This exhibition of Nerys Johnson’s work is her first at the Tegfryn Gallery and takes place 27 April – 20 May 2012. Nerys was born in Colwyn Bay in 1942, to an English father and Welsh mother. Despite living in the north east of England, she understood Welsh and had a strong connection with Wales throughout her life. Last year marked the tenth anniversary of her death. The occasion was celebrated with a display of her paintings at the National Museum of Wales, which the museum acquired after her death, and a very successful exhibition at the Martin Tinney Gallery.

This exhibition concentrates on her main subject matter of flowers, from the loose bunches of her early years to the simplified shapes and colours of her last years. It shows her command of her watercolour and gouache in the way that she is able to replicate the delicate colouring of the flowers of petunias and sweet peas, but it also explores her ‘dark side’ with plants such as echinops and gerbera whose schematic representations verge on the brutal.
No botanical artist, Nerys had little interest in portraying pretty blooms, in echoing the florist’s language of flowers, or in documenting the variety of plants passing through her studio. Instead these short-lived visitors, fading and collapsing even as they arrived, became points of departure. They became compositions that approached the abstract in their disregard for ‘natural’ colours. And they became an emotional response to the state of the material immediately in front of her. Although small in scale this is a striking exhibition which should not be missed.
All the work is for sale at prices ranging from £300 to £1500, and may also be seen on our website www.artwales.com.
Opening hours: Monday – Saturday 10 - 5p.m Sunday 11 – 4.30p.m