Review: Welsh Landscapes at dot-art
Words, Kathryn Wainwright
The Welsh countryside is an unbelievable resource we have right on our doorstep in the North West. I spent a lot of my childhood in Wales. My own idea of a Welsh landscape is the view from my nan’s top window up the side of a mountain in Corwen, an unforgettable and nostalgic image that is undoubtedly part of the fabric of my being. Though it never took long to drive there it felt a million miles away from Liverpool and the city we were leaving.
The Welsh Landscapes exhibition in dot-art brings the proximity of Liverpool and Wales into focus. Drawing on how instrumental the historical interlinking was to expanding parts of Liverpool, and establishing the city’s soul. Three landscape painters explore their own autobiographical depictions of their Welsh backgrounds and heritage and display some beautifully engaging pieces.
The thick impasto layers in Huw Lewis-Jones work give depth and magnitude to the Welsh mountains. This technique brings a real physicality to a landscape piece especially when the subject is that of scale. The rustic, layering, texture lends itself to the rural beauty of the landscape, the artist’s inspiration is rooted in his home in south Snowdonia.
Using local organic and mineral pigments Susan Williams’ work, also rooted in the Snowdonia region, reflects the quarrying and altering landscape. The works have a rawness that you can feel through the relevance of the material.
Dorothy Benjamin’s work often depicts intense skies that evoke unease. The artist explores coastal landscapes with an oil palette of earthy browns and oranges. These beautiful yet foreboding pieces are engaging and capture imagination with quiet intensity.
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Welsh Landscapes continues at dot-art until 2nd March
Words, Kathryn Wainwright