Alice in Underland - AKA Alice Ardent - Model Maker/Designer/Artist

''I was born (1983) and spent my youngest years in Plaxtol, a small Kent village, running around in muddy fields with sheep, chickens, ducks and monkeys...sorry, donkeys...I think the monkeys were just a frigment of my imagination...

Nazma Ali - Fine Artist/Textile Artist

Nazma did a Foundation course in Art and Design Course later on in life after working in retail up until the age of 30. Nazma always knew she was a creative person but was keeping her parents and the world happy at the time to do anything significant about it. She went on to do a BA Hons in Surface Pattern and Design got a 2:1 and then went on to do a PGCE Teacher Training Course. Nazma worked as a technician for Foundation Art and Design for a year and enrolled on an MA in Fine Art in 2008 am currently doing a project on identity and my Pecha Kucha.

Annapetra Antonini - Graphic Artist

''I was born in Italy and 16 years later went to boarding school (prison) in Rutland. Then came to Wales to study graphic design. I do not want to be a graphic designer though because I cannot do what I want using a computer!

 
I'm addicted to colours and sacred geometry, my main inspiration comes from nature and dreams, but also other artists and psychedelics. All I do all day is draw, so my work is like a diary of how I'm feeling throughout my life. I never know what I'm going to draw, it all comes as I draw the lines. I hope one day I will be able to draw bigger scale and be an awesome artist!''

http://nayalis.deviantart.com/

David Alan Atkins - Fine Artist

From large, brash lino prints to intricate etchings, Miskin-based artist Atkins’ prints are often

aesthetically incongruous but his sense of playfulness never wavers. David's work hints at the medium’s lasting debt to the print press and a history, which is closely entwined with that of illustration, going a long way to stress that print is an art form in its own right...

atkins.alan@googlemail.com or telephone 01443 472165

To read more please read the downloadable review below.

Glyn Bateman  - Graphic Artist

Born: Cardiff, 1977

After gaining his BA (Hons) in Graphic Design at the University of Wales College Newport, Glyn opted to enroll on the one-year full time MA in Fine Art at Cardiff School of Art and Design to expand and develop his practice that involves the use of photography and digital image manipulation. His earlier work incorporated elements of collage and photomontage but over the ensuing months of the MA course he discovered that the use of repetition and pattern was becoming more and more apparent in his compositions.
 Glyn’s work relates to themes concerning oppression, authority, conformity and order.

 After experimenting with and constructing various pattern formations he has come to regard pattern as an appropriate visual device to use in correlation to these themes because the elements that constitute the design of a pattern have to ‘conform’ to the greater scheme of the whole design. Pattern itself is authoritative. Also, based upon the principle of decorative design, patterns should reflect the sentiments of the age in which they are created. His latest images provide a commentary upon conspiracy theories, the New World Order, and the ultimate panoptic control of contemporary society achieved though endemic surveillance.

Each of the compositions have been produced onto a series of mirror tiles that allow the viewer’s reflection to become part of the work as well as the viewer being able to watch others without their knowledge.

For more information please email: glynbateman@mail2pop.com

or Telephone: 07817802055

Martha Beal - Illustrator

''I am currently studing AS level Art, English lan/lit, History and Media Studies and one day wish to undertake a B(hons) in Illustration - when I learn to draw. From the age of 14, I have been exhibiting in local art shows and designing images for companies and can only hope that more opportunities to do this arise in the near future...''
- Matti

goat_of_madness@hotmail.co.uk

http://www.madgoatstudios.com/
 

Jay Bedwani - Photographer

Born in South Wales in 1978, I grew up in Cardiff. I attended the University of Wales, Newport, where I received an MA in documentary photography in 2005. I then spent some time completing an artist’s residency in Berkeley, California, before returning to the UK and pursuing my photographic career. I have exhibited in a number of solo and group shows throughout the UK and U.S and I continue to work as a freelance photographer alongside my work assisting unemployed immigrants for Cardiff County Council. Much of my work is concerned with immigration and it’s effects on people and land, and I am currently working on a series of portraits of recent immigrants to Cardiff, with support from The Arts Council of Wales.

Jay Bedwani

jbedwani@fastmail.co.uk
07788 131413

www.jaybedwani.com

69 Canada Road, Roath, Cardiff CF14 3BX

Matt Britton - Conceptual Artist

The work explores the difficulties of communication across generations, specifically between art and society or art and industry, with inspiration drawn from the industrial background of the Rhondda Valleys, a scenic landscape of decadence scarred by the downfall of the mining industry. The Valleys are a complex force, both captivating and enclosing. I can't help but see it as, at once, an old friend, all I have known since birth, and also a brooding enemy, urging me to make something of my life. A local newspaper encapsulated this idea more accurately with a headline of: 'THE BEST ONES LEAVE', underlining the necessity of commute not only for the purpose of work but for all aspects of modern life. This can be compared to a story I was told as a child, of my great grandfather journeying across four valleys in search of work, not able to return until he found it.

