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0:00:34 > 0:00:38- You reach a certain age, - and all you want to do is escape.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41- But then you want to go back.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44- I'm at that age now - where I want to go back!
0:00:45 > 0:00:47- It's impossible - to relive those days...
0:00:48 > 0:00:50- ..but I can do it in my imagination.
0:00:53 > 0:00:58- It's a sacred place. - It has significance for me.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01- It's more about feelings than logic.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06- I can't escape my background.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33- It's called Pwll Ucha'.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36- There is a Pwll Ucha' - and a Pwll Isa'.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41- This is where I spent - the first two years of my life.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44- That isn't the house - in which I was born...
0:01:44 > 0:01:49- ..but I lived here - from the age of two onwards...
0:01:49 > 0:01:52- ..before going to primary school - in the village.
0:01:53 > 0:01:59- I lived here with my family - - my eldest brother, Tudor...
0:01:59 > 0:02:04- ..and Gron, who's now a farmer, - was born and raised here too.
0:02:04 > 0:02:09- We then moved as a family - to a farm lower down the valley.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13- It's a wonderful place.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16- The silence made it a paradise.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20- There were no roads. - We were surrounded by nature.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24- An ideal location for a poet, - artist or musician.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34- We were five children...
0:02:34 > 0:02:38- ..and two cousins, - the sons of a preacher...
0:02:38 > 0:02:40- ..who were worse than us.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43- They'd come here - for their summer holidays.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47- We used to slide down the roof.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52- I'd think twice about doing it now.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55- We'd all jump out - of the upstairs window...
0:02:56 > 0:03:00- ..except for five-year-old Mansel - who we pushed.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03- He had to learn the hard way!
0:03:05 > 0:03:08- The main difference back then...
0:03:08 > 0:03:13- ..was that people - didn't feel burdened by life.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16- They'd happily go about - their pursuits.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20- That might be - a romantic view of life...
0:03:20 > 0:03:23- ..because they were hard times.
0:03:23 > 0:03:29- But, in the main, - I think people nowadays...
0:03:29 > 0:03:32- ..aren't as happy - as they were back then.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35- Everyone had their own pursuits...
0:03:35 > 0:03:38- ..which gave their lives meaning.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42- These days, the majority of people - have no meaning in their lives.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47- It's no wonder that people are - forever seeking means of escapism.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57- I didn't know the meaning - of the word 'lonely'.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01- I was never lonely. - I could live with my dreams.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05- They're an inherent part of you, - anyway.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09- I'd walk down to the river - and over that way.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12- There were lots of plum trees.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14- And a fountain.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19- What else was there to want in life? - I had everything back then.
0:04:24 > 0:04:30- Children always want to - make something and draw pictures...
0:04:30 > 0:04:33- ..without being conscious of it.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37- We were interested in art - as a family...
0:04:37 > 0:04:40- ..because my father - took an interest in it.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44- He'd draw things like horses, - chapels and bridges.
0:04:44 > 0:04:50- As children, we spend a lot - of our time mimicking other people.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53- We mimic our parents.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56- They have - the greatest influence on us.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59- I never watched television.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01- I'd never been to a gallery.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04- But my father and I could both draw.
0:05:11 > 0:05:16- He'd left school - long before I'd started.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19- The first time I met Aneurin...
0:05:19 > 0:05:24- ..was when he came to school to meet - Miss Parry, our primary teacher.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29- He brought her drawings - which she'd hang on the walls.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31- He spent time talking to us.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36- He was an art student - in Swansea back then.
0:05:39 > 0:05:44- It was unusual for a boy from - this area to go to art college.
0:05:44 > 0:05:49- People had heard of Van Gogh - chopping off his ear...
0:05:49 > 0:05:51- ..and starving himself in a garret.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56- But they didn't think a Pwll Ucha' - lad would go on to do the same.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02- I admired someone like Aneurin.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07- Going away to college - was a big achievement.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10- Then he returned.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13- His drawings decorated - the school walls...
0:06:14 > 0:06:19- ..and Miss Parry asked us to - write down what we liked about them.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35- It's surprising because - I don't often come here...
