Sorrell Byd o Liw

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-If you've ever visited

-any of Wales's ancient monuments...

-..you'll be familiar

-with Alan Sorrell's work.

-Sorrell is well known for

-painting pictures from the past...

-..which include

-buildings, people and events.

-His paintings open a door

-to the past.

-In his paintings of castles...

-..Sorrell used to work

-with a limited palette of colours.

-This palette

-became characteristic of his work.

-After studying

-at the Royal College of Art...

-..Sorrell secured a scholarship

-to study in Rome.

-There, he became interested

-in historic buildings.

-In the 1930s, Sorrell started

-working with the National Museum.

-He undertook the work

-of drawing Celtic and Roman sites.

-This is how Sorrell painted...

-..everyday life in Llanmelin

-around 2,000 years ago.

-Most of Sorrell's work was linked

-to castles from the Middle Ages.

-In this painting,

-Raglan Castle by Alan Sorrell...

-..you can see the difference...

-..between an artist

-who paints for pleasure...

-..and an artist

-who paints commissioned work.

-This painting depicts everyday life

-during a particular age.

-It's very interesting since Sorrell

-has altered the perspective.

-He's raised the landscape

-to show the castle's interior.

-He uses white ink to highlight

-the minute details...

-..such as the portcullis.

-He's marked it out in white ink.

-He's also gone to the trouble

-of painting this wall here.

-He details

-almost every brick in the wall.

-Sorrell's painting inspired me

-to visit this remarkable castle.

-You won't find red sandstone towers

-like these anywhere else in Wales.

-The architecture

-is more French than Welsh...

-..but I must admit,

-they are stunning.

-Luned Rhys Parri

-from Groeslon, near Caernarfon...

-..has built

-a green fortress for herself.

-She is creating a three-dimensional,

-multimedia piece of art.

-Luned is well known as an artist...

-..who carves figures based

-on old family photographs...

-..and the people she knows.

-They are often associated with a

-community that's fast disappearing.

-There's a lot of humour in her work.

-It will be interesting to see how

-she responds to a historic subject.

-I turned my back on the castle

-to sketch Luned...

-..working in her Middle Age tent.

-How do you respond

-to this situation?

-As I get used to my surroundings...

-..the picture starts to take shape.

-I feel more at ease

-and I can see it developing.

-You're creating something

-that is unique to you.

-I've brought some paper

-and cardboard...

-..all the way from north Wales!

-I might also use materials

-I find around this locality.

-I'll look for materials...

-..that represent the castle.

-I like the way

-you start with sketches.

-It's very sensitive.

-There's a nice line here.

-I like this.

-I also like the way

-you build from the base.

-That's where the fun starts for me,

-when it becomes more 3-D.

-The 3-D develops

-as it emerges from the surface.

-The original mansion was owned by

-William ap Thomas through marriage.

-He was a professional soldier.

-He was also a bit of a gangster.

-He controlled most of this area

-with his armed servants.

-He started building

-the high towers...

-..in 1435 to make his mark

-on the landscape...

-..and provide a subject for Luned!

-This week, we also look at another

-painting by Alan Sorrell...

-..his interpretation of Carreg

-Cennen Castle in the Towy Valley.

-From the 13th century onwards, there

-were many battles for this castle.

-It changed hands between the Welsh

-and Normans on numerous occasions.

-This is Sorrell's painting of

-Carreg Cennen Castle in its heyday.

-You can sense the atmosphere.

-This shows an unstable Wales.

-The people are stooping,

-as if they're under constant threat.

-You can sense the tension

-in the painting.

-This is a dominant stronghold.

-It seems to emerge from the rocks.

-Sorrell has also included

-the agricultural world.

-The sheep

-are heading towards the castle.

-It gives the idea

-of an approaching threat...

-..an army, an English king

-or a Welsh prince, possibly.

-You can see the banner on the tower.

-It's not very prominent - it

-doesn't fly from the highest tower.

-It gives the impression

-that this is a transitional period.

-We had to walk some way

-to reach the location...

-..chosen by our second artist,

-Aneurin Jones.

-Aneurin Jones is one of Wales's

-most popular artists.

-His inspiration

-are the landscapes and people...

-..around the rural community

-of Cwm Wysg.

-Stories relating to the characters

-and rural life...

-..horses and changing seasons are

-themes often depicted in his work.

-The castle, the rocks

-and the trees combine...

-..to create an impressive structure.

-Preparatory sketches

-are essential for all artists.

-They are an opportunity to think

-about the location and composition.

-What's so special about

-looking at the castle from here?

-There's a network of activity

-within the stone walls.

-You can see a deep valley.

-There are numerous

-peaks and troughs.

-The colours have created

-a very special mood today.

-The trees seem to belong

-to another world.

-You've walked up the path

-to reach this location.

-Did that inspire

-your imagination at all?