My work explores the idea of misrepresentation, as seen through use of language, predominately influenced by being in a particular place and the tensions which give rise to this experience. With innovative use of mixed media, my assemblages question the logic and purpose of the artist and what he produces, which leads the production of work that articulates the need to escape.

http://www.matthewbritton-artwork.tk

Gary Carter - Illustrator/Painter

Chris Chalk - Fine Artist

My name is Chris Chalk, I am an artist living in west Wales and my passion is to paint pictures. I grew up on a dairy farm in Wales and as a kid spent a lot of time drawing wildlife. Then, of course, I grew up (sort of) and life got in the way of my painting. I had to do the usual things like get a job and earn a living.

I did many things work wise starting off as a Gamekeeper at 16 years old, then a Plumber for four years until I was 22, then I joined the Royal Navy for five years and sailed the seven seas (well, a couple of them anyway).

At 27 I moved to New Zealand to live for a year and ended up staying in NZ and OZ for the next 6 years or so. Great times where had by all. I finally moved back to the UK in 2004 and am now living in Cilgerran in west Wales.

So now I paint every day. A variety of subjects from welsh landscape paintings, wildlife paintings, pet portraits, to seascapes and Portraits.

My preferred medium is oil painting. I started off with watercolour painting, but decided to change to oils and haven't looked back. I just don't have the patience to plan out a water colour painting really. With oil painting I can get stuck in and any mistakes I can correct later. It's a very much more forgiving medium.

c_chalk@hotmail.com

Dave Clayton - Urban Photographer

''Hi - I'm Dave Clayton an urban photographer with a taste for exploring the disused and abandoned places and structures around the UK. I started this project about a two years ago after stumbling across the urban exploration scene online this quickly led me to purchasing my first camera. last September. i decided to go back to university, to take my foundation degree in truro college in photography and digital imaging. The shots are based upon a presence of absence and a sense of
dystopia.''

my website is http://www.urbandesolation.co.uk/

dave@urbandesolation.co.uk

Cocker-Art AKA Ross Cocker - Illustrator/Graphic Designer

Cocker-Art was born out of the depths of the deepest, darkest valleys of South Wales in 2005 when Ross Cocker graduated from U.W.N School of Art, Media & Design. After graduating, Ross started to stamp his unique style of Illustration and Graphic Design ranging from slick, clean-cut corporate design to urban graphic culture and smooth, sexy, linear vector based graphics. Looking for the next challenge and always evolving his style, Ross strives to create stunning pieces of work, and candy for the eye to the best of his ability. Viva le Cocker-Art revolution!!!

Tel:  07828 211591

Email: rosscocker@gmail.com

Web:  www.cocker-art.com

Post:  11 Manor Court, Edwardsville, Treharris, Mid Glamorgan CF46 5NZ

Joseph Conner - BA(hons) Graphic Design

''Hello my name is Joseph Connor whatever I am doing I enjoy being creative and applying intelligent, conceptual thinking to any illustration. I enjoy working across all media and learning new skills, but am drawn to digital painting. Way back before I ever used computers I studied traditonal painting and drawing for 7 years at South Tyneside College where I also gained a First Class BAhons in Graphic Design. ''

http://spaced1984.carbonmade.com/projects/2234809#1  

Lauren Cowdery - Fine Artist

I am a graduate of University of Wales Newport, completing the BA in Fine Art Contemporary Media in 2006 and the MA in Art in 2009.

My work is heavily based on literature, drawing character and location from the text. My recent work has been based on Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot and the idea of alternate realities affecting both the characters and audience simultaneously.

I work mainly in Large Scale Installation, but include elements of performance, photography, film, and interactivity within the work.

Email: artnotapathy@hotmail.co.uk

Victoria Coyle  -  Fine Artist

Jas. Davidson - Sculptor

''Looking back, I realise that all my work has been driven by three things: the culture of the vernacular (folklore if you prefer), landscape, and how I fit in to them.

There has been a mixture of intellectual enquiry and a simple urge to make things, but neither has had greater importance than the other. I do not tell stories, or perhaps I should have been a painter or a poet, but all my work contains narrative, and all is driven by a fascination with beauty - not prettyness, but hard real beauty, the sort which can hurt.

And I am not an urban child filled with loud sounds and bright colours, my world is much more subdued, more rooted in the land, in the things we have thought rather than the things we have made.''

www.jasdavidson.co.uk

Barrie J Davies - Artist

Humour + observations + art + confusion + nothing + fun + freedom  =  The artwork of Barrie J Davies.

www.barriejdavies.co.uk

Jenni Davies - Performing Artist

Jenni Davies was born and raised in Aberdare, South Wales, where after studying Performing Arts in one of Wales’ least glamorous towns she toured with the Wales Actor Company and then moved away “to try and find a job that doesn’t involve serving chips“. Jenni made her TV debut in 2007 on Channel 4’s prank show Balls of Steel. She went on to appear on BBC Three’s The C Word: How We Came to Swear By It, Most Annoying TV We Hate to Love and Most Annoying People as a talking head.