0:06:35 > 0:06:40- ..yet it's reawakened old feelings - and sparked the imagination.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42- It's like therapy.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46- Instead of going to the doctor, - people should come here.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49- They needn't go further - than the fountain!
0:06:50 > 0:06:51- Exactly.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56- It's a strange feeling when you - move away to raise a family...
0:06:56 > 0:07:01- ..because although you lay down - roots in a new place...
0:07:01 > 0:07:04- ..you never really forget - the first ones.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08- They're still - an inherent part of you.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10- They're bound to be...
0:07:10 > 0:07:14- ..because your family has been - here for generations.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19- These things don't happen by - accident. You're part of the land.
0:07:19 > 0:07:24- I know that it's a cliche, but - it's true, you belong to an area.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37- It saddens me a little, - if I'm honest.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40- You can't relive the past.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44- But it's possible in a dream.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47- This is like a dream for me.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50- Our family - was the last to live here.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54- There's a tendency to live - on memories.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57- And that is what's happened here.
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0:08:23 > 0:08:28- I can't come to Swansea - without paying this place a visit.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30- It's as simple as that.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37- I park the car somewhere - and instinctively I walk in.
0:08:37 > 0:08:42- It's part of you, or you've been - part of it, at one time or another.
0:08:42 > 0:08:47- When I see the masterpieces, - memories come flooding back.
0:09:06 > 0:09:12- As an art student, great emphasis - was placed on technique.
0:09:13 > 0:09:18- I was trained, among others, by - three or four accomplished men...
0:09:19 > 0:09:23- ..who were exceptionally talented - individuals.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27- You could come in here and relax.
0:09:27 > 0:09:32- You'd study the works of art - and try to deconstruct them.
0:09:48 > 0:09:54- This is incredible because - the technique is totally unique.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57- There is only one Alfred James.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01- An incredible craftsman.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05- He constantly strived - for perfection.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08- He was inspired by his subject...
0:10:08 > 0:10:10- ..and by deep emotion...
0:10:11 > 0:10:14- ..and it was something - he was intent on finishing.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18- In some respect, - you could say he was a scientist...
0:10:18 > 0:10:21- ..because he wanted to take - his time...
0:10:21 > 0:10:26- ..to complete something that was - as close to perfect as possible.
0:10:26 > 0:10:31- Notice the detail in the hair and - the different texture in the paint.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33- He had a unique technique.
0:10:33 > 0:10:38- I can't imagine anyone else - painting in the same way.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41- He was an incredibly gifted artist.
0:10:41 > 0:10:46- His work is certainly - one of the gallery's treasures.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53- He brought a sense of unity - to everything in his work.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00- I did my own experimenting - across the road.
0:11:01 > 0:11:06- It was a case of going from the barn - to the academy, more or less.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10- It was definitely an eye-opener.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14- It was a big experiment. You were - going out into the big, wide world.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19- You had to grow up quickly.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23- I'd go home - and show them some of my work...
0:11:23 > 0:11:27- ..including some nude paintings, - just for fun...
0:11:27 > 0:11:30- ..and they'd start worrying.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35- I'll never forget my first visit.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38- I knew it was a vast building...
0:11:38 > 0:11:42- ..and I knew there were crafts - on display here...
0:11:43 > 0:11:45- ..as well as large paintings.
0:11:45 > 0:11:50- I remember walking up the stairs - and being drawn to that corner...
0:11:50 > 0:11:53- ..to one of Augustus John's - small drawings.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58- I was shocked because - I'd never seen anything like it.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01- The artist could obviously draw...
0:12:02 > 0:12:06- ..and his drawings were certainly - better than his paintings.
0:12:06 > 0:12:11- I've never forgotten that.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14- I see that small drawing - in my dreams sometimes.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18- Despite its simplicity, - it spoke to you.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32- After college, - I went to Celtic Studios...
0:12:33 > 0:12:37- ..where I worked with stained glass, - as many others did at the time.
0:12:37 > 0:12:43- But I soon got fed up because - it didn't require much creativity.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48- So my friend and I decided to become - bus conductors instead.
0:12:48 > 0:12:53- It was a completely different world.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56- There was certainly - no creativity involved!
0:12:57 > 0:13:01- One afternoon, - we were on a bus going to Sketty...
