Creithiau

‘Creithio’; is Welsh for scar, or for what is left after healing. This is an ongoing project reflecting on an area which has become special to me, it known as Y Garth, (the gentle or watchful ridge). From Y Garth one can look up towards Drosgl ridge the site of ancient cairn, across the glacial valley Cwm Llafer to the volcanic mountains of Yr Elen, Llewelyn, Dafyd. To the right is the prominent man-made landscape of Penryn Quarry, the heritage upon which Bethesda was built by the people who lived and still work here.

I have been slowly getting to know this place on daily walks since I made my home here in 2022, spending time with this particular piece of land over time, responding to it in different ways across the seasons and by observing what happens here.the 

I arrived at the name ‘Creithio’ after the gorse burning in early 2025 left its imprint on the landscape. I was left with a sense of profound beauty, struggle and change playing out across this huge ancient landscape across the enormity of deep time.

I am creating work that reflects how I experience this place across the seasons in paralell to personal ill health, anxiety about the unfolding of eco-cide and genocide and my interest in deep time. 

I am currently working with a charcoal like pigment made from the stems of burnt gorse, I am also experimenting with other pigments from a disused quarrying here. The work that I make as a response to being here reflects my changing arts practice as I move from mixed media to using natural materials found on the land.