-No! I was out of breath!

-It's a long journey

-but it's also a pleasant journey.

-You can feel the atmosphere,

-you feel part of the locality.

-You can't imagine a factory

-or any industry being located here.

-You're in the heart

-of the countryside.

-This has a fairy tale quality to it.

-It's something very real...

-..but you feel

-as if it's part of a dream.

-I went to visit Luned

-in Raglan Castle.

-How's your work coming along?

-It's developing nicely now.

-I've familiarized myself

-with the view and the materials.

-I was going to use this either as

-a sketch or a practice run.

-I might just take it back

-to the studio to work on it...

-..and add more layers to it

-to develop the 3-D drawing.

-I might mix some materials

-with paint.

-I'm using the dust of the stones

-at the moment...

-..to remove some of the sheen

-from the acrylic paint.

-I'm also going to include

-some collage work.

-Skill, vision and determination

-are required to create...

-..a successful sculpture.

-I was eager to discover if

-Sorrell's work had inspired Luned.

-I've enjoyed looking at his work.

-I'd never heard of him before.

-I like the way he sees things

-in an unusual way.

-He tilts the perspective

-and paints in a creative manner.

-That gives me the freedom

-to be more experimental.

-I've learned a lot

-from examining his work.

-I don't want to create

-a completely realistic piece of art.

-I want to adapt it

-and enlarge it.

-Sorrell portrays everyday life in

-the castle. What do you think of it?

-I think he wants to add movement

-to his painting.

-A way of achieving that

-is to include figures.

-You can see trees

-swaying in the wind.

-I'd like to include energy

-and movement in my work.

-Back at Carreg Cennen, Aneurin

-has moved to a different location.

-Before the days

-of computer graphics...

-..Sorrell's images

-opened the door to the past.

-These paintings

-are the intricate interpretations...

-..of a vivid imagination.

-The past springs into life

-before our eyes.

-What do you think of the painting?

-He was a skilled craftsman.

-He belonged to an age of craftsmen.

-That's something

-that doesn't exist today.

-He'd served his apprenticeship

-from an early age.

-He was acknowledged as one

-of the great craftsmen of his day.

-He was also a keen historian.

-He paid attention to detail.

-I know this may sound strange...

-..but it could be a real castle

-or an unreal castle.

-He's used his imagination

-to create another castle.

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-Luned has started

-building her towers.

-Sorrell portrays the historic visit

-of the King of England...

-..to the castle in the 1640s.

-This is the castle's bowling green.

-King Charles I would enjoy a game...

-..with the castle's lord

-and the locals.

-One story records how Charles played

-against the local champion.

-He infuriated the king

-by pointing out...

-..his modest cottage

-in the valley below.

-This is the great hall

-where everyone dined together.

-At the top table,

-the Lord and his special guests.

-Further down, the ordinary guests

-and the staff of the estate.

-The agricultural workers

-sat right at the end.

-This scene was a visual feast.

-The castle was a noble mansion

-at this time.

-The family were loyal to the king.

-On the eve of the Civil War...

-..the situation

-was about to change completely.

-Raglan's fate had been decided.

-As punishment for rebelling

-against the parliamentary guards...

-..the castle was demolished

-and left in ruins.

-Carreg Cennen Castle

-is associated with heroic tales.

-My favourite story relating to the

-castle is about Owain ab Urien.

-He came down from the Old North.

-He escaped after the great battles

-to this area.

-He joined his family here.

-What appeals to me

-is this idea of the crows...

-..protecting him all the way here.

-The crows were in a cave here.

-According to legend, Owain is asleep

-today in the cave of crows.

-That's a wonderful story

-It's a wonderful idea

-associated with sleeping heroes...

-..who are biding their time

-to lead the nation to freedom.

-This underground passage

-is older than the castle.

-It leads to the cave

-Aneurin mentioned.

-At her home in Groeslon, Luned

-is hard at work in her studio.

-While Luned gets on with her work,

-I'm writing my autobiography.

-How much work do you have left?

-I think I'm halfway through it.

-I need to stick

-a few more layers on it.

-I'm going to build this section up

-a bit more.

-I might build this section out

-to over-emphasize it.

-If I include the figures,

-it will resemble my usual style.

-I've included photocopies

-from the booklet about the castle.

-I'm just trying to create

-an interesting link to the castle.

-It might work, it might not.

-These photocopies

-may not be visible in the end.

-I'm not happy with just flat paint.

-It's not enough for you.

-I like the colour

-and the way it emerges.

-It's starting to work. This green

-colour was a bit of a mistake.

-I'm starting to experiment

-with pink.

-The colour of the stone

-is unusual in this castle.

-You've used pages

-from different magazines.

-The colours are coming through

-in some areas.

-This is part of an old shirt.

-It was my husband's.

-There's something about it...

-There's something about it...

-

-Is he happy to see it here?!

