Tributes pour in following death of Welsh artist

Stephen Price

Tributes have poured in from across the Welsh art scene following the death of acclaimed artist, Iwan Gwyn Parry.

Iwan’s health problems were widely known, with the artist using his platform to speak out about anorexia throughout his career.

Born in Anglesey, Parry returned to north Wales after studying at Chelsea School of Art and Design, settling in Bethesda where he lived and worked.

Welsh artists including Meinir Mathias and Catrin Williams have shared their sadness alongside images of some of Parry’s works today (11 December), as tributes continue to be made.

Confirming the news on their website, Llandudno’s Ffin y Parc gallery shared, simply: “Iwan peacefully passed away December 2025.“

Cardiff’s Celf gallery shared: “It is with great sadness that we hear of Iwan’s passing. A wonderful gentleman and a great painter. Our thoughts are with his family at this incredibly sad time.

“We were honoured to host an exhibition of Iwan’s only a few months ago – a strong collection of works and an exhibition that I know he was extremely proud of. To use his words ‘Epic works which shout to gentle whispering’.

“Rest in peace now Iwan.”

 

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Ffin y Parc gallery previously shared: “We are pleased to announce that one of Iwan’s recent paintings has been purchased for the National Library of Wales Permanent Collection.”

He said of his recent works: “The new works are a selection of a long-term pre-occupation and meditation upon the western seaboard of Wales and the eastern seaboard of Ireland, mainly Dublin Bay and the broader Irish Sea.

“I have spent a long time contemplating these places and over the years they seem to be re-occurring themes within the work and have haunted my imagination. The ‘sense of place’ is only a beginning to these paintings, a catalyst of sort, for me to explore and manifest ideas about space, light and pictorial structure within the paintings.”

“It would be misleading to read these paintings as mere topographical images only. I disguise this pre-occupation within the plethora of space and pictorial invention by the use of combing elements drawn on location and then re-arranged within the images.

“Ancient sea structures which have remained for centuries which have a character and charm of their own, such as the estuary sluice gates, tidal-masts dykes, breakwaters, gateways to the open sea and largely old remains of man’s attempt to keep the incoming tide at bay!

“I hope the new work suggests more exciting possibilities to come and that the paintings contain a sense of mystery and magic which indeed captures the essence of these wild, desolated shores.”

Health

Speaking on the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board podcast to mark Eating Disorders Awareness Week, where the focus is on eating disorders in men, the Bethesda based painter said previously: “I think there’s been various episodes throughout my life and I’ve just kind of brushed it off and thought ‘well I feel better today so I’ll control it today’, but it dictates and influences every decision you make in terms of food and in terms of your social life and relationships.

“When I had to go into a social situation and eat something I dreaded it. I couldn’t wait to go home so I could vomit. And when I felt empty, I felt back to myself again.”

In October 2022, Iwan’s condition deteriorated to the point that he weighed just five stone, and he described himself as being a ‘shell of a man’.

“I was very close to basically going to meet my maker. I just decided to walk into A&E one day and I said I need help and support. The realisation was I couldn’t continue like this – physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually. I just couldn’t function. I’d had enough and it was making my life totally unmanageable.

“Physically, I felt drained, I had no energy, my body was covered in sores and bruises – it was not good at all. I looked a shell of a man. That’s what it does – it takes the mind emotionally and spiritually away and then you’re just left as an empty shell. And that’s all I was.”

Iwan used his platform to encourage others who may be struggling to reach out for support, describing it as the best decision he ever made.

“Sometimes in life you can’t make it on your own and the key thing is to surrender to it and accept that you’re ill. There is support out there if you reach out for it,” he said.

Collections & Awards

Government Art Collection; University of Glamorgan; Contemporary Arts Society for Wales Collection; Member of the Royal Cambrian Academy; Anglesey County Council Collection; Prize winner, National Eisteddfod, Anglesey.

We at Nation Cymru have long admired his work and his courage, and send our best wishes to those who loved him.