0:13:01 > 0:13:06- ..and one of the passengers - happened to be Kenneth Hancock...
0:13:06 > 0:13:08- ..Principal of the college.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11- He said, - "What are you doing here, Jones?"
0:13:12 > 0:13:15- I said, "Collecting fares, sir."
0:13:15 > 0:13:19- And he more or less told me - to leave that to somebody else...
0:13:20 > 0:13:23- ..and to stop wasting my time.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26- He asked me to go and see him - at the college.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31- So I went, - and he offered me a part-time job.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34- A Saturday-morning teaching slot.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39- After a while, he asked me - how I was getting along...
0:13:39 > 0:13:43- ..and I said I was doing better than - I expected, and I was enjoying it.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46- "Get into teaching then," he said.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51- In the meantime, - I'd applied for a post...
0:13:51 > 0:13:54- ..at a new school, - Ysgol Y Preseli, in Crymych.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57- I was offered the job.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00- And that's where I taught - for 30 years.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05- For the majority of that time - I was very happy.
0:14:14 > 0:14:19- I'm happy they persuaded me - to exhibit my work here...
0:14:19 > 0:14:24- ..alongside - the work of Meirion, my son.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26- They've pleased us both...
0:14:27 > 0:14:30- ..in terms of it being - a joint exhibition.
0:14:30 > 0:14:35- But more importantly than that, - we're friends before being artists.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41- The line is continuing.
0:14:41 > 0:14:47- It doesn't finish in - one particular place or time.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50- It's a continuation - of the race, in a way.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53- It gives me - a great deal of pleasure.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09- The people who buy my son's work...
0:15:09 > 0:15:11- ..differ from those who buy mine.
0:15:11 > 0:15:16- Again, I think that's - a generational thing.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19- If I exhibit in Cardiganshire...
0:15:19 > 0:15:22- ..the Cardis are always eager - to buy the work...
0:15:23 > 0:15:25- ..because it appeals to them.
0:15:25 > 0:15:31- They seem to react to the rural - folk and horses in my paintings.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35- But there's more going on - in my son's work.
0:15:35 > 0:15:40- He paints foreign countries - and totally different subjects.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44- It's right that his work - is different from mine...
0:15:44 > 0:15:48- ..because he hasn't had the same - experiences as me.
0:15:48 > 0:15:53- At the end of the day, it's all - about what you've learnt and felt...
0:15:53 > 0:15:55- ..in your early life.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57- It stays with you.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11- I like spending a day here - now and again.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14- I'm a son of the soil.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18- There's an old Irish saying...
0:16:19 > 0:16:22- ..you can take a man from the bog...
0:16:23 > 0:16:26- ..but you can't take the bog - out of the man.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28- That happens to be true in my case.
0:16:43 > 0:16:48- Here, I'm not in the countryside, - surrounded by cobs and farms.
0:16:48 > 0:16:53- Instead, I go out - in search of inspiration.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58- I don't so much paint on location...
0:16:59 > 0:17:01- ..but it's where I get my ideas.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04- I make sketches...
0:17:05 > 0:17:08- ..then come back here - and start the creative work.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12- You could call this my headquarters.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16- The place where it all happens.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34- There is 50 years' worth...
0:17:34 > 0:17:37- ..of inspiration in here.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41- It was once a garage - where we kept the car.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44- There's plenty of room...
0:17:44 > 0:17:46- ..until it's time to exhibit.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50- The paintings then start to pile up, - of course.
0:17:50 > 0:17:56- But, as a rule, there's enough space - for myself and my son to work here.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00- We have to do something - with that stallion over here.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03- Apart from that, I think we're done.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08- I can't remember how many - masterpieces have been created here.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11- As the years have passed...
0:18:11 > 0:18:15- ..I think we've spent more time - discussing than painting.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18- Despite going to art college...
0:18:18 > 0:18:23- ..spending time in here was - the real education for me...
0:18:23 > 0:18:26- ..in terms of visual art.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29- I'd often come home from school...
0:18:29 > 0:18:33- ..and sit on a milking stool - for half an hour...
0:18:33 > 0:18:35- ..watching him work.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38- I'd notice the colours he'd use...
