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0:00:23 > 0:00:27- Today, I'm in Cardigan - to meet a father and son...
0:00:27 > 0:00:29- ..who paint pictures.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33- Aneurin Jones and his son, Meirion, - are successful artists...
0:00:33 > 0:00:35- ..but their work - is very different.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42- They say Aneurin Jones is my name.
0:00:42 > 0:00:47- That is my name, and I've been - Aneurin Jones from the beginning.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53- I'm originally - from the Brecon Beacons...
0:00:54 > 0:00:58- ..on the border between the - old Carmarthenshire and Breconshire.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01- I have two influences in my life.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04- I lost my freedom in Cardigan.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08- I've been very happy living here.
0:01:08 > 0:01:13- I feel as if there's a trickle - of Cardi blood in my veins.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15- I can understand Cardis.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18- I know all about their cunning...
0:01:18 > 0:01:22- ..their wisdom and their kindness.
0:01:27 > 0:01:32- I've been a full-time artist - since I retired as a teacher.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37- This is the product - of my work and my life.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40- Ultimately, that's what it is...
0:01:40 > 0:01:42- ...my life, my way of life...
0:01:42 > 0:01:45- ..my way of thinking, - my way of interpreting life.
0:01:51 > 0:01:56- What inspired you to become - an artist in the first place?
0:01:56 > 0:01:58- What inspired me?
0:01:58 > 0:02:03- It goes back through - many generations of the family.
0:02:04 > 0:02:10- I come from a family of dreamers...
0:02:10 > 0:02:16- ..a family full of creativity - and, hopefully, across the board...
0:02:16 > 0:02:20- ..a family - that's steeped in culture.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25- Most of my family - come from rural areas.
0:02:25 > 0:02:30- They are plebeian and that's why - the language is so important to me.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33- Language is the creative force.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39- Where do you find - your creative inspiration?
0:02:39 > 0:02:42- The small rural shows.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46- Caio, Farmers...
0:02:48 > 0:02:50- ..Rhandirmwyn, Cilycwm...
0:02:51 > 0:02:52- ..Llangadog.
0:02:53 > 0:02:59- A radius of around 20 to 25 miles - from this area.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02- That's where I meet the characters.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07- Sadly, these characters - are disappearing.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11- The way they stood - or leant on the gate...
0:03:11 > 0:03:14- ..the 'iet' or 'gat' - in local parlance.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17- They don't lean on gates anymore.
0:03:18 > 0:03:19- They dress differently.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22- The youngsters, the new wave...
0:03:22 > 0:03:27- ..there's little difference - between young men living on farms...
0:03:27 > 0:03:31- ..and young men - living in towns and cities.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37- The most recent series of paintings - is the Harvest Moon series.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39- Tell us more about it.
0:03:39 > 0:03:44- It's the product of 50 years - of work, a long time.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48- Some people think - it shows a development.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52- I'm not sure if it's a development - or whether it's come full circle.
0:03:53 > 0:03:59- It's those first experiences - that always rise to the surface.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03- Farming life today...
0:04:04 > 0:04:07- ..doesn't inspire me as an artist...
0:04:08 > 0:04:12- ..but when I meet people - who've come down from the hills...
0:04:12 > 0:04:15- ..to attend the small rural shows...
0:04:15 > 0:04:19- ..and they gather together - to talk and have fun...
0:04:19 > 0:04:22- ..to discuss, debate - and look at livestock...
0:04:23 > 0:04:26- ..that provides - plenty of inspiration.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31- I've got to know these characters - after all these years.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33- They accept me...
0:04:33 > 0:04:36- ..not necessarily as an artist...
0:04:36 > 0:04:39- ..but as a person they know...
0:04:39 > 0:04:42- ..and to whom - they feel a sense of belonging.
0:04:51 > 0:04:56- White horses are important, - particularly in Welsh mythology.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01- They go back over many centuries.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05- It's come down to this age too.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09- If someone saw a spirit, - it would be white.
0:05:09 > 0:05:14- Often, my forefathers - would see white horses.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18- I think I saw a white horse myself, - to be honest.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22- People think I'm pulling their leg, - but it's true.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25- Both myself and my brother, Gron...
0:05:25 > 0:05:30- ..saw the same horse - passing the farm window...
0:05:31 > 0:05:33- ..when we were nine - or ten years old.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38- I remember running out - and there was nothing there.
0:06:17 > 0:06:22- If these four walls could talk, - they'd have a story to tell.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24- At times!
