Aneurin & Meirion Jones Perthyn

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-Today, I'm in Cardigan

-to meet a father and son...

-..who paint pictures.

-Aneurin Jones and his son, Meirion,

-are successful artists...

-..but their work

-is very different.

-They say Aneurin Jones is my name.

-That is my name, and I've been

-Aneurin Jones from the beginning.

-I'm originally

-from the Brecon Beacons...

-..on the border between the

-old Carmarthenshire and Breconshire.

-I have two influences in my life.

-I lost my freedom in Cardigan.

-I've been very happy living here.

-I feel as if there's a trickle

-of Cardi blood in my veins.

-I can understand Cardis.

-I know all about their cunning...

-..their wisdom and their kindness.

-I've been a full-time artist

-since I retired as a teacher.

-This is the product

-of my work and my life.

-Ultimately, that's what it is...

-...my life, my way of life...

-..my way of thinking,

-my way of interpreting life.

-What inspired you to become

-an artist in the first place?

-What inspired me?

-It goes back through

-many generations of the family.

-I come from a family of dreamers...

-..a family full of creativity

-and, hopefully, across the board...

-..a family

-that's steeped in culture.

-Most of my family

-come from rural areas.

-They are plebeian and that's why

-the language is so important to me.

-Language is the creative force.

-Where do you find

-your creative inspiration?

-The small rural shows.

-Caio, Farmers...

-..Rhandirmwyn, Cilycwm...

-..Llangadog.

-A radius of around 20 to 25 miles

-from this area.

-That's where I meet the characters.

-Sadly, these characters

-are disappearing.

-The way they stood

-or leant on the gate...

-..the 'iet' or 'gat'

-in local parlance.

-They don't lean on gates anymore.

-They dress differently.

-The youngsters, the new wave...

-..there's little difference

-between young men living on farms...

-..and young men

-living in towns and cities.

-The most recent series of paintings

-is the Harvest Moon series.

-Tell us more about it.

-It's the product of 50 years

-of work, a long time.

-Some people think

-it shows a development.

-I'm not sure if it's a development

-or whether it's come full circle.

-It's those first experiences

-that always rise to the surface.

-Farming life today...

-..doesn't inspire me as an artist...

-..but when I meet people

-who've come down from the hills...

-..to attend the small rural shows...

-..and they gather together

-to talk and have fun...

-..to discuss, debate

-and look at livestock...

-..that provides

-plenty of inspiration.

-I've got to know these characters

-after all these years.

-They accept me...

-..not necessarily as an artist...

-..but as a person they know...

-..and to whom

-they feel a sense of belonging.

-White horses are important,

-particularly in Welsh mythology.

-They go back over many centuries.

-It's come down to this age too.

-If someone saw a spirit,

-it would be white.

-Often, my forefathers

-would see white horses.

-I think I saw a white horse myself,

-to be honest.

-People think I'm pulling their leg,

-but it's true.

-Both myself and my brother, Gron...

-..saw the same horse

-passing the farm window...

-..when we were nine

-or ten years old.

-I remember running out

-and there was nothing there.

-If these four walls could talk,

-they'd have a story to tell.

-At times!

-At times.

-They wouldn't always tell the truth.

-Tell us more about the process

-of drawing a picture.

-Do you take a picture

-using a camera first...

-..or do you sketch

-the picture first?

-A little of both.

-If there's a quick movement...

-..a Welsh Cob, a horse running...

-..you can't honestly sketch

-a picture of a horse running.

-It's moving.

-I get a camera to catch

-the action, that special movement.

-Then I work on the composition.

-I work out

-where everything will go.

-The same is true of this picture.

-Where does this character go?

-Which two stand together?

-Then the problems start,

-when you're drawing or painting.

-Which colours do you use?

-What mood are you in?

-If I'm tired, if I've been

-washing dishes or hoovering...

-..in all seriousness...

-..it shows up in the picture.

-A lot of blue colours.

-Some people call this

-the Celtic melancholy.

-It's true.

-At other times, you can feel happy

-and full of enthusiasm.

-You create something more colourful.

-That's why I use red

-for the roof sometimes.

-It's different.

-A breath of fresh air.

-How much time

-do you spend in the studio?

-My wife thinks

-I spend too much time here.

