled the subject of writers and social media in a way that is both useful and entertaining, thanks in part to the wacky photo of James Joyce, (way more fun than this one from a recent commemorative edition of the Irish Times). You can read O’Bryan’s thoughts here, although be warned – besides entertaining, they may well trigger a rethink of how you use social media: The Accessible Author – What now for fiction?