Harry Riley Byd o Liw

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-If I was asked

-to imagine the perfect scene...

-..an image similar to the one

-in this poster would come to mind.

-Especially a poster

-from the '30s and '50s.

-It was a time when railway companies

-used to invite famous artists...

-..to create

-the perfect holiday destination.

-Paradise for the price

-of a day ticket.

-The only thing missing

-was the train itself.

-Artists would leave the loud and

-dirty trains out of the picture...

-..intentionally

-in case they spoilt the view.

-In Aberystwyth, British Rail

-commissioned Harry Riley...

-..to create the image

-of a perfect holiday...

-..where everyone smiled,

-everyone was fashionable...

-..and the beach was golden.

-In the past,

-poster art had been devalued.

-This poster isn't fine art -

-it's commercial art.

-But it's well worth seeing -

-it's very inventive...

-..in the way it uses colour

-and composition.

-Using the graphic technology

-of the time, a variety of colours...

-..could be created

-from four colour plates.

-The people in the poster

-look healthy and happy.

-They represent something

-about Britain after WWII...

-..after the formation

-of the NHS and the welfare state.

-People were very optimistic.

-You had to go to galleries

-to see paintings...

-..but posters like this

-could be seen around the country.

-On the prom in Aberystwyth...

-..artist Meirion Jones

-is drawing some sketches.

-Most of his work deals with figures.

-His work is inspired by the sea.

-Meirion has chosen a position

-to draw his picture...

-..which is similar

-to the one Riley took.

-What are you doing now?

-I'm drawing some sketches, trying

-to get the feel for Aberystwyth...

-..and the arch in the bay.

-I'm looking at the shadows and

-getting a general feel of the place.

-Soaking up the atmosphere?

-The atmosphere and the patterns

-on Constitution Hill.

-Someone once told me

-not to use colour for sketching.

-You rarely have the right colour

-on your palette.

-I'm adding the names

-of the colours to the sketches.

-I'm describing the colour of the sea

-and the quality of the shadows.

-It's a very lively scene.

-Aberystwyth is a very lively place.

-There are a lot of static elements

-but there's plenty of action.

-People enjoying themselves

-and a lot of laughter and zest.

-Further up the prom, Catrin Williams

-is surrounded by holidaymakers.

-Catrin was raised

-on a farm near Bala.

-This background

-is evident in her work.

-Since moving to Pwllheli, the sea

-has become her favourite subject.

-The pink paper appears very bright.

-It's a means of keeping

-the composition together.

-It sets the theme of the work.

-Catrin works with pastels

-in a very lively fashion.

-How does she respond

-to the subject in front of her?

-I work very emotionally.

-Initially, I play with the idea.

-I want to enjoy it first.

-I change it all the time.

-The scenery over there changes

-constantly - the light changes...

-..all the time - I like that.

-I like developing new shapes.

-Some water accidentally splashed

-onto the paper.

-What's nice now

-is when it starts to dry...

-..it will become more of

-a textile piece when I return home.

-I want to capture the emotion of the

-place more than the poster itself.

-The poster is so English.

-For me, as a Welsh person, I'm

-aware of Aberystwyth's culture...

-..and the poetry and mythology

-that surround this place.

-For me, it's more emotional.

-It comes from inside.

-I like using different mediums.

-For me, it makes like far easier.

-If you'd have only given me a

-pencil, that would have been cruel!

-I could have coped, but I want

-a lot of instant information...

-..such as shapes and colours.

-It's a challenge to work

-in this environment...

-..but the people are part of the

-subject - they feed the imagination.

-Meirion has invited Rhian

-to be his model.

-He can control the

-physical shape of his subject...

-..and collect valuable information

-about muscle tone and clothes.

-Meirion, you have a figure in your

-landscape. This isn't usual now.

-Both aspects interest me.

-The landscape around here

-is very exciting.

-The light changes all the time

-and the colours become very bright.

-What completes the picture for me

-are the people in the painting...

-..and the narrative of the painting.

-A person in a space is interesting,

-as is a group of people...

-..and the space between the people.

-I'm looking for the story

-in the picture.

-It's like the first paragraph

-of a short story.

-You set the scene

-and introduce the characters.

-The people who see the painting will

-create a story and a conclusion.

-There was no mystery

-behind Riley's message.

-It's a shameless advertisement

-for sunny holidays in Aberystwyth.

-The aim of our artists

-is to create something more intense.

-Your work has moved on

-and developed in an interesting way.

-What's the next step for you?

-I've enjoyed the development.

-I work in layers...

-..and different colours -

-and I change things.

-I'm not precious about the picture.

-I've started to add more detail

-to the buildings.

-A girl moves from the mountains

-down into the town.

-I'm concentrating more

-on the buildings.