Jenni enjoyed playing Dom Joly’s sidekick in FIVE’s successful consumer show The Complainers in 2008, and also appeared on FIVE’s Generation Sex and Viagra, Ten Years On The Rise. Jenni has been a contributor to Vice magazine and Maxim magazine where her stalker column ‘F**k Me… You’re Famous’ ran monthly for 17 months, culminating in her becoming the publication’s ‘Sexpert’ and general ”celebrity interviewer” (she also wrote Maxim Magazine’s Big Book Of Sex 2007).

Jenni was also Online Editor for Bizarre magazine. She has also written for Trinity Mirror, Wales on Sunday, The London Paper, Men’s Fitness, Loaded and LOOK as well as various online and regional print titles. Jenni will soon be featuring on a BBC3 programme discussing popular culture throughout the ‘Noughties’.

To watch Jenny click on the links below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DElBApKArgM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx8-Dz1Vn-s

http://www.youtube.com/kingofpikeys#play/uploads/6/gW2GIjo9KAY

Pat Doorbar - Artist

Pat Doorbar loves to draw people in a variety of formats. She is endlessly fascinated by the movement, interaction and emotional responses of the people she meets in everyday situations.

She is also enthralled by myths and stories. Pat went to a number of art colleges and had several solo exhibitions in her youth (in addition to contributing to other exhibitions.) Pat moved to North Wales in 2004 and had had five solo exhibitions locally.

She is a member of Art North Wales and enjoys participating in group exhibitions.

pat@doorbar.co.uk

Johanna Ekornes -

''The Big Fuss...What an appropriate name. I would like to make a big fuss about those people who ignore and don’t reply to emails and even letters by Royal Mail, and I don’t mean just individuals, I mean responsible organisations and institutions like colleges and universities. I completed my MA last year in Screen studies At the University of Wales Lampeter. It took me the whole of 4 years to do it. I lived on campus and created the UWL Organic Garden Society to get my body into the fresh air. Of course I ended up doing most of the work. Since then I have followed the advice given to all post graduates, whether young or old (by the Careers Advice Services) to do the PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) OK so I did the introductory part at UWIC from Jan. to March. And have been offered a place to complete the two-year course. ''

johannainwales@yahoo.co.uk

Matthew Ennals - Sculptor

Matthew does not refer to himself in the 3rd person.

The materials I use are mass produced, simple, familiar, cheap and readily available. Recently I have been using brown parcel tape. When I use materials I like to exploit their materiality, to use what they give me and let it guide the work. I like the viewer to be able to relate to the material, as I have during making, and to know its properties and limits thus giving an entry point into the work. I do not wish to fool or ‘outsmart’ the viewer with materials or process and I want the work to be accessible. I like to take materials and objects that we may come across and use every day, such as the tape, and use it in a way that brings new life and interest to it.

 I hope the work uses the material in a way that the viewer may never have envisaged

The works in brown tape play with the ideas of fragility, tension, instancy and their temporal nature. Each work is made for a specific time and/or place and is destroyed afterwards. The works are made solely from the chosen material; the brown tape forms the structure of the work, holds the work together and of course becomes its main aesthetic.

Kate Evans - Fine Artist

redmaidenart@googlemail.com

Chris Fagan - MA Fine Art

There is a large gap between being born and then graduating from the MA Fine Art programme at UWIC Cardiff.

Under the guise of the Artistic Research and Special Experiment Organization I have been exploring various paranormal activity, such as remote viewing, ghosts and time travel, in a artistic manner. The results of my investigation often take the form of installations which the audience can engage with to make decisions about what has been presented to them.
 

lepiggy@yahoo.com

Claire Ferguson - Sculptor

“I was born in Carmarthen in 1978, and have lived in Wales all my life apart from a brief spell in London. I have always been passionate about art, and even as a child spent hours and hours drawing imaginative scenes and copying characters from comic books. I moved to a house with a pottery attached to it when I was 18 and spent much of my time there experimenting and falling in love with clay. I started selling my work in a local gallery and soon decided to expand on my knowledge base, and so enrolled at art college in Carmarthen and embarked on a degree in sculpture. After graduating in 2003, I met my husband Ben and soon our first child Poppy came along, determined to continue my art career, I successfully applied for grant funding and was able to set up a fully functioning workshop, from which I produce all my work in ceramics and my paintings. Last year I was able to move into bronze production, working with a local foundry. I also gave birth to my second child, a son Caspian.

I am always drawn back to the human figure, as I feel so much can be communicated with our bodies, and although I love painting and sculpting, my real passion is for the 3-dimensional. I am not really interested in my work being enigmatic, I want it to be accessible, beautiful and uplifting. I want it to speak to people. Producing work is a labour of love, it takes a lot of time and patience, but I know that I am producing things that will be around after my own body has gone, and in that way I feel a little of my self is being immortalised.”

mail@cfwdesigns.co.uk

Magdalena Meg Garczynska - Photographer

Magdalena Meg Garczynska, born in 1985 in small city in Poland, from 2005 living in Cardiff, UK. BA Photography student at University of Glamorgan. Freelance photographer, writer. Subjects of interest: HDR, portraits, documentary Tel; 07955240811 

Luke Gilliam - Artist/Producer

"Active in the industry since 1994, the work of artist and producer Luke Gilliam is an examination of the human emotions romance, conflict, desire, and creative chaos. Luke is best known for his very rough sketches and paintings that used mixed media such as wood, metal and fabric. Much of the output is derived from visions that spring forth from studying central and eastern European folk music. Luke's biggest projects are working on the feature fiolm Dogma directed by Kevin Smith, the Nuit Blanch 2007 exhibition funded by Scotiabank Canada, and producing two albums from the award winng French musician Bruno Tocanne.