0:06:24 > 0:06:26- At times.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29- They wouldn't always tell the truth.
0:06:29 > 0:06:34- Tell us more about the process - of drawing a picture.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37- Do you take a picture - using a camera first...
0:06:38 > 0:06:40- ..or do you sketch - the picture first?
0:06:40 > 0:06:42- A little of both.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44- If there's a quick movement...
0:06:45 > 0:06:49- ..a Welsh Cob, a horse running...
0:06:49 > 0:06:54- ..you can't honestly sketch - a picture of a horse running.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56- It's moving.
0:06:56 > 0:07:01- I get a camera to catch - the action, that special movement.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05- Then I work on the composition.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09- I work out - where everything will go.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12- The same is true of this picture.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16- Where does this character go? - Which two stand together?
0:07:18 > 0:07:23- Then the problems start, - when you're drawing or painting.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26- Which colours do you use?
0:07:27 > 0:07:29- What mood are you in?
0:07:29 > 0:07:33- If I'm tired, if I've been - washing dishes or hoovering...
0:07:36 > 0:07:38- ..in all seriousness...
0:07:38 > 0:07:40- ..it shows up in the picture.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44- A lot of blue colours.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47- Some people call this - the Celtic melancholy.
0:07:48 > 0:07:49- It's true.
0:07:49 > 0:07:54- At other times, you can feel happy - and full of enthusiasm.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58- You create something more colourful.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01- That's why I use red - for the roof sometimes.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03- It's different.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06- A breath of fresh air.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10- How much time - do you spend in the studio?
0:08:10 > 0:08:13- My wife thinks - I spend too much time here.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16- She shouts at me sometimes, - thinking I'm asleep!
0:08:18 > 0:08:19- I sometimes am!
0:08:19 > 0:08:23- It's a kind of release.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27- They call it escapism.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33- Be careful how you use - and where you emphasize that word.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36- In words, - that's what creativity is all about.
0:08:36 > 0:08:41- You escape from reality.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46- For many people, reality is cruel.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49- With this, you escape from reality.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52- You create your own reality.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56- When the children were young...
0:08:56 > 0:09:00- ..did they enjoy visiting Dad - in the studio as he worked?
0:09:00 > 0:09:01- Very often.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06- They spent hours in here - without me knowing.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10- There's a little stool behind me.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13- This is the stool - Meirion would sit on.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16- That's it - - an old-fashioned milking stool.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20- He'd watch you - and be inspired himself.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22- Very possibly.
0:09:23 > 0:09:24- Yes, yes.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28- He'd get ideas, - not that he needed them.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31- He had his own ideas.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41- When I was seven years old, - Mam-gu died.
0:09:41 > 0:09:46- Mam-gu's brother, Benjamin Jones, - a craftsman from Llanddeusant...
0:09:47 > 0:09:51- ..walked nine miles across the - mountains to his sister's funeral.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57- He met a man of the same age, - both in their 70s...
0:09:58 > 0:10:02- ..who'd moved from Llanddeusant, - across the mountain...
0:10:02 > 0:10:05- ..to live in a farm - called Gwernwyddog.
0:10:05 > 0:10:10- Both had attended the same - primary school in Llanddeusant...
0:10:10 > 0:10:13- ..but hadn't seen each other - for years.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15- They met that day.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20- One wore a heavy black cloth coat - and a bowler hat.
0:10:21 > 0:10:22- They shook hands.
0:10:23 > 0:10:28- I was just a boy. I could see these - two muscular men shaking hands.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30- They had huge hands.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33- I've interpreted that - in a picture many times.
0:10:34 > 0:10:39- It's part - of my subconscious today.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54- These are part - of Aneurin's autobiography.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56- Fifty years.
0:10:57 > 0:11:02- Different eras, - different experiences...
0:11:02 > 0:11:04- ..different areas.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07- It's all become one...
0:11:07 > 0:11:11- ..in one large, - comprehensive exhibition...
0:11:11 > 0:11:14- ..in this room and in this place.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20- Is there one picture - that sums up Aneurin's work?
0:11:21 > 0:11:25- One picture you'd like people to - remember when they think of Aneurin.
0:11:26 > 0:11:32- Possibly Llyn y Fan Fach, - the mythical tale.
0:11:33 > 0:11:38- There's also a picture I painted - many years ago called Dau Werinwr.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43- I create about four pictures - in print, initially...
0:11:44 > 0:11:46- ..for those who wanted them.