-You've done a lot

-with Constitution Hill.

-I've enjoyed working on the hill.

-There aren't any people

-in the picture.

-No, there aren't any.

-That's happened unbeknown to me.

-Catrin is more interested

-in the movement of the light...

-..not the movement of the people.

-While the artists work...

-..I visit Ceredigion Museum,

-which was once a cinema.

-Here, I saw how the old posters

-had found new life...

-..among the souvenirs.

-The railway posters sit comfortably

-in this old cinema.

-The characters and fashions

-are straight out of Hollywood.

-I asked for the views of locals

-who came here on their holidays...

-..in the days

-of the colourful posters.

-Coming to the beach.

-Coming to Aberystwyth on the train.

-This is a good picture

-of Aberystwyth.

-The sand is a little too golden.

-Do you think the people

-look as if they're from Hollywood?

-No. I remember people

-dressed like this.

-Is it an exaggeration

-of Aberystwyth?

-This is how we remember it.

-The sea is blue, the sand is golden.

-Everyone's happy.

-Every day was like that.

-What is the response of our artists

-to the poster?

-The people look very glamorous.

-Especially wearing

-those white specs.

-When you think about where most

-of these holidaymakers lived...

-..in the large,

-industrial English towns...

-..Aberystwyth felt

-a million miles away...

-..from those grey and smoky towns.

-I like this man here

-with something in his pocket.

-I'm sure I saw him

-on the prom over there earlier!

-I'm very fond of the picture.

-It's an excellent advertisement

-for Aberystwyth.

-What do you think of the fashion?

-I've tried my best today!

-The white sunglasses.

-As seen on many Welsh people walking

-up and down this street today!

-Talking Welsh.

-This poster reminds me

-of the work of Toulouse-Lautrec.

-He was the master of poster art.

-He drew pictures of the people

-who visited the Folies Bergeres...

-..and the Moulin Rouge in Paris.

-A community of people can develop

-during a week's holiday.

-There are people staying

-next door to you in the hotel...

-..and you become

-lifelong friends with them.

-Relationships, and even marriages,

-develop from there.

-There's a lot of humour in it.

-I haven't seen much

-of this golden sand today.

-Yes, the beach in the poster

-is a different colour.

-On top of that, the artist ignored

-the most obvious structure...

-..on Aberystwyth promenade.

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-Riley's poster

-is filled with activity.

-Catrin is also very busy.

-You're adding black ink marks

-to the picture.

-What is it meant to convey?

-It gives the picture more structure.

-I like the shapes - the flowing sea

-and the movement in the picture.

-The picture is developing so that I

-can develop it into its final form.

-The ink is wet - it flows

-differently to pastels.

-The marks are very interesting.

-The marks are very interesting.

-

-The picture now

-has a life of its own.

-It's like a musical composition -

-it reminds me of Debussy's work.

-The seaside?

-There's a suggestion

-of a storm here.

-You start by making sketches.

-Things start out well

-and then it all becomes a mess.

-As you carry on working,

-it takes on a life of its own.

-It takes over, doesn't it?

-Recently, I've used very little ink

-when I've drawn sketches.

-I'm working far more freely today.

-When the children were small,

-I rarely worked in the open air.

-I was tied to my home.

-Your domestic situation

-influences the way you work.

-Not only with the ideas

-in my personal work...

-..but also in the fabric

-of my daily life.

-In my view, family life

-creates a special rhythm...

-..for women and their art.

-As the artists worked,

-I walked up the hill.

-Meirion wanted to show me

-the source of his inspiration.

-Cardigan Bay surrounds us here.

-It's very charming

-and visually exciting.

-That was Riley's main aim...

-..but I doubt if Riley would

-have known what was out there...

-..Cantre'r Gwaelod,

-the city under the water.

-We're surrounded by a lot

-of Welsh mythology.

-Personally, I'd like

-to include women in my painting.

-There is a strong link between

-women and water in Welsh mythology.

-For me, the sea is a female feature.

-It's impulsive and attractive.

-I don't think it's a coincidence

-that when people have holidays...

-..they are instinctively

-drawn to the sea.

-That is the source of life,

-originally.

-We are returning

-to a spiritual home.

-Catrin's studio is in her home

-in Pwllheli.

-She works with textiles,

-textile paint and printing blocks.

-I'm looking forward to seeing

-how everything will fall into place.

-Meirion shares his studio

-in Cardigan with his father...

-..artist Aneurin Jones.

-He uses a colourful palette

-of acrylic paint.

-He's thrown himself into his work.

-Well, Meirion, I saw you making

-sketches on the prom in Aberystwyth.

-How useful were your sketches?

-As far as I'm concerned, these

-are personal, shorthand sketches.