You can visit Luke on the web at www.artreview.com/profile/lukegilliam. Contact luke on lukegilliam@hotmail.co.uk"

Gill Gilroy - Fine Artist/Illustrator

"Starting from a deep love of the absurd, I try to find the quirky in the everyday, so I suppose you could call me 'Surrealist' it you wanted a pigeon hole for me.  I like bright colours and moody pieces that jump out at you with a suprise element to them.  I trained as a Fine Artist, but my natural home is in illustration where there is often a narrative to obey which gives me boundaries (which can then be transgressed) and deadlines, which, I think, makes the work sharper and fresher.  I'm hoping to establish a reputation in illustration as a reliable pair of hands but who still has the capacity to surprise.

funkyandtalented2@live.com

Sarah Hallowes - Craft Artist

''I graduated from University College Falmouth in 2008 with a BA Hons in Contemporary Crafts. I grew up around the coast of Dorset; my work has taken influence from natural objects and the sea. I enjoy using a mix of materials including silver, natural fibres and re-using second hand things.

In my latest work I re-use early 20th century children’s literature; I like the idea of giving damaged books a new home. I like using lace, hand and free-machine embroidery, giving my accessories and jewellery a vintage feel.''

Email : sarahkhallowes@googlemail.com

Phone: 078111 96353

David Harding - Fine Artist

My practice as an artist - in the widest sense, has been continuous and diverse...So... here's to whatever it is ...to the strange workings of it ...to the fun - and the deep history of it... to the seeing and the doing of it... to the research of it all, to it's shifting balances, and, here's to it's every day serious intent...and to the mad bravura ...of whatever it is.

Born; Ebbw Vale.
Cardiff College of Art - Foundation Studies.
Cardiff College of Art - Dip.AD, Fine Art.
University of London, Institute of Education - ATC - (Art Teachers Certificate)
(Extra courses - Film - Ceramics - Theatre in Education)
City & Guilds Level 2 - Information Technology (Distinction)

Gethin Hayman - Graphic Designer/Illustrator/Photographer

Gethin Hayman is currently studying graphic design in college, and will be going on to university in September to study graphic communication BA [Hons]. He considers himself as a Graphic Designer/Illustrator although a keen and ambitious photographer.

He’s keen on working with mixed media and produces work combing traditional and digital techniques. Gethin has also produced a number of commissioned works on canvas.

gethin_h@hotmail.com

Becci Holmes - Fine Artist

''I completed my Fine Art degree in 2008 at UWIC where I specialised in printmaking.  I discovered that the technique of etching and screenprint really benifited the kinds of textures that I needed to create my ocean based prints. Now I'm working on smaller pieces using techniques such as collograph, woodcut and drypoint, still with an ocean theme, which I piece together to make longer works which have a fluid sense of movement.

My etchings are inspired by the ocean, but take on a more abstract form by paying detailed attention to my fascination of the precious shapes, textures and patterns which are often overlooked. The sea gives me a feeling of tranquillity and relaxation which I try to reflect in my work.  I want people to feel immersed in my prints and to see a new aspect each time they take a look. It’s important to me that my prints have a fluid sense usually on a landscape format to show the ocean’s depth and to give a flow of movement. ''

becci_holmes_75@hotmail.co.uk

Michal Iwanowski MFA - Photographer/Creative Writer

www.michaliwanowski.com

iwanowski@ntlworld.com 

JazzCakes - Tees/Cakes Design

Sara Jenkins / Artbysara - Illustrator

Welcome to the world of artbysara peopled by feisty, finicky folk from the realm of fairytale to the bloke down the road...
 
I draw pen & ink cartoons, caricatures & illustrations which are available on my website in the Stuff & Gruff galleries, & two books are available called Stuff & Sing with over a hundred illustrations in each book.
 
I'm also illustrating a book of traditional & new Cornish fairytales called Cornish Folk & Fairy that'll be out for summer. Meet Bernice Pemberthy, witch Betty Trenoweth, Piskey, Spriggans & the Devil himself...
 
contact:
email: sara@artbysara.com
wesite: www.artbysara.com
blog: www.artbysara.blogspot.com

Jamie Jones - Fine Artist

Mab Jones - Comedy Performance Poet

“Excellent..” – Metro, Dec 08

"Hilarious..." - Western Mail

"A real creative force..." - Swansea Evening Post

Winner of the John Tripp Audience Award for Spoken Poetry, Mab is an up-and-coming performance poet from Cardiff. Semi-finalist in both the Radio 4 National Poetry Slam and Funny Women competitions, she possesses a dark comic edge and a keen, satirical wit, and has recently become involved in the world of burlesque. She has performed with several well-known poets and comedians (including John Hegley, Lucy Porter, Joolz Denby, Tony Law), done a stint at the Edinburgh and Leicester comedy festivals, and worked as a writer/workshop leader with Welsh National Opera. She will be representing Wales at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington DC this summer.

mab_jones@lycos.com

To download Mab's satement click below.

