Artist Profile - Rhiannon Thomas
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Biography
I've always been drawn to the sea and living in close proximity to it provides me with a plentiful source of inspiration that's easily absorbed. The colours and constantly changing landscape have always been a part of my work. I grew up in a little terraced house in the Rhondda Valleys where my love for art and history flourished. After Art College and a degree in Egyptology, I completed a Masters in Archaeology and continued to work as a field archaeologist and archaeological illustrator before my love of a 'freer' style of painting led me to become a full time artist based on the edge of the Gower Peninsula.
Artist Statement
I love working with large, vibrant,
coastal inspired pieces and I always try to generate memories, stories and
feelings with each. Capturing the smell of fish and chips at the seaside, the
salty seaweed and the sound of Herring Gulls overhead is really important to
me. I like to think of my work as a
dream-like interpretation of some of the most influential places I have come
across (whether real or fictional). By exaggerating natural colours and shapes
I look to recreate the 'feeling' of the place I'm painting; I pull it apart,
work with new shapes and lines and really get involved in the subject. It's
like putting the best bits of a memory together on canvas!
'Real life' has no place in my work, and
it's this approach that allows me to add to the paintings as I see fit,
throwing in details of particular significance. You'll often find buoys, boats,
smoking chimneys and rows of brightly coloured miners houses reoccurring in
many of my pieces.
By applying layers of thick paint, I can
also achieve a sense of depth and character. I work in a range of media from
pastels, acrylics, watercolours and plaster to define areas of interest in the
piece and I love the rich texture you get from it. Thick lines are later added
to exaggerate and separate the characters within each painting, giving it a
fun, informal appearance. Powder blues and lilacs are often generously added to
create a subtle, calming effect to an otherwise chaotic scene that is bursting
with colour. I try not to spend too much time considering the exact location of
the paint, rather applying it freely, lead by impulse and intuition.
When the urge takes me, I work in
Watercolours and take full advantage of the fluidity of the paint. Deep purples
and blues blend well together and the harbours (which I so often paint) become
bulbous, intertwined and flowing. It's a style that comes naturally to me, as I
love to impart a little fantasy and 'make-believe' to actual locations.