-She shouts at me sometimes,

-thinking I'm asleep!

-I sometimes am!

-It's a kind of release.

-They call it escapism.

-Be careful how you use

-and where you emphasize that word.

-In words,

-that's what creativity is all about.

-You escape from reality.

-For many people, reality is cruel.

-With this, you escape from reality.

-You create your own reality.

-When the children were young...

-..did they enjoy visiting Dad

-in the studio as he worked?

-Very often.

-They spent hours in here

-without me knowing.

-There's a little stool behind me.

-This is the stool

-Meirion would sit on.

-That's it -

-an old-fashioned milking stool.

-He'd watch you

-and be inspired himself.

-Very possibly.

-Yes, yes.

-He'd get ideas,

-not that he needed them.

-He had his own ideas.

-When I was seven years old,

-Mam-gu died.

-Mam-gu's brother, Benjamin Jones,

-a craftsman from Llanddeusant...

-..walked nine miles across the

-mountains to his sister's funeral.

-He met a man of the same age,

-both in their 70s...

-..who'd moved from Llanddeusant,

-across the mountain...

-..to live in a farm

-called Gwernwyddog.

-Both had attended the same

-primary school in Llanddeusant...

-..but hadn't seen each other

-for years.

-They met that day.

-One wore a heavy black cloth coat

-and a bowler hat.

-They shook hands.

-I was just a boy. I could see these

-two muscular men shaking hands.

-They had huge hands.

-I've interpreted that

-in a picture many times.

-It's part

-of my subconscious today.

-These are part

-of Aneurin's autobiography.

-Fifty years.

-Different eras,

-different experiences...

-..different areas.

-It's all become one...

-..in one large,

-comprehensive exhibition...

-..in this room and in this place.

-Is there one picture

-that sums up Aneurin's work?

-One picture you'd like people to

-remember when they think of Aneurin.

-Possibly Llyn y Fan Fach,

-the mythical tale.

-There's also a picture I painted

-many years ago called Dau Werinwr.

-I create about four pictures

-in print, initially...

-..for those who wanted them.

-I think they've reached

-many countries by now...

-..including Australia and America.

-People requested Dau Werinwr

-or Llyn y Fan.

-Is it difficult

-to let go of a picture...

-..a picture that's taken up

-hours and hours of your time?

-That's an excellent question.

-It happens to be true.

-You bid farewell to a member

-of your family, to some extent.

-You sell a part of you.

-It's been raised and nurtured

-inside you, as a person...

-..for perhaps 50 years.

-Or 25 years, whatever.

-It sees the light of day...

-..on a canvas at a particular time.

-After the break,

-I'll spend time with Meirion Jones.

-What will he have to say

-about his father, Aneurin?

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-Welcome back.

-I've met the father.

-Now, I'll spend time with the son.

-Meirion Jones

-is also a full-time artist.

-He lives just outside Cardigan.

-I'm Meirion Jones.

-I'm an artist. I live near Cardigan,

-in a place called Rhoswerdd.

-I've been an artist

-for over a decade.

-I tend to paint pictures

-of what surrounds me...

-..people, coastlines and landscapes.

-How would you describe your work?

-I think it's work

-that constantly evolves.

-I don't think it falls

-into any specific category.

-I paint landscapes,

-coastlines and people.

-Some of my work

-is more experimental.

-What excites me as an artist...

-..is the evening light...

-..in Ceibwr, Aberystwyth,

-Aberporth or Gwbert.

-The landscape

-comes alive in the light.

-Without the light, the landscape

-is dull and dead in some ways.

-The light, which is incredible

-in this part of the world...

-..is like magic

-that brings everything to life.

-When Meinir and yourself

-were children...

-..did you enjoy watching

-your father painting in his studio?

-It was an instinctive experience.

-Both of us were interested

-in what was happening.

-In turn,

-we'd sit on a small milking stool...

-..and watch what he did.

-We took it all in.

-It might not have been evident

-at the time...

-..but the sponge in the memory

-can hold a lot.

-We'd learn

-which colours worked together...

-..and how the composition developed.

-When did you realize

-you wanted to be an artist?

-I think the penny had dropped

-before I was born.

-Something has always been there.

-It's been a long discussion.

