Degree: BA Fine Art
University: Coleg Sir Gar Carmarthen
Graduation Year: 2026
Painting acrylic on canvas, the pressure of a fast drying medium’s emptying my mind before thoughts can settle. They’re subtle residues of permanence. A consequence of actions against the ruthlessness of time. Those thoughts: Visiting my hometown of Blaina, trapped by endless mountains looming above. The mountains I used to climb for the secret ponds and tyre swings, the feeling that you were swinging off the edge of the world. The frisson of Punk. As a teenager hearing constantly we had to escape the Valleys to better opportunities and a different life. Not doomed to a factory job and council house. To become more than just a product of the Valleys. This project has led to many paintings representing the fragmented connection between myself and my hometown. Works that range from silent simplicity of grief for the place I used to cherish to busy and noisy environments where I feel trapped, a bystander in the storm.