Zaeger Jones - Visual Artist

www.myspace.com/zaegerjones

www.artreview.com/profile/zaegerjones

Alex Lewis - Fine Artist/Illustrator

I'm Alex Lewis, 20, and I'm an Fine Artist/Illustrator about to study a degree in Illustration at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge. Prices for my work vary, for more information you can find me at www.myspace.com/myischialscrag or email me @ myischialscrag@hotmail.com

David Lee - Fine Artist

David Lee was born in 1985 in Pontypool, South Wales, and grew up in Cwmbran. Being of Artistic nature he went through his childhood dazed and confused, and ended up at De Montfort University at the age of eighteen studying for his BA in Fine Art. He graduated in 2007, and spent his time at university experimenting with different art forms, mainly painting, installation, and film. He now lives in Cardiff, and spends most of his time helping local Artists whilst running The Big Fuss from his watchtower in the clouds.

http://www.artcardiff.com/website.cgi?place=artists&id=135

David Lloyd - Environmental Sculptor and Visual Artist

Freelance environmental sculptor and visual artist working on site-specific artworks National and International commissions and residency undertaken in wood and stone. 2D commissions in Portraits, landscapes and murals in oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel and pencil undertaken. History of artist in residency in schools and colleges running workshops in painting and sculpture.

Featured work: 'Raven Wings' environmental sculpture in situ in Brechfa forest made from oak and douglas fur standing 4 meters x 3 meters / Slate carvings of flora and fauna in situ at Coed y Brenin visitors centre Dolgefeilliau nr Machynlleth / watercolour painting.

drlsculpt@aol.com

Rhiannon Lloyd - Illustrator

Rhiannon is 21 years old and studying for a phd in Cardiff Universities Business school, but draws in her spare time. Rhiannon tends to sketch and paint cartoons, but also draws pencil portraits for people if they ask nicely :) www.riazzz.deviantart.com

Laura Meredith - 3D Illustration

''I'm a recent Illustration graduate from the University of Portsmouth. My degree work focused on the subject of the isolation of the elderly within the local community. The work i produced for this makes up a large part of my website and portfolio.
 
Since graduating i have concentrated on producing a wider variety of work with the commercial market in mind. I have developed a slight obsession with sculpting elderly faces (!) and i think this is a recurrent theme in much of my work. I love to explore the potential of creating scenes and situations which you would not associate with older people. My work has frequently been described as 'quite dark' which i'm delighted by as i constantly worry about my sculptures becoming 'twee'!!
 
Themes within my work are usually the things that really interest me like old books and manuscripts, fancy dress and costumes, patterned fabric, nostalgia and anything very very small!
 
My work has been selected for the Association of Illustrators annual 2009, and i will also have some pieces published in 'The Big Book of Contemporary Illustration' by Martin Dawber, due for publication in Autumn 2009.''

www.toastyillustration.com

Sonja Benskin Mesher - Fine Artist

''I have worked full time as a visual artist since 1999, and have spent those years exploring ways to communicate thoughts and concerns with my paintings and drawings

Its not all you see on the surface, it goes deeper than that. The work goes back many years, what I have seen, experienced, touched and collected.

My present surroundings, here in Wales, and that of Cornwall where I spend much of my time, inform the work, and inspire the subject matter.

Then with the painting and drawing I remember, and try to make sense of it all...''

www.sonja-benskin-mesher.co.uk
www.sonja-benskin-mesher.com
www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/yourgallery/artist/details.php?id=3008

Matt Needle - Graphic Designer/Illustrator

At time of writing (March 2009) I am a third and final year Graphic Design & Illustration student, studying for my BA [Hons] at The University of Wales, Newport. As well as University work i am constantly undertaking self initiated briefs, freelance work, entering design competitions, and submitting work to various publications and online galleries/blogs.
I am learning and growing as a designer on a daily basis and am pushing myself to create exciting, interesting and professional looking design and illustration work. As of 2009 I am launching my own creative arts magazine (Genero) to coincide with my final major project, and as a way of networking and collaborating with lots of new and exciting people.

PEOPLE WHO I HAVE WORKED WITH/FOR:

A5 Magazine, Armani, ASOS, Brahma Beer, Chelsea Flower Show, Clash Magazine, Cravendale Milk,
Crayon Skateboards, Don't Panic, Faber Film, Hugo Boss, Marmalade Magazine (Internship), Moshi Moshi Records, Penguin, Royal Horticultural Society, Synth Eastwood, YCN.

Cheers

Matt Needle
Graphic Designer & Illustrator

matt.needle@hotmail.co.uk
http://www.mattneedle.co.uk

Norris Nuvo

I have not always thought of myself as an artist although ever since I can remember I have had a pencil or pen in my hand. I suppose I have my own vocabulary by which I make sense of the world, a visual vocabulary if you like.