0:11:47 > 0:11:53- I think they've reached - many countries by now...
0:11:53 > 0:11:55- ..including Australia and America.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00- People requested Dau Werinwr - or Llyn y Fan.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06- Is it difficult - to let go of a picture...
0:12:06 > 0:12:11- ..a picture that's taken up - hours and hours of your time?
0:12:12 > 0:12:16- That's an excellent question. - It happens to be true.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21- You bid farewell to a member - of your family, to some extent.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27- You sell a part of you.
0:12:28 > 0:12:33- It's been raised and nurtured - inside you, as a person...
0:12:33 > 0:12:35- ..for perhaps 50 years.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39- Or 25 years, whatever.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41- It sees the light of day...
0:12:43 > 0:12:46- ..on a canvas at a particular time.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55- After the break, - I'll spend time with Meirion Jones.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59- What will he have to say - about his father, Aneurin?
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0:13:06 > 0:13:06- Subtitles
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0:13:14 > 0:13:15- Welcome back.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17- I've met the father.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20- Now, I'll spend time with the son.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23- Meirion Jones - is also a full-time artist.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26- He lives just outside Cardigan.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34- I'm Meirion Jones.
0:13:34 > 0:13:39- I'm an artist. I live near Cardigan, - in a place called Rhoswerdd.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43- I've been an artist - for over a decade.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49- I tend to paint pictures - of what surrounds me...
0:13:50 > 0:13:53- ..people, coastlines and landscapes.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59- How would you describe your work?
0:14:00 > 0:14:04- I think it's work - that constantly evolves.
0:14:04 > 0:14:09- I don't think it falls - into any specific category.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12- I paint landscapes, - coastlines and people.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15- Some of my work - is more experimental.
0:14:15 > 0:14:20- What excites me as an artist...
0:14:20 > 0:14:22- ..is the evening light...
0:14:22 > 0:14:28- ..in Ceibwr, Aberystwyth, - Aberporth or Gwbert.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32- The landscape - comes alive in the light.
0:14:32 > 0:14:37- Without the light, the landscape - is dull and dead in some ways.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42- The light, which is incredible - in this part of the world...
0:14:42 > 0:14:46- ..is like magic - that brings everything to life.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49- When Meinir and yourself - were children...
0:14:49 > 0:14:53- ..did you enjoy watching - your father painting in his studio?
0:14:53 > 0:14:57- It was an instinctive experience.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01- Both of us were interested - in what was happening.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06- In turn, - we'd sit on a small milking stool...
0:15:07 > 0:15:09- ..and watch what he did.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12- We took it all in.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15- It might not have been evident - at the time...
0:15:15 > 0:15:18- ..but the sponge in the memory - can hold a lot.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22- We'd learn - which colours worked together...
0:15:22 > 0:15:24- ..and how the composition developed.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29- When did you realize - you wanted to be an artist?
0:15:29 > 0:15:33- I think the penny had dropped - before I was born.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36- Something has always been there.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40- It's been a long discussion.
0:15:40 > 0:15:45- Is it the upbringing or is it - something deeper, in the genes...
0:15:46 > 0:15:50- ..that influences - a person's development?
0:15:50 > 0:15:53- In my case, - I think it was a bit of both.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56- The pictures - appeared naturally around me.
0:15:56 > 0:16:02- I was very aware that they were - more than paint on wood.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11- When Joanna and I - first moved to Rhoswerdd...
0:16:11 > 0:16:14- ..this building was a cowshed.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17- We've transformed it into a studio.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20- This is where it all happens.
0:16:20 > 0:16:25- We spend more time here - than we do in the house.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29- This is the place - we're naturally drawn to.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41- This place screams and shouts out...
0:16:43 > 0:16:47- ..creativity, - personality, imagination.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51- This is where the mess - turns into something else.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54- It might be a reflection - of my personality.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57- Everything all over the shop.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00- This is the way I work.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03- I'm comfortable doing it like this.
0:17:03 > 0:17:08- In Aneurin's pictures, - we see thickset farmers...
0:17:08 > 0:17:11- ..with wide shoulders - and large hands.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15- In many of your pictures, - we see women.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18- Did you intentionally - follow a different path?
0:17:20 > 0:17:22- It wasn't intentional.
0:17:22 > 0:17:27- I think it's something - that came from somewhere else.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32- The female shapes - I see on the landscape...
0:17:32 > 0:17:34- ..and in the sea in particular...