-I'm not sure if he knows yet.

-I liked the lines.

-It conveyed the texture

-of the stones.

-Sometimes, the work becomes more

-interesting when you make a mistake.

-As the mother of two children,

-is it hard finding time to work?

-Finding the time is difficult...

-..particularly having enough time

-to work on larger pieces.

-This is a breakthrough - I've had

-more time to work on a larger piece.

-In his studio,

-at his home in Cardigan...

-..Aneurin works with oil paints.

-The painting is much bigger

-than I expected.

-It's a constant battle.

-It's also been a pleasant battle.

-There's a difference

-between working on a grand scale...

-..and working on a small piece.

-I like the brush strokes. There's

-a lot of energy in the painting.

-The background - the board,

-is pale brown.

-You can see it coming through

-the paint. It ties it all together.

-I usually paint

-in different tones...

-..either in warm or cold tones.

-That is the key to painting,

-in a way.

-I've painted this picture

-on a canvas or a plain brown board.

-I spend a lot of the time colouring

-the canvas instead of painting.

-It's part of the process

-and it's very interesting.

-You'll often paint detailed

-pictures, studies or sketches...

-..to gather the information...

-..then you need

-to simplify that information.

-I'm not making a copy of the sketch.

-I'm constantly changing images.

-There was very little light

-on the day - it was relatively flat.

-That appealed to me. I could have

-looked at the scene differently.

-I could have created a drama and

-used a palette knife for the rocks.

-What appeals to me

-is the mystical aura.

-It's something that's synonymous

-with the county.

-You could argue that the castle

-and the land are as one.

-It's starting to work now

-because the colours appeal to me.

-A symphony in green!

-When you work with similar colours,

-it's difficult to create variety.

-The artist has to be very creative

-to capture people's interest.

-It's a challenge.

-Do you look at the painting,

-think about it...

-..and wait for it

-to communicate with you?

-You communicate with the painting.

-It tells you what it needs.

-I don't speak out loud

-in case someone's listening!

-You could argue

-that you've created the painting...

-..before starting to paint.

-You develop the idea in your mind

-and follow a certain path.

-The process itself

-is very interesting.

-Putting the paint on a canvas

-is a creative process.

-Luned's garden in Groeslon

-looks like a Jamaican garden.

-She's added more colour

-to her creation.

-She's started working

-on the figures.

-I've returned to Aneurin's studio

-to see the finished painting.

-He's adding the finishing touches.

-Aneurin has captured

-the enchanting atmosphere...

-..which surrounds

-Carreg Cennen Castle.

-You can see the rocks clearly -

-they stand out.

-You can also see the drop...

-..and appreciate how much

-of a stronghold the castle is.

-It's very interesting.

-The castle and the rocks

-are the same colour.

-The castle seems to grow

-out of the ground.

-I like the way the blue

-in the centre of the painting...

-..conveys the mystery of the place.

-It's very similar to smoke.

-You can imagine

-an army camped beneath the castle.

-That's a possibility.

-The mystical atmosphere appealed

-to me.

-I tried to capture that mystique.

-I tried to capture that mystique.

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-This is very different.

-It's lively, it's colourful.

-I like the way you've captured

-the atmosphere around the castle.

-Luned has rebuilt the rose sandstone

-walls of Raglan Castle.

-You've finished your work.

-You've done an excellent job.

-It's a stunning piece of work.

-Thank you very much, Osi.

-I'm glad you like it.

-I like the way you use figures

-to create scale.

-It's also a psychological device.

-She's walking into the castle -

-not escaping from it.

-This work says a lot about you.

-When I made the first figure,

-it was far too big.

-The scale was completely wrong.

-It's better now, I think.

-I can visualize the way the castle

-towers over the people.

-The towers seem

-to look down at people.

-You've worked in 3-D to create

-illusion and depth in your work.

-You've also used varying tones.

-You've modelled the castle

-in two ways.

-You've used lights and shades

-to create the 3-D effect.

-It's totally different

-in other parts.

-You use various methods to create

-depth. It's very interesting.

-I've played around with it.

-Maybe I could have taken the work

-one step further, I don't know.

-I didn't want it to be too precise.

-The colours are real. You've used

-the original red of the stone walls.

-I enjoyed the process of painting

-the walls and mixing the colours.

-I like this way of working. There

-are so many different techniques.

-At the end,

-I enjoyed the painting process.

-I can see how you've relaxed

-towards the end of the process...

-..in the way you applied the paint.

-Centuries ago, these buildings

-would have been full of life.

-Our artists have given them

-a new lease of life.

-Luned has rebuilt the castle

-and added a touch of humour...

-..with the energetic little figure.

-Aneurin's castle appears to be

-part of its surrounding landscape.

-It's a declaration of his heritage

-and his love for rural Wales.

-S4/C subtitles by Simian 04