Exhibition: Autumn Gathering

     Pleased to relate that this morning de delivered four paintings to Aberglasney for inclusion in the new Studio Cennen exhibition 'Autumn Gathering'.  The art works are; 'Foliate Head'; 'Bethania, Chapel Morriston'; 'Sardis Chapel, Ystradgynlais'; and 'St Mary, West Walton'.  The exhibition runs from Wednesday 28th October until Thursday 5th November.

Aberglasney

Be full, ye courts; be great who will;

Search for Peace with all your skill:

Open wide the lofty door,

Seek her on the marble floor:

In vain ye search, she is not there:   

In vain ye search the domes of Care!

Grass and flowers Quiet treads,

On the meads, and mountain-heads,

Along with Pleasure, close ally'd,

Ever by each other's side:   

And often, by the murm'ring rill,

Hears the thrush, while all is still,

Within the groves of Grongar Hill.

     From Carmarthen we drove east up the Towy valley to the gardens at Aberglasney, which lie beneath Grongar Hill, and are now in their final flush before the coming Autumn.

Aberglasney in Black and White

 

     I love black and white photography.  They have such a different sensibility.  More poetic, I feel.  My favourite photographers - Fay Godwin, John Piper, James Ravillious, Bill Brandt, Cecil Beaton, and especially Edwin Smith - were masters of the monochrome.  So, while working on my last post I began to experiment with the photographs I took in the course of that day, turning them into Black and White images.  With the exception of the final image, the original of which was taken back in 2017, these are the results.

Studio Cenen at Aberglasney

     A return visit to the evocative Aberglasney Gardens in Carmarthenshire village of Llangathen to see the latest exhibition 'The Gardening Artists' by the local gallery Studio Cenen.  The gallery is based in the village of Ffairfach, just over the river from Llandeilo Fawr, and specialize in representing local artists and makers.  As with all their exhibitions, their current show is handsomely and imaginatively staged. There were certainly some very beautiful things on display; the bf and I were very much taken with ceramics.

    This year's drought has certainly affected the gardens, as you can see, but the beauty, even under the remorseless gaze of this summer's sun, is thankfully undimmed.

     As usual with a visit to Aberglaney, a walk up the hill to visit the parish church St Cathan.  Blunt, low slung rural gothic; dim, cool and cave-like within.  Just the place to shelter from the heat of the day.  A place, church and village, of deep serenity.

Aberglasney

     

     To Aberglasney Tuesday where summer is fading into autumn. Afterwards a short walk up the hill to the village hall, aka 'The Temperance Hall', and an art and antiques exhibition by Studio Cennen, a revival of the exhibitions that they held in the hall before Lockdown.