THE  ABERDYFI ARTIST

It seems to have become customary to start these newsletters with a mention of the weather, so here goes – it is wet and windy. Need I say more?

Jean and I have made two discoveries this year, the first is Plas Newydd just over the bridge on Ynys Mon. We should have been there years ago but never got round to it. We were particularly taken by the huge mural by Rex Whistler which fills one wall of a long room. As you pass along it, its features move in relation to each other in a most uncanny way. Well worth seeing. The grounds contain many fine, mature trees. I wrote to the National Trust suggesting that it would be interesting for them to be labelled as there are lots of unusual and foreign varieties. I had a rather sniffy reply saying that it was not their policy to have a lot of signs identifying what things are as they are not a museum. A six inch plaque attached to a hundred foot tree would not be amiss in such a vast landscape, I thought. It just confirmed my feeling about bodies like the NT, they want the visitors’ money but really regard themselves as a bit above the hoi polloi. Sniffy, indeed.

Our second discovery was Snowdon Mill in Porthmadog, three floors of exhibition space showing the work of many artists, including that of one of our members. There is an interesting shop, small plant sale area, and a decent café. The exhibitions seem to change regularly and a visit is recommended.

Another town worth visiting is Montgomery (beware, early closing on Monday). Not only does it have the best ironmongers in Mid Wales, even surpassing the late-lamented T H Roberts in Dolgellau, but there are also two galleries and often artists’ work on display at a third. One of the galleries has a café attached. Good day out.

The Annual Exhibition was quite a success this year. 40 members exhibit-ed and 22 of them sold a total of 73 works to the value of £4277. Only in 1998 did we sell a greater worth of paintings. There were 1482 visitors, still down on the numbers we used to get at the Church Hall, but steadily increasing as people get to know where is our new  venue. The collection for North Wales Society for the Blind raised £284. The general opinion was that the standard of work was higher than ever. Just two little bleeps in all this success. Some members unfortunately missed the opening which we had moved to Saturday so as to gain an extra day open to the public. The changed day was detailed in the entry form, but maybe I should have made it more obvious. Apologies to those who missed their glass of wine. The other problem was a shortage of stewards, no surprise there, it happens every year. Poor Doreen Greenaway had such a terrible task filling the rota that she has vowed never to do it again. Having done it myself in the past I do not blame her. It is a thankless task, but with a membership of nearly 70 I would have thought that enough people would be interested in the running of the event to make its organisation less stressful to the few who do the work. After all, it is our main source of income. Anyway, thanks to Doreen for her term of office and those other helpers who haven’t resigned yet but who all did a sterling job to make the exhibition the success it was. Long may you continue so to do.

One final point, the Committee has decided that from next year there must be a minimum price of £35 on any entry.

The Autumn and Winter Programme of Painting Days is attached. Doris Southgate has lined up an interesting mix of tutors and topics and I hope that as many members will attend as possible. Painting days now run for four hours, from 10 to 2, which helps those who have to travel now that the darker evenings are upon us. The Yacht Club is an excellent venue, but we need more members to come to them to make them viable.  

By popular demand the Prize Cross-word returns this year. Some clues are cryptic and some are definitions. It only took me an evening to compile and make up the clues so it cannot be that hard. I hope we receive lots of entries. I worked with someone who travelled to the office by train every day. He opened his Times with a flourish in the carriage and steadily completed the crossword before his journey’s end. If only his fellow passengers knew that he just made up words which fitted the grid and had no reference to the clues! It was he who introduced me to the works of Stephen Potter on Oneupmanship, Gamesmanship and the like. I shall not, however, accept any such answers to this competition.

The Autumn Buffet Supper is no more, I am afraid. It has had an ever de-creasing attendance for the past year or two and the Committee decided that it was no longer worth holding. I was sad at this decision as it was always an enjoyable evening, but the hire of the Yacht Club is expensive and it was felt that it could not be justified.

The Committee is exploring the possibility of opening a dedicated Website. There is not the expertise in the Committee membership, but it is hoped that the son of one of its members can be talked into preparing it. Being an old Luddite, I still think of a website as a spider’s home, but I suppose that one day I shall have to go on line. In fact, with the depressing autumn schedules on television, that may be sooner rather than later.

Also attached is another of Vic Gowers’ helpful tips on topics, the topic this time being Still Life. My grateful thanks to Vic for taking the trouble to make a contribution to the Newsletter. I am always hopeful that I will receive something to make it more than an expression of my own views. If you have any thoughts on any art based subject, please do not hesitate to put them in writing. Variety is the spice of life.

I am now left with the best part of a column to fill, so I will do my best. After six months away from the hills because of injury I have just got back to ascending my favourite old mountain, Cadair Idris. I thought that it had been stocked with a new breed of very white sheep, but was puzzled that, from a distance, there seemed to be no movement in the flock. As I approached I discovered that during my absence a helicopter had been dropping large white sacks full of stone in some areas, presumably for more footpath improvements. What has this got to do with art? I hear you ask. Well, I was suddenly reminded, up there on the hill, of Tracy Emin’s notorious bed exhibit. These many huge white bags dumped all over the mountainside gave it just that unkempt, uncared for and disgusting  appearance that the bed had. I laughed out loud as this comparison occurred to me, causing a passing couple to stare at me strangely. The sad thing is that there are still sacks of rock up there which were dumped at least five years ago and have never been used. Perhaps the National Park’s intention is that this is a new form of kinetic art in the landscape. The movement is infinitesimally slow as

the sacks gradually fade and moulder away leaving  their contents to moss over and become part of the hill. At least, that is probably what the footpath repair team are hoping as it will save them having to take the sacks down.

That’s all for now. Best wishes to you all,

Bev Barratt

Gellygen Fach

Pantperthog

Machynlleth

SY20 9AY

22 September 2004

Last modified: 09/29/05