Own work: The Sardis Chapel, Ystradgynlais

     Revisiting the Sardis Chapel at Ystradgynlais, this being straightened times when travelling in search of a new subject matter is out of the question. This time mixed media with some collage. To be honest I didn't really enjoy the process, perhaps with time and distance my attitude towards this painting will change for the better. At the moment all I can see are the faults.

Better late than never: St Cadoc, Llancarfan

     You may remember last year, about this time actually, the bf took me into the Vale of Glamorgan to look at a church, and how I felt I couldn't even bring myself to discuss the church let alone share my photos with you. If you can remember I was snapping away happily in the church - a church, I should remind you has received any amount of Lottery Funding to make it suitable for tourists - only to find an A4 notice pinned to a notice board inside the church stating that anybody wishing to post any image of the church online had to receive permission from the PCC or equivalent thereof. Utterly absurd. And shameful. How for instance were they going to police that? Anyway, emboldened by a recent conversation on twitter, here are the photos I took.

     Village and church nestle in a wooded valley - hard to think that we are not that far from Cardiff. The church, with those characteristics of Medieval Welsh churches - twin naves, no clerestory, austere unbuttressed tower - is very attractive, a bit beyond the ordinary. And that sense of being a bit beyond the ordinary continues within, for St Cadoc holds a couple of treasures, both of which are not quite apparent when you walk in, for Llancarfan church opens up to the visitor like a flower, atmospheric and accretive like all good country churches should be. The architecture is uneven and full of incident. There are old floors, whitewashed walls and at the far end of the s aisle a tall medieval screen all drawing in the visitor so that they can miss the immense late medieval wall painting of St George looming over them in all his pomp and pageantry. That, a recent discovery, is the first treasure. Step through the arcade into the nave and there in the chancel is the second treasure - the remains of a wooden Perp altarpiece. A rare survival. Equally astounding is the vast window in the N chancel wall that lights it.
     In the mid 20c George Pace came this way. He is an architect for whom I have a deep sense of ambiguity. He was capable of great sensitivity particularly when dealing with an ancient building but equally capable of producing the most rebarbative work imaginable. Thankfully his work here errs toward the former rather than the latter as at Spalding in Lincolnshire where the organ case is utterly atrocious. The outer doors of the porch are rather lovely, rather Arts and Crafts and will continue to improve with age. The s chapel furnishings are a mixed bag - the best things are the pews. As to the High Altar I will swiftly pass on.