I was always getting told off in school for covering the margins of my notebooks with doodles and scenes, they helped me remember the lessons far better than words ever did, but my teachers did not understand.

I remember things in pictures, easily remembering faces, while names and words evade me like dissipating smoke on the wind. I carry a three dimensional map inside my head which is both my history and my life-space. I also have a visual image of self that is projected into this space to represent me in all human interactions. This body image is what you would call my ‘outer’ self, or my physical body. It is this image that deals with the day-to-day aspects of living and creativity. It talks, it walks, it eats and sings and sleeps; this visual and physical me is the man that I am.

But I am more than that, more than just an image made up from my experiences and my physique, from my earthbound timeline and the landscape I inhabit. I have imagination. That imagination is the root of my visual vocabulary and is also the birth pool of my alter-ego, my other self, the one who can do the impossible. Norrisnuvo was born onto the internet in 1996, the first image of him was a composite made from elements of both my face and my wife’s face; this was the first public face of my new self, my virtual self.

Words and images are interchangeable in that a picture can be described with words and a description in words can inspire an image. So norrisnuvo is an interchangeable version of my identity, I cannot make too much change in the physical world but the image that is norrisnuvo can change in an instant, he can appear however I want him to. So who is norrisnuvo? This can only be answered by another question, who are you? The world around us is profiled and described and images are built up of our societies and the individual needs of its members. On an individual basis we also use images to identify ourselves; football shirts, fashion styles, uniforms, make-up, gendered clothing and age related pastimes all build to give us an image, a picture of what we are told is right and what is wrong.

So, in essence norrisnuvo is the constructed child born of the conjunction of my imagination and my life experience – he can go where I cannot. 

Liam Marc O'Connor - Fine Artist

Liam Marc O'Connor was born in 1981 in Maesteg, South Wales, He studied Fine Art in 2000-2003 at University of Wales Institute Cardiff (BAhons), and is currently studying for a Masters specialising in  Fine Art: Contemporary Dialogues. His present studio is in the Plasnewydd area of Cardiff.

www.liammarcoconnor.com

liammarc@hotmail.com
t- 07913996892

'Oatmeal' - Illustrator

Hi, 21 years old, and have been doing small freelance illustration work for over a year now, working with small clothing companies and bands, as much as I enjoy this, what I love most is the freedom of drawing, and expression something, it could be how I'm feeling at the time, or just a funny doodle, usually containing a phrase of some sort.

I wanted people to judge my art for what it is, rather than who it's done by, so most people/clients don't know what I look like, I go by the alias of "Oatmeal" I felt this was very comical and playful, just like my art...plus the characters I draw, their skin kind of looks like oatmeal.. right!?

I hope anyone who looks at my art enjoys it and takes something from it with them, My intention is to make people smile, sometimes in a low brow fashion, but that's what makes me laugh or smile the most, I hope it makes you do the same.

- Oatmeal

childrenbornofsin@hotmail.co.uk

Emma Pearce - Mixed Media Artist

I am a young, contemporary artist living, exhibiting and working in South Wales currently looking for exhibition and networking opportunities, internships and residencies. I graduated in 2008 with a First Class Honors Degree in BA (Hons) Contemporary Applied Arts and at the moment, I am undertaking a year long residency at Swansea Metropolitan University where I am continuing my own artistic practice alongside collaborating with other artists, lecturing and volunteering at Welsh arts organisations.

I work in mixed media ranging from video to textiles, from thermal imaging to knitting, from photography to drawing and more recently my work has encompassed digital media including Motion Capture and Rapid Prototyping technologies. Conceptually, I am interested in the unseen, unnoticed, invisible actions and exchanges of matter and energy that occur during a process, whether it is opening a door or creating a single stitch.

You can see more of me at www.emmamaypearce.blogspot.com or see my videos at www.youtube.com/EmmaMayPearce

Alan Perry - Poet, Painter and Writer

Alan Perry is a poet, painter and short-story writer living and working in Swansea. His latest book is Days of the Comet: New and Selected Stories (Moonstone Press, Wales). His website is at www.alanperry.1hwy.com but he is also on Facebook, on webshots.com (200 images under the username of alunperry) and on Artslant (150 images under the username of PERRY Alan.)

Contact details: e-mail: alan.perry2@ntlworld.com or through Facebook.

Liz Plummer - Textile Artist

Liz Plummer lives in Newport, South Wales, UK with her husband and three teenage sons.  She is a textile artist who blogs at http://lizplummer.com/blog. A lot of her art originates from nature and from the effects of light and reflections.  She loves screenprinting, journal making and Gocco printing. A year ago she opened a shop on Etsy to sell her textile Art http://lizplummer.etsy.com.

You can email Liz on liz@lizplummer.com

Mathew Price – Fine Artist

SPAWNED in a small South Wales Valley in 1987, Mathew has seen his fair share of surreal and odd things or situations. Growing up and realising he could document things in a creative way rather than a more intellectual way mathew decided to take his creativity further, First studying Fine Art at Cross Keys College in 2003, then in 2005 went on to study Fine Art contemporary Media Studies at the university of Wales Newport. 

