O’r Afon i’r Môr: Cardiff gallery hosts exhibition of new works from Elfyn Lewis

Stephen Price

A new exhibition of works by Elfyn Lewis takes place in Cardiff from today – with all pieces formed as the result of a period processing personal grief – grief of loss, grief of closure, grief of letting go

Lewis is famous for his style of ‘pulling’ paint across the surface of the picture using a trowel or squeegee, building layers upon layers of thick paint.

There’s been an important development in Lewis’s familiar method – that of ‘capturing’ the flow of paint.

The paint – which is so much a part of the art, and a distinctive element of the work – is now as if frozen in place.

Those layers become amplified further as they accumulate in pools on the edges, held from the back by wood.

In a new exhibition, titled O’r Afon i’r Môr which takes place at Cardiff’s Gallery Ten, we see part of Lewis’s process which was left on the studio table – that overflow has become an integral part of his paintings

The finished texture is smooth and continuous, with a few kicks and ‘catches’ in the paint here and there. The capturing of overflow of paint in pools over the edges is present, expanding the painting off the panel, collecting the history of the creation process.

The focus is the horizon line – sometimes sharp and clear, other times vague and hazy. Stripes of colour melt into each other, dividing north and south, sky and land, a flash of horizontal light dividing the darkness

With this new body of work focusing on grief, Lewis also noted the effect of the widespread grief in society when witnessing countless wars, the destruction of life and the cruelty of man to man.

For Lewis, the title of the exhibition has two meanings. A political slogan, banned because of its link to the demand for the liberation of Palestine – and Lewis’s stance; but also, the flow of the Afon Glaslyn as it passes through the area of ​​his childhood, now missing the gravitational centre of the family home, and out to the sea at Porthmadog

There is no need to interpret or evaluate the meaning of this art to appreciate the beauty, the drama, the materiality of the paint, the combination of the colours or the feeling that is evoked when looking. But when the artist’s principle and experience is considered, there is so much more to be found beyond the surface

He shared: “Over the last few years, the feeling of loss has been a constant shadow over my mind.

“Losing my father and the home where I grew up, and then seeing my son leave the nest. But moving forward is an integral part of the human urge – to create, and recreate. And striving to reach for a horizon beyond loss

“This work reflects my path through the last few years, and the freedom and relief I feel when painting”

Born in Porthmadog, north Wales, Elfyn Lewis’s distinctive abstract paintings are held in a number of public and private collections, and widely exhibited worldwide.

In 2009, Lewis was awarded the Gold Medal for Fine Art at the National Eisteddfod of Wales and later went on to be named Welsh Artist of the Year in 2010

Speaking about his process, Elfyn told Nation.Cymru previously: “The work takes a while and it’s a process that I’ve been working on for many years. I build up layers of paint by dragging it across the surface with a trowel.

Over time these paintings are re-worked, sanded down, left for a bit, and re-worked until finally something appears which I’m happy with. So, a lot of soul searching and living with the paintings.

Many of these new pieces bleed from their confines – blurring the edges of where the piece begins and ends.

Lewis said: “I’ve been really interested in the edges of the work and how they have become as important as what is usually considered the painting surface.

“I think the sides (edges of the painting) make the work more sculptural and the flow of paint adds a dimension that is not restricted to the surface of the work.

“Again this process takes time, and although they can appear very simple, getting them how I want takes a while.

“Because the paint is so thick it takes a while to dry, and this helps me to think about the work and if it’s right.”

Touching on the sweeping cuts to Wales’ cultural institutions, we asked Lewis for his take on the climate in Wales right now.

He said: “I think most artists feel the pain of this but the blunt truth is that most of these organisations don’t really go out of their way to help artists on an individual basis.

“Most artists go from one month to the next trying to survive.

“Governments fund and un-fund to win votes, but the National Museum and Library should be protected at all costs.

“Arts organisations do very little for artists other than what fits their agenda.

“There are too many gatekeepers in Wales who make a living out of the artists yet give nothing back.

“Bureaucracy trickles down from governments and so everyone thinks that they know best.

“In an independent Wales we could strive to solve many of the issues we have.

“Unfortunately the wealth from above does not trickle down so unless we change, nothing will. This is true for many of our problems – health, education and how we value the arts/culture.”

O’r Afon i’r Môr runs up until 17 October 2026 at Ten Gallery, Donald Street, Cardiff and can be viewed online at www.gallery-ten.co.uk

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