0:17:34 > 0:17:37- ..emerge naturally from me.
0:17:39 > 0:17:44- Has your father influenced you - in a specific way over the years?
0:17:44 > 0:17:46- Not specifically.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49- The influence has been constant.
0:17:49 > 0:17:54- The greatest influence - is noticing the world around you...
0:17:55 > 0:17:59- ..being sincere and enjoying - the process of painting.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04- That's very important - - deriving pleasure from the process.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09- Simplifying.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13- Moving away from the accuracy - of photography.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16- In the process of simplifying...
0:18:16 > 0:18:21- ..you find the mystery - which catches someone's attention.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31- I'm attracted to Ceibwr...
0:18:31 > 0:18:36- ..because it's been an inspiration - to me for many decades.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39- I hope it continues to inspire me.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52- This scenery is incredible.
0:18:52 > 0:18:57- There's no need to ask you - what attracts you to this place.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59- Everything is here.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01- It's such a beautiful day.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06- The weather is mild, there's - a gentleness in the landscape.
0:19:06 > 0:19:11- As you can imagine, during rough - weather, it can be very dramatic.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14- How often do you visit this place?
0:19:14 > 0:19:19- I come here to recharge - the batteries fairly often.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24- It needs to be done. - I find plenty of inspiration here.
0:19:24 > 0:19:29- The power and emotion of the sea - seeps into me.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32- That energy can become - creative energy.
0:19:33 > 0:19:38- There's so much power and movement - in the sea.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43- How do you transfer that - creatively into a picture?
0:19:43 > 0:19:48- There's no point trying - to describe every wave individually.
0:19:48 > 0:19:53- Being fluid in your attitude - is more important than that.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56- Let the water - do what it does naturally.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00- Random effects are created, - colours combine.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03- As we look out, - every second is different.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08- Don't capture the moment, - absorb the experience of being here.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12- It's something - that happens over time.
0:20:20 > 0:20:25- All of us, as members - of the family who like art...
0:20:25 > 0:20:30- ..enjoy returning - to the meeting point in Heulwen...
0:20:30 > 0:20:33- ..to seek advice...
0:20:34 > 0:20:37- ..and make sure - that we're on the right path.
0:20:42 > 0:20:49- It's true to say that you've both - collaborated on different projects.
0:20:49 > 0:20:54- Yes, I think the most recent - was a commission we received...
0:20:54 > 0:20:59- ..to paint the history of Drefach, - Felindre, near Newcastle Emlyn.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03- We thought it would take - three months to complete.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07- A year later, we were still at it.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11- There were so many things - to include in that picture.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14- We spent a lot of time planning it.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18- I think I was responsible - for the spadework...
0:21:19 > 0:21:25- ..and I transferred responsibility - for the final details at the end.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30- What was it like collaborating - with Meirion, your son?
0:21:30 > 0:21:33- Very difficult.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35- I had problems right from the start.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38- No, it was a wonderful experience.
0:21:38 > 0:21:43- We've shared the same vision, - when it comes to art and drawing...
0:21:43 > 0:21:45- ..for many years.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49- We see eye-to-eye - - sometimes we debate and discuss...
0:21:49 > 0:21:52- ..but we usually agree - with the vision.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58- Do you see aspects of your work - in Meirion's work?
0:21:58 > 0:22:04- Meirion has his own way - of looking at things.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08- He has personal feelings - that belong to this age.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12- There are two different eras - - father and son...
0:22:12 > 0:22:16- ..but two different periods - in a person's life.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20- The grandchildren - have shown the same interest...
0:22:21 > 0:22:24- ..Tomos, Ifan and Deio with Meinir.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27- Ifan, tell us more - about this sketch.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31- I was in our house in Carmarthen - when I drew this one Christmas.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34- Tad-cu was sitting down.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39- I sat in front of him - and started to sketch.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45- I enjoy sketching, - I've been doing it for many years.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53- Often, on farms - and in agriculture...
0:22:54 > 0:22:57- ..the son will follow - in his father's footsteps...
0:22:58 > 0:22:59- ..and become a farmer.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03- They believe - they have that responsibility.
0:23:03 > 0:23:08- With an artist, - the son often follows another path.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10- With my son, Meirion...
0:23:10 > 0:23:14- ..it just so happens - that my interest and creativity...
0:23:15 > 0:23:17- ..has passed on to him.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39- S4C Subtitles by Testun Cyf.
0:23:39 > 0:23:40- .