Statement

In my recent work i have been captivated by children’s imagination, the way they create, adapt to a situation and illustrate their own perceptions of life. Children are mischievous and get away with it. Subsequently, I have adopted an approach to my practice, which is inspired by this childlike view of the world. This usually manifests in the work, which has witty intention, occasionally shading into a more sarcastic viewpoint. I create collages using mixed media with my choice of images playing a vital part in the context of my work. I do not aim to offend the viewer; I aim to rejuvenate images that are iconic or images that I feel need help. My drawing work mainly shows an exploration of the landscapes of my mind and aims to cram in everything you see in a day in one piece of work.

Lynsey Reeves - Fine Artist/Animator

''If I had to summarise my own way of working I would say that I feel confident in working in an impulsive, expressive and a bold manner. In the past year I have found the confidence of working on large sized canvas’s usually working with a very brief image or idea and executing it in an expressive and impulsive way onto the canvas or within animated films. The most natural and comfortable way in which I work comes directly from myself, my own emotions and issues and expressing them usually in relation to the human form and representation of the body. I feel confident and most happy when I’m am doing Life drawing I am constantly made to feel the need to improve and all the time and to learn more.

My ambition for the future is to be able to be involved in a creative, expressive and inspiring setting whether it is in a classroom, within an adult education centre or out in the community. I have studied for the past 8 years on art courses since leaving school and have gained knowledge of a number of different artistic and creative mediums that I hope I will be able to apply and use in whatever I go on to do. Eventually I would love to be involved in art therapy and to enable people to be able to express themselves as part of their therapy.''

Mobile Number; 07948183599

Email Address: dimebags_tart@hotmail.com

Art Form(s);     Sketchwork, Painting in Acrylic, Expressionism style work, Animation

Sarah Rossiter - Fine Artist

Sarah Rossiter was born and raised in Newport, South Wales. Most of her childhood was spent sitting at a coffee table in front of the tv with her dad drawing disneys 101 dalmations, and often getting very frustrated that his drawing always looked better! Always knowing that art was all she wanted to do, she went on to obtain 3 distinctions in ND FineArt at CrossKeys College. Sarah went on to attend Glouchestershire University studying Illustration, however, 4 months in she decided it wasnt for her and is now looking for a new way to get her work out there, into the big wide world.

bobslostinconfusion@hotmail.com

Kirsty Rowlands BA Fine Art - Visual Artist and Make-Up Artist

" I think words come between the spectator and the picture"
 
 Kirsty Rowlands studied Painting at Howard Gardens, Cardiff School of Art and Design, graduating with a BA Hons FA, in 2008. Prior to studying Painting, Kirsty studied opera & classical singing at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, under the guidance of Buddug Verona James, and later moved fields to develop her painting skills. Her work is largely influenced by the American and European abstract painters of the 20th Century; in particular, Mark Rothko & Howard Hodgkin.
 
The artist adapts herself  to working in many mediums, but favours working in oils on board. Much of her work is centered around colour, shape and application as opposed to an obvious subject matter. In these particular pieces she works extensively with different kinds of light creating dark subliminal surfaces combined with highlighted areas of infiltrated light. She has exhibited work for various shows since 2003,  and is currently working on a new series of paintings.
 
As well as pursuing her work in painting, Kirsty works as a freelance Make-up Artist, and is at present Cardiffs Make-up manager for new <id studios. Alongside this she is available to work on any projects surrounding, music, painting and Make up artistry; be it commissions, exhibitions, performance or make up for photoshoots, weddings, film & Tv work and tutoring. 
 
contact: ms_pixie@hotmail.com
 
mob: 077791205810

Theresa Ryan - Illustrator

'This is gloriously imaginative and colourful stuff. At first, these images seem whimsical and sweet, but there's a dark, unsettling vein running through every one of them.' Claire Howlett, Editor, ImagineFX magazine.

Theresa Ryan is a published  freelance artist and illustrator living in Dublin, Ireland. Her work focuses on story as being the most important part of any creative pursuit, as well as sheer love of the craft. She is currently working on a children's book and is open for commissions.  She loves working on these pieces and if you like them, that's an enormous bonus on top of everything else!

Contact at; theresa_ryan85@hotmail.com
portfolio: http:paperclip.cgsociety.org/gallery
Media: Photoshop, heavy copy paper and graphite/ballpoint.

Amy Salisbury - Fine Artist

Amy Salisbury was born in 1976 in Cardiff, South Wales.  After attending University College London (1994 – 97) she won a British Academy Scholarship to study Conservation of Wall Paintings and Frescoes at the Courtauld Institute of Art, Somerset House in 1997. Since then she has lived and worked in Waterloo, London, producing commissioned work for private clients and interior design projects culminating in a solo exhibition in the Waterloo Gallery in 2002. Her work can also be found in the Hotel Alcron (Radisson) in Prague, the Holiday Inn Victoria, and Hackney Loft Spaces.

