Never too old: Welsh artists creating into their 90s and beyond

An art collector has highlighted fine artists continuing to create work into their 90s and beyond, celebrating Wales, its landscapes and people.

Instagram user celf.cymreig, “a retired University of Wales academic, and small-time collector of Welsh art”, regularly posts tips for those looking to collect art from and in Wales, as well as summaries of ‘good Welsh artists’.

In a post on 1 April, the creator shared five pieces from artists still producing works into their ninth and tenth decades, writing: “Chwarae Teg iddyn nhw! I take my hat off to them.”

1. Ivor Davies, born 1935

Originally from Treharris in south Wales and currently working from Penarth, Ivor Davies MBE is often inspired by Welsh politics and culture. Some of his most famed work hails from the Destruction in Art Symposium (DIAS) in September 1966, using explosions to reflect society’s destructive nature, and the processes of creation and recreation.

As celf.cymreig notes, it is often “Nutsy narrative stuff, but it can be excellent.”

Davies currently sponsors the Ivor Davies Award at the National Eisteddfod, and a selection of his work will show at Aberystwyth Arts Centre from 25 April. 

2. Charles Burton – born 1929

Having grown up in Treherbert, it is no surprise that Charles Burton was to become a leading figure in the Rhondda Group. This informal collection of artists, a group of friends who studied at Cardiff College of Art, set out to bring feeling to representations of the Valleys. Many of Burton’s most celebrated earlier works depict the Rhondda Fawr, but he has also received praise for more personal expressions such as his portrait of his parents.

An example of Burton’s “tremendous and atmospheric” work is currently showing alongside other works in the Portrait & Power exhibition at The National Library of Wales.

3. Audrey Hind – born 1936

Though she was born in Cheshire and studied art in Liverpool, Audrey Hind has lived and worked from Ynys Môn since 1962. Her intricate work often features landscapes and landmarks from across Wales, but focuses especially on Eryri and the north Wales coast. A member of the Royal Cambrian Academy, Hind is often compared to Kyffin Williams as her works are bright and full of life.

Celf.cymreig said: “I’m a real fan of [Hind’s] more stylised 60s and 70s pieces in envelope frames. Audrey was doing what Kyffin was at the same time, at the same quality. But she was in Wales (he then lived in London), she was a woman… and he had the Welsh name.”

Hind’s work is available at Cardiff’s Albany Gallery.

4. Glenys Cour – born 1924

At the age of 102, Glenys Cour MBE is still painting. Another Cardiff College of Art alumnus, Cour is originally from Pembrokeshire. She is a member of the Welsh Group, and works across painting, both flowers and landscapes, and collage, often inspired by Welsh and Greek mythology. Cour has, in her own words, an “obsession” with deep colours, most notably gold and blue, which are “rarely absent” from her work.

“Glenys is a phenomenon,” writes celf.cymreig. “She explores the language of colour and does it better than anyone.”

Her works are held at Swansea’s Glynn Vivian Gallery, Swansea University, The National Museum of Wales, and The Kunsthalle Museum Mannheim among others.

5. William Selwyn – born 1933

Another member of the Royal Cambrian Academy, William Selwyn came to painting following his national service in the Royal Artillery. Hailing from Caernarfon, he is loyal in his work to the north Wales coast, its wildlife, and its agricultural and maritime workers. Somewhat sombre, his watercolours have an almost spectral quality, depicting scenes filled with the blur of movement and turbulent weather.

His work is currently available from Oriel Ger y Fenai in Llanfairpwllgwyngyll.

Follow celf.cymreig on Instagram here.