Hello! Welcome back to my blog. In todays post I thought I would talk to you about my current project.
This project I wanted to explore painting Wales and to connect with my country and heritage. I sought out Welsh tales and places that are rich in these stories to capture a perspective of the land today.
Whilst reading many Welsh folktales I came across one that tells of the Afanc. A monster which is said to have once lurked in the waters of Llangorse Lake in Bannau Brycheniog. The painting below depicts the lake as it it today. When looking at this serene landscape its almost hard to believe that a monster such as the Afanc once lurked beneath, who was said to attack and devour anybody who entered its waters.
The Afanc is often described as taking the forms of a demon, fish and crocodile. Various tales tell of the monster being slain by King Arthur or being captured by the villages of Llangorse.
Another tale I came across was of a giant and the devil. The painting below captures a view of the Skirrid, situated east of the Black Mountains and forms the eastern most part of Bannau Brycheiniog.
A local story tells of a giant, Jack O’Kent and the devil who argued over whether the Sugar Loaf or the Malvern Hills where bigger. Jack argued the Sugar loaf was bigger and was proven right. In his disgust the devil collected a huge apron of soil to tip over the Malvern Hills to make them higher. However, as the devil was crossing over the Skirrid, the apron strings broke, the soil being dumped on top of the Skirrid instead, forming the tump on the northern end.