0:18:39 > 0:18:41- ..and the different paint textures.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46- It just happened gradually - like that...
0:18:46 > 0:18:50- ..over a period of decades.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53- Out of the composition process...
0:18:53 > 0:18:56- ..we've created about - four or five paintings.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59- There's nowhere like this place.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03- It's where my imagination - has free rein.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06- You're creating - a work of substance...
0:19:07 > 0:19:13- ..that makes sense and brings joy - to the artist himself and to others.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17- One painting leads to another.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22- The one I've just finished - is propped up against the wall.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25- It inspires the next one...
0:19:26 > 0:19:28- ..which tends to develop quickly.
0:19:28 > 0:19:33- Who knows what happens when the - imagination is allowed to run free?
0:19:33 > 0:19:37- Creativity comes from a part of us - we don't understand...
0:19:37 > 0:19:42- ..and where deeper meanings - are hidden.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45- It should always remain a mystery.
0:19:45 > 0:19:50- Much of that has influenced the way - I approach my painting.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58- I don't profess to be a great master - because the great masters of old...
0:19:59 > 0:20:02- ..especially those - of the Renaissance...
0:20:03 > 0:20:05- ..had their own agenda.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08- When Michelangelo painted - the Sistine Chapel ceiling...
0:20:09 > 0:20:11- ..he depicted himself.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14- He painted himself in as the devil.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21- I've flattered myself here.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24- I'm self-important in this one.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26- I'm quite the centrepiece.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29- No, I'm only kidding.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32- I just liked the pattern it created.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36- Every painting - begins with a pattern.
0:20:42 > 0:20:48- By now, many people have come - to know about this place.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54- I get phone calls - from farmers and cob owners...
0:20:54 > 0:20:57- ..in mid Wales and Ceredigion...
0:20:57 > 0:21:01- ..who say, - "Do you have any cobs, Jones?"
0:21:02 > 0:21:05- And I say, "No, but I have plenty - of paintings."
0:21:06 > 0:21:08- "Can we come down to see them?"
0:21:08 > 0:21:13- So they come down, have a look - and are taken with them.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15- "How much is that, Jones?"
0:21:15 > 0:21:20- Sometimes, I put the price up - if I know the customers!
0:21:21 > 0:21:23- "How much will you knock off?"
0:21:23 > 0:21:26- And you're straight back - in the mart again.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30- It doesn't bother me - because it's a bit of fun.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34- But the happiness it gives people - is immeasurable.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43- I'm reliving the past.
0:21:43 > 0:21:48- I'm reliving it through my son, - Meirion, and my two grandsons.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51- It's the continuation - of the family line...
0:21:51 > 0:21:54- ..and the continuation - of this creativity...
0:21:55 > 0:21:57- ..which is as alive as ever.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01- I'd like to think that they'll have - children of their own one day...
0:22:01 > 0:22:04- ..so that the line continues.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08- Some people argue - that a particular gift...
0:22:08 > 0:22:11- ..is passed down seven generations.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15- It doesn't disappear completely - after that...
0:22:15 > 0:22:20- ..but it's watered down - and weakened somewhat.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24- The seventh generation's gift - is as strong as the first.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36- The three places are important - because they tell a story...
0:22:36 > 0:22:39- ..and represent periods in my life.
0:22:39 > 0:22:44- My upbringing within a special - family in a special place.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48- And the discovery - of a whole new world in Swansea.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51- It was a bohemian lifestyle...
0:22:52 > 0:22:55- ..compared with the respectability - of country life.
0:22:56 > 0:22:57- And yet I returned.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01- I chose Mynachlogddu, Crymych, - and all these places...
0:23:02 > 0:23:05- ..because they gave me - an opportunity...
0:23:05 > 0:23:07- ..to relive certain times.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15- In some way, - my paintings are like old friends.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17- People can put a name to them.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20- And there is a definite - similarity...
0:23:21 > 0:23:23- ..because real people - are depicted...
0:23:24 > 0:23:27- ..in my paintings.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29- The country, its land...
0:23:30 > 0:23:32- ..its animals and people...
0:23:33 > 0:23:38- ..are Aneurin Jones's imaginary - and creative bread and butter.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09- S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.
0:24:09 > 0:24:09- .