Some of Wales’ most exciting artists take part in Albany’s Winter Show

Meryl Cubley
Acclimatising to the dark, cold days, and longer nights, can make it tempting to wrap up in a duvet and hibernate …

Stop that! Put away the remote control! Move away from the cheese and biscuits because the Winter period is the time to dig deep – deeper than the duvet – and get out of the house.

Take yourself to the Albany Gallery and the ever popular Winter Show, a guarantee from the ‘Art Doctor’ that you will receive everything that is good, joyful and uplifting in the world.

Artists new to the gallery during this year’s Winter Show are Glenn Carney, Matt Williams and Sandra Wintle. We also welcome back James Donovan who first exhibited in 1998.

Captivating

James Donovan and Matt Williams are adept at captivating your emotions, bringing about an almost instantaneous feeling of home.

Recognition of a place and of a time – the unmistakable feeling that is Wales and what it means to be Welsh – Hiraeth.

James Donovan’s paintings aim to evoke the spirit of the South Wales valleys through their combination of historical and nostalgic symbolism. Future-forward on myth and legend for the generations that are to come.

Shawl is a perfect example – “It represents the comforts of history and remembrance,” says Donovan. “I have a tendency to use the wind as a metaphor for movement, and that sense of moving through time encapsulates an integral part of what it is to be Welsh.

“I recently visited the National Botanical Gardens of Wales, where they have some beautiful Welsh blankets on display. I grew up being fascinated by their patterns and plethora of colours, so this stirred up an urge to paint some of them and use this to form a new narrative in my work.

“Books are also a recurring theme and I return to them often. Some of my work represents the escapism that comes from reading. I enjoy playing with themes, and a little surrealism goes a long way towards stretching my imagination.”

Donovan added: “The viewer will also sometimes see boats, some made of wood, others from paper, carrying passengers and instruments that communicate an intentional isolation and a desire for calmer waters.

“Being a painter allows me to speak without words and create a language of my own. It has helped me to articulate feelings about family, history, love, loss, peace, joy and delight.

“When things have been difficult, I have painted images that resonated with those emotions.

“When everything is well in my world, painting is a tool to symbolise hope and affirmation”.

Connections

The theme continues, when we look at the work of Matt Williams: In the sense that he connects directly to the beauty of the natural landscape of Wales from within the lived human experience of being Welsh.

He shared: “As a former farmer, and one descended from a line of Welsh farmers as far back as I can trace, I feel viscerally connected to our land.

“Whether it is this familial relationship or a synaesthetic tendency, I ‘feel’ colour, form and atmosphere in a landscape… the sinuous sweep of grasses in the wind, the enigmatic shadows of winter light on melting snow.”

Working predominantly in oil paints, he captures the essence of the physical – the geographical and textural landscapes of Wales.

This is married to the emotional aspects of the nation that lie within and alongside its rugged beauty – such as the historical, cultural and socio-political contexts.

“I believe our landscape sings of Wales and her losses and when I paint them, I hear that song. It is my job as an artist to enable the viewer to form their own personal yet equally profound connection – not only to the landscape itself, but to the experiences of that landscape too.”

Popular gallery artists and previous exhibitors at the Albany Gallery include Emma Connolly, Dai David, Karl Davies, John Lines, Martin Llewellyn, Donald McIntyre, Peter Morgan, Gwyn Roberts, Lara Smith, and Kyffin Williams RA.

This year’s show runs from Friday 8 November to Saturday 4 January 2025 at Albany Gallery, 74b Albany Road, Cardiff, CF24 3RS.

Works will also be available to view and purchase online.