Amy returned to Cardiff in 2006 and works part-time as a freelance artist in Penarth -  focusing on Welsh landscapes and the views in and around South Wales. With much influence from the beautiful scenery around the coasts and lakes of Wales her recent work includes views of Three Cliffs, Penarth, Cosmeston Lake, Roath Park, and Cardiff Bay.

http://amysalisburyart.com/

Maria Slovakova - Fine Artist

Maria has been attending painting and drawing art classes since age 5 and exhibited extensively since her teenage years. Born and raised in Czechoslovakia, Maria has lived in many places, including London, Amsterdam, New York, Graz and countryside of Quebec to name a few. Her work has been presented in large number of galleries and alternative spaces across Europe, Canada and the United States. In NYC, she is featured at the Living Museum. She’s been residing Harrogate, United Kingdom since spring 2005.

http://maria-slovakova.net
http://mariaslovakova.blogspot.com

Kate Stuart - Photographer

Kate Stuart studied Media Production at Glamorgan University. After achieving a first class degree, the artist's photography was published in The Design and Art Direction Awards Annual in London. Other collections of her work have been exhibited in a variety of galleries throughout Wales.

Gaining an artist background before combining the study of digital art and photography has given the artist an individual tone when it comes to applying her knowledge to various briefs. From contemporary mixed media creations to intimate newborn images, she will be able to work with you to produce a truly unique piece of art.

katestuartphotography@hotmail.co.uk
www.katestuartphotography.com

Tel - 07976256516

Menna Thomas Fine Artist
 
''I was born in 1985 in Bangor, North Wales and grew up in a nearby field in Crymlyn. Having always had a keen interest in the Arts, starting my career at the tender age of 4 winning the runners up prize in the local Sunday School Art Competition. I went through life in very much my own little world and eventually ending up studying at Coleg Menai, Bangor on the Art Foundation Course. I found this course a great help as it opened my eyes to the artworld and reawoken my interests in the subject, discovering new techniques and art forms like film, installation, printmaking and rediscovering the simpler things in life such as potatoe stamps! 

This course made it clear that painting was my strong point and I proceeded to study Fine Art(BA) at UWIC, Cardiff. Following a slow start to the 3 year degree, my work progressed a great deal finishing with a very strong 5 piece exhibition for the Degree Show at Howard Gardens in the summer of 2008. Having completed my degree, I've stayed in Cardiff working a number of varied jobs but continue to work on my art, working in my little studio in the basement in my spare time.''

mennamars@hotmail.com

Kaile Timbrell - Fine Artist

''I'm just about to graduate fromthe University of Southampton, Winchester School of Art. I have spent the past 3 years studying for a BA Hons in Fine Art Painting and since I've started at university my canvas and medium has dramatically changed. Formally working with canvas and paint, I now work with space, fabric and exuberant materials to create immersing environments. I have a passion for theatre, decorative materials and the natural environment so in my final year of university I grabbed an opportunity to create a project consisting of these three aspects. My drive now is to pursue my ambition to be a set designer, but we shall see where the world takes me! ''

k.timbrell@yahoo.co.uk

Ashleigh James Thomas Ward - Illustrator/Animator

''I am an illustrator / animator. I like to focus on the things the real world doesn't show us. I like to twist reality and make it into a surreal world. I started off being an illustrator and have fallen in love with animation and at the moment I seem to be focusing more on that. I have had the chance to work with the BBC and AOI (Association of Illustrators) which resulted in my animation being exhibited in London. I have also exhibited in the Elysium gallery in Swansea, and at the moment I am organizing an exhibition there that will be held in November.

If you would like me to do anything for you or want to see more of my work then please get in touch at ashleigh_james_tw@msn.com

Rhiannon West - Graphic Design Student

My name's Rhiannon West, I'm eighteen years old and I'm based in the Caerphilly area. I'm currently studying my A Levels in St. Cenydd Comprehensive school. My main artistic interest is in Graphic Design and most of my work revoles around photography and editing them into CD covers or other such products. However, I also enjoy sketcing and occassional painting.

Simon Wild - Artist/Illustrator

''I am an artist and illustrator from Suffolk UK. My working methods include drawing, collage, digital and screen printing. I attempt to make colourful and whimsical work that is inspired by imaginary worlds, interesting places, toys, unusual objects, and the imaginary. My work can be seen in print, online and in regular exhibitions.''

www.simonwild.com

mail@simonwild.com

tel: +44 (0) 7984 601618

 Jan Williams - Fine Artist

Originally from Brecon, I now live in Cardiff Bay and have a studio in Pontcanna with the Kings Road Artists Group.

'I am a painter and I completed a Fine Art Degree at the Cardiff School of Art and Design, Howard Gardens in June 2009 and I have recently returned to study for the MFA. I paint using oil on board from direct observation. In my paintings I explore the effect of light and shade on architectural spaces.  On one hand I observe the formal values of representational painting and on the other I highlight the fact that the painting is a flat surface. I enjoy the tension that this creates challenging the viewers perception of the space. My response is intuitive as I distill and edit out all unnecessary furnishings and fittings, leaving at times just the space and the light focusing all the attention on these intimate, interior silent spaces. '

Contact Jan; 

janwilliamsart@aol.com