-By looking at my notes, I remember

-what happened at the time.

-The next step is to record

-the fundamental, original features.

-It's all starting to take shape now.

-This is the colour I could see

-in the background and in the sea.

-The red stands out.

-I'm putting the jigsaw together.

-What part does the palette play

-in the creative process?

-I'm using some very special colours.

-Turquoise is one

-of my favourite colours.

-I also like purple.

-I've been trying to combine

-purple and turquoise in the sea.

-That creates a supernatural effect.

-The poster says one thing - visit

-Aberystwyth for a perfect holiday.

-In your painting, you've identified

-something beneath the surface.

-I hope so.

-I didn't want to create something

-that was superficial.

-There are deeper references

-and suggestions in the painting.

-I'm not trying to portray

-three girls sitting down.

-I'm portraying

-the female presence...

-..which ties in with the idea...

-..of the sea being

-a maternal, impulsive feature.

-When you're painting a picture, you

-need to speak to the picture, too.

-Exactly. This is when

-the creative process happens.

-This is when

-the creative momentum happens.

-I don't know what will happen -

-you follow your creative spirit.

-Catrin is building new layers...

-..as she cuts shapes

-out of her colourful materials.

-Catrin, you're using materials now

-and printing the letters here.

-I can see your personality

-coming through.

-The printing was exciting...

-..because I was able

-to fit 'Aberystwyth' in.

-Working on material

-is different to working on paper.

-The paints

-represent lighter colours.

-I'm adding more and more detail.

-I still treat these materials

-just like paint.

-If you recall the poster, the people

-were wearing different materials.

-I'm adding more and more materials

-all the time.

-This belongs to you now.

-On paper, it's a work in progress.

-It now looks like

-something completely different.

-The next process is the needlework.

-The printing is very interesting.

-The letters have been taken

-from the old warehouse...

-..of the Herald in Caernarfon.

-There are elements

-of different coastlines.

-Parts of Caernarfon

-have been incorporated.

-I'm going to start

-the needlework now.

-Meirion has finished his painting.

-Well, Meirion,

-you've finished the painting now.

-It's filled with bright colours.

-There are plenty of deep shadows.

-This red colour stands out.

-I think I've achieved my aims

-with this painting.

-It developed from Riley's picture...

-..of the colourful, attractive

-tourist side of Aberystwyth.

-I hope I've added something

-of myself in the composition.

-The influence of the sea on the left

-and the female presence.

-You understand the mythology

-that surrounds Cardigan Bay.

-You approached this

-with a different understanding.

-Riley was interested

-in the superficial features.

-What influences you most

-in your work?

-The art of craftsmen

-is very important.

-This is more of a craft than a work

-of art - the craft of painting.

-It goes back to the craftsmen

-of rural Wales.

-People who used to make

-the 'gambo' and love spoons...

-..and wrote folk songs and the Celts

-who crafted the Celtic crosses.

-I'm influenced heavily by

-the idea of the old Welsh craftsmen.

-You're very aware of the history

-and heritage of Ceredigion.

-Yes. I have a lot of respect

-for these traditions.

-Paint is a magical material.

-It creates images.

-On a palette, it's a collection

-of chemicals on a piece of wood.

-When you paint,

-it becomes transcendental.

-It's a magical material.

-Do you rely on your memory? Can you

-remember the experience of seeing?

-I have a good memory -

-I'm very fortunate.

-It's a combination of everything,

-at the end of the day...

-..the sketches, the memory

-and the imagination.

-It's a cocktail

-that produces something different.

-This is a very different cocktail.

-It was a difficult commission

-to accept, to be honest.

-It was hard to see

-the bigger picture.

-At different times,

-I liked different parts of it.

-It was hard to tie everything

-in together...

-..to produce the end product.

-I'd like to see something like that

-as a poster for Aberystwyth now.

-Yes, that would be interesting.

-The materials I used -

-some of them are my own clothes.

-You've added some of your history

-and your family's history.

-There was no point

-using materials from Aberystwyth.

-That doesn't excite me.

-I wanted to use

-materials and shapes I like.

-I've used them

-just like paint and pastels.

-You've utilised a tradition

-from rural Wales.

-And music.

-I've been trained as a musician.

-At the bottom, it says

-'pen y daith' (journey's end).

-To people staying in Aberystwyth,

-they've reached their journey's end.

-I've reached my journey's end...

-..but it could be the start

-of a new journey...

-..to create more landscape art

-like this.

-This is a very fresh view

-of Aberystwyth.

-I love it!

-Meirion has created three mysterious

-and intriguing females...

-..in a sea of light.

-What a pity

-that today's railway companies...

-..don't commission artists

-to create images for their posters.

-S4C subtitles by Rh Sion Morgan