West Wales Art Scene News August 2018

This month I would like to introduce you to painter, tenor, antique expert and proud Welshman, Andrew Douglas-Forbes.  Andrew has been back in Llandeilo and painting full time since 2008, but prior to that had lived in Italy for many years where he divided his time between painting and singing professionally.  When he was in Italy he was based in Arezzo in Tuscany – a vibrant place full of life, history and great art.  With the biggest antique market in Italy taking place in the street outside his house every month, it is not surprising that his interest, knowledge and connections in the world of antiques grew, but it is in Welsh antiques and paint finishes that his expertise really lies.

I asked him whether his time in Italy provided subject matter for his paintings, but other than the occasional ruined farmhouse he came across, the only place he found inspiration was in Venice – a place he knew well from singing with the Venice Music Society.  He enjoyed the “incidental” – subjects like a doorway or a gondolier to focus on. A small snapshot of life.  It has always been Wales though where he draws his inspiration.  On his visits home, he would make numerous sketches and gather material to take back to develop into paintings in his studio in Italy.

The point came when Andrew knew that he had to make a decision about returning to Wales full time to enable him to dedicate more time and focussed study to his painting.  When his friend, mentor and former Art Teacher Pat Briggs from his Swansea School of Art days became ill, the decision was made for him and he came back to be close at hand.  Pat trained at the Royal College of Art and because of this she had a tremendous depth of knowledge.  Her own brother said of her “For her, art was everything and everything was art”.   Andrew attributes his strong drawing skills and knowledge of 3D form to her rigorous teaching.

For Andrew there are three aspects to a painting, the painting, the subject and the artist. The important is the painting quality.  The quality lies in the surface itself, and he loves to work with complex colour mixes  Andrew works in acrylic paint as he has an allergy to oil paint, but he has worked hard to bring the quality and feel of oil painting into his work and looking at them you wouldn’t know the difference without being told.

For Andrew, getting the right frame for his work is essential, and he does all his own.  This is where his love of antiques crosses over into his art. He sources mainly French, but some British vintage frames that will work well with his paintings. They give his work a timeless quality.  I asked what function he considers a frame to fulfil. He said that without a frame, he feels that a painting just sits in mid-air.  The frame locks the piece, compliments it and gives it the reverence it deserves – makes it an icon of sorts.

It doesn’t take long in Andrew’s company to pick up on his absolute passion for everything he does, and this is reflected in his paintings.  He mentioned that having reached the age of 50, he realises that time is passing too quickly to have time to develop and explore fully all the avenues that interest him around art and painting.

If you would like to see more of Andrew’s work, he will be exhibiting alongside other talented West Wales artists at the Art at the Hall Exhibition in Llangathen(open from Saturday August 25^th).  He also displays and sells his work through Fountain Fine Arts in Llandeilo, and you can see more of his work and contact him via Instagram on @llwygawl.

Ways to enjoy the local art scene in the next Month

Art At the Hall, Temperence Hall, Llangathen (next to Aberglasney Gardens).  Open to the public from Saturday 25^th August until Saturday 8^thSeptember  11am to 6pm (you can see and buy work by many talented local artists and makers, including Andrew Douglas-Forbes).

“Lost in Me”, Oriel Bevan Jones Gallery 2, 24 King St, Carmarthen.  Open from Tuesday 28^th August to Saturday 8^th September.  A group show by the artists collective “Divergent”.