Highlights of my 2023: Rosie Scribblah, Swansea artist

Rosie Scribblah, Swansea artist

In May, I took my first trip abroad since the Covid19 pandemic, to Porto. I was very nervous as I took a break for a few days to meet up with family.

But it was lovely and I was fascinated with the odd pollarded trees in the Jardim da Cordoaria park and drew their strangeness.

I always loved the Mabinogion story of The Lady of The Lake and I finally got to Llyn Y Fan Fach on August Bank Holiday, miserable, overcast and drizzly, but reasonably warm.

Husb and I were at a loose end so we packed a picnic and took off.

I let the amazing atmosphere of the place sweep over me as I drew, it directed the marks I put onto the paper.

The landscape is huge and full of strange vast shapes and the drawings are really abstract.

And also in August, a selection of my sketchbooks is now in the permanent collection of the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth along with my large woodblock print “Here Be Dragons”, originally commissioned by Sky Arts.

I am delighted to be officially part of Wales’s rich cultural heritage and consider it a huge honour.

September brought a visit to the cultural jewel that is the village of Ynyshir in Rhondda Cynon Taff to see an exhibition by internationally renowned photographer David Hurn at the fabulous Workers Gallery.

Then we adjourned to the next street, to an old, converted chapel, now Paul Kirner’s Music Palace – a museum of organs – to listen to David in conversation with the legendary Welsh actor, Michael Sheen.

I scribbled them surrounded by Wurlitzers!

I also discovered that hashtagging someone as famous as Michael Sheen took my views on Twitter from the usual few hundred to over 100,000!

October is Fringe Festival time in Swansea and for the second year running, I was one of a group of artists doing live drawing at live music venues.

I’m an old headbanger and I love rocking while I scribble – here’s a sketch I drew during Celavi’s performance.