-Is it the upbringing or is it

-something deeper, in the genes...

-..that influences

-a person's development?

-In my case,

-I think it was a bit of both.

-The pictures

-appeared naturally around me.

-I was very aware that they were

-more than paint on wood.

-When Joanna and I

-first moved to Rhoswerdd...

-..this building was a cowshed.

-We've transformed it into a studio.

-This is where it all happens.

-We spend more time here

-than we do in the house.

-This is the place

-we're naturally drawn to.

-This place screams and shouts out...

-..creativity,

-personality, imagination.

-This is where the mess

-turns into something else.

-It might be a reflection

-of my personality.

-Everything all over the shop.

-This is the way I work.

-I'm comfortable doing it like this.

-In Aneurin's pictures,

-we see thickset farmers...

-..with wide shoulders

-and large hands.

-In many of your pictures,

-we see women.

-Did you intentionally

-follow a different path?

-It wasn't intentional.

-I think it's something

-that came from somewhere else.

-The female shapes

-I see on the landscape...

-..and in the sea in particular...

-..emerge naturally from me.

-Has your father influenced you

-in a specific way over the years?

-Not specifically.

-The influence has been constant.

-The greatest influence

-is noticing the world around you...

-..being sincere and enjoying

-the process of painting.

-That's very important -

-deriving pleasure from the process.

-Simplifying.

-Moving away from the accuracy

-of photography.

-In the process of simplifying...

-..you find the mystery

-which catches someone's attention.

-I'm attracted to Ceibwr...

-..because it's been an inspiration

-to me for many decades.

-I hope it continues to inspire me.

-This scenery is incredible.

-There's no need to ask you

-what attracts you to this place.

-Everything is here.

-It's such a beautiful day.

-The weather is mild, there's

-a gentleness in the landscape.

-As you can imagine, during rough

-weather, it can be very dramatic.

-How often do you visit this place?

-I come here to recharge

-the batteries fairly often.

-It needs to be done.

-I find plenty of inspiration here.

-The power and emotion of the sea

-seeps into me.

-That energy can become

-creative energy.

-There's so much power and movement

-in the sea.

-How do you transfer that

-creatively into a picture?

-There's no point trying

-to describe every wave individually.

-Being fluid in your attitude

-is more important than that.

-Let the water

-do what it does naturally.

-Random effects are created,

-colours combine.

-As we look out,

-every second is different.

-Don't capture the moment,

-absorb the experience of being here.

-It's something

-that happens over time.

-All of us, as members

-of the family who like art...

-..enjoy returning

-to the meeting point in Heulwen...

-..to seek advice...

-..and make sure

-that we're on the right path.

-It's true to say that you've both

-collaborated on different projects.

-Yes, I think the most recent

-was a commission we received...

-..to paint the history of Drefach,

-Felindre, near Newcastle Emlyn.

-We thought it would take

-three months to complete.

-A year later, we were still at it.

-There were so many things

-to include in that picture.

-We spent a lot of time planning it.

-I think I was responsible

-for the spadework...

-..and I transferred responsibility

-for the final details at the end.

-What was it like collaborating

-with Meirion, your son?

-Very difficult.

-I had problems right from the start.

-No, it was a wonderful experience.

-We've shared the same vision,

-when it comes to art and drawing...

-..for many years.

-We see eye-to-eye -

-sometimes we debate and discuss...

-..but we usually agree

-with the vision.

-Do you see aspects of your work

-in Meirion's work?

-Meirion has his own way

-of looking at things.

-He has personal feelings

-that belong to this age.

-There are two different eras -

-father and son...

-..but two different periods

-in a person's life.

-The grandchildren

-have shown the same interest...

-..Tomos, Ifan and Deio with Meinir.

-Ifan, tell us more

-about this sketch.

-I was in our house in Carmarthen

-when I drew this one Christmas.

-Tad-cu was sitting down.

-I sat in front of him

-and started to sketch.

-I enjoy sketching,

-I've been doing it for many years.

-Often, on farms

-and in agriculture...

-..the son will follow

-in his father's footsteps...

-..and become a farmer.

-They believe

-they have that responsibility.

-With an artist,

-the son often follows another path.

-With my son, Meirion...

-..it just so happens

-that my interest and creativity...

-..has passed on to him.

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