Our view of early Wales owes much to the reconstructional drawings of Alan Sorrell. His representations of windswept landscapes and monumental structures against which people struggle to make a living are well-known and were created in collaboration with the National Museum of Wales. Two of his works are reinterpreted in this week’s programme: his painting of Rhaglan Castle in Monmouthshire and Castell Carreg Cennen in the Tywi Valley. The artists basing their work on these paintings are young artist Luned Rhys Parri (Rhaglan Castle)and established artist Aneurin Jones (Castell Carreg Cennen).

Luned specializes in making mixed media sculptures, normally of people. She doesn’t usually work with castles, but she approaches the task with enthusiasm. Luned admires Sorrell's work, especially the way in which he changes the perspective of his subject. Her finished picture is a three-dimensional representation of the imposing building, and includes materials like paper, cardboard and even a piece of her husband's old shirt. Aneurin Jones has something far more tradidtional in mind. His take on Castell Carreg Cennen is in oil, and he sees the castle as having a quality he likens to "… a fairytale castle, very real but with a dreamlike atmosphere." Although the light was quite dull on the day Aneurin made his sketches, he did not let this deter him, and in fact it added atmosphere to the portrayal of the castle and the landscape which surrounds it.

Artist profiles...
Luned Rhys Parri
Aneurin Jones