Lea Sautin (2015-2016)
Born in Llanbedrog, on the Llŷn Peninsula, and raised as a fluent trilingual, Lea Sautin graduated from the Painting and Printmaking department of the Glasgow School of Art in June 2015.
Her artistic practice explores the themes of language, translation, and perpetual transformation within the storytelling tradition of Wales. She is interested in distortions and transformations when moving from one media or language to another.
To create her prints, she interprets events of the tales through a chain of processes (woodcut, screen print, sculpture, photography, etching, and embossing). Each stage within the process acts as a translation of the stage which preceded it, mirroring the transformation of the original tales through their various interpretations. Her focus is on the ever-changing craft of the storyteller whatever the medium.
Rhi Moxon (2016-2017)
“My art is a tapestry woven with the threads of wanderlust and curiosity.
I find inspiration in the vibrant cultures I've encountered on my travels, the timeless charm of vintage children's books and the bold design of Soviet-era aesthetics.
With a degree in Illustration from the North Wales School of Art and a Postgraduate Diploma in Inter-Disciplinary Printmaking from ASP Wroclaw, Poland, my creative journey has been a whirlwind of cultural influences. Living in Poland and later, Shenzhen, China, shaped my style —drawing from the avant-garde allure of Polish Poster Art and the dynamic contrasts of Chinese urban landscapes against rich ancient traditions.” - Rhi Moxon
Winning the Eirian Llwyd Memorial Award (2016-2017) became a driving force in her journey.
“This award truly changed everything for me. It gave me the focus, time and confidence to fully prioritise my printing practice. Since then I've traveled the world during inspiration and broadening my horizons from Ynys Mon to Beijing, with exhibitions in Santa Fe and beyond.
In 2019 I had an amazing artist residency at the Guanlan printmaking studio in Shenzhen, where I created award winning pieces that have toured galleries across Wales and the rest of the UK.
Through printmaking I found a vibrant community of friends and mentors from local print fairs to international online groups. Recently, I've been diving into risograph as well as screen printing, and it's been amazing to keep growing and experimenting within this supportive community. The Eirian Llwyd award has been a driving force in my journey and I can't wait to see where printmaking takes me next.”
I’d also like to add that, more specifically, the award in 2017 allowed me to; buy screen printing equipment, pay for studio space, attend workshops and courses on new methods, become a member of the regional print centre and develop a series of new work for my first solo show in Aberystwyth art Centre (in the cafe gallery) in Autumn 2017.” - Rhi Moxon
Gethin Ceidiog Hughes
Textile designer Gethin Ceidiog Hughes, from Denbigh, in North Wales studied Product Design at Cardiff School of Art and Design before going on to complete an MA in Art and Design. Upon leaving university, he won a prestigious placement as part of the Proof Scholarship scheme at the Regional Print Centre, which is part of Coleg Cambria in Wrexham. While there, he spent a summer experimenting with various techniques alongside prominent artists and printmakers and it was this work which won him Wales’ most coveted printmaking accolade – the Eirian Llwyd Memorial Award honouring Welsh artists who have shown outstanding dedication and creative talent in their field of printmaking.
Gethin has previously worked with silk to create his textile designs, but has branched out to a new textile area whilst in residency at the centre. He had created a range of Japanese denim scarves using indigo dye and techniques mastered by traditional weavers – and uses Halen Môn (Anglesey Sea Salt) as a finishing agent. His textile range and exhibition held at The Ruthin Crafts Centre presented Gethin’s creative journey through his previous residency in Japan, showing the result of six months of painstaking research and experimentation.
Susane Milne (2018-2019)
“I like to work as close to the land and the elements as possible. My intention is to suggest the essence of a place by including the use of materials and found matter sourced on site. I believe that all our senses are engaged in experiencing the landscape“ - Susane Milne
Susan Milne has had a studio practice in the Black Mountains of the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park since 1981. She works in mixed media and her work focuses on the land and the natural environment.
She attended St Martins School of Art, now Central St Martins, between 1955 and 1959, studying, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking and graduating in book illustration. She worked in London, specialising in natural history illustration, until moving to Wales in 1981 where she began to develop her current practice.
“In 2019 I received the Eirian Llwyd Memorial Award which helped to fund my research into the use of soils in the printmaking process, particularly using soil as a surface, or substrate, on which to print. I am inspired by the subtle range of earth colours that make up the old red sandstone in Wales and how the red pigment determines the visual aspect of the landscape, showing through the transparency of water in the rivers and enhancing the greens of the vegetation. It was a privilege to have time for the research which has enabled me to gain a deeper understanding of the geology and structure of the land which is feeding my current work.
The initial development of work included a series of monoprints, Our Red Earth, some of which were drawn and printed on the site where the soil was collected and where the images derived; others were developed as studio prints and printed on my press. I chose to work with the monoprint method because the process allowed me to make prints spontaneously, incorporating local soils and found fragments, and to use a minimum of printmaking materials. I printed on fine Japanese papers, prepared with soil and using water-based printing inks. The wind & weather often intervened!
I had encouragement from the Geopark of the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park who advised me on the geological information, directing me to particular areas from which I have collected and recorded soil samples and labelled with OS coordinates. The prints, Our Red Earth project and the soil samples have stimulated public engagement, educational work and workshops linking the sciences and the arts” - Susane Milne
Sarah Garvey (2022-2023)
Sarah Garvey is an artist living and working in south Wales. A figurative printmaker and painter her work is grounded in a strong drawing practice.
Recurring themes in print are figuration, boundary spaces, the elements and natural phenomena. Using repetition, translation, rotation of motifs, to create a space open to appropriation by the viewer.
“I portray pauses, sensual override, when there’s no performance, just internal experience. There’s honesty in sensation, the emotions as unknowingly displayed by the body, as mine in the act of making. I love that the slow, measured, building of an image, can create a precipitous, instant moment of recognition in another.‘’
The prints often echo with a text or historical reference, chosen after a sketch. The images are deconstructed into different colour plates, grids and patterns. Figures disintegrate and then reform. How far can the figure dissemble and remain. This feels like a lived idea, since becoming a mother but also an adult, my body edges/ boundaries are semipermeable.
The different layers are made using plates which push beneath the surface of the paper and rolls of colour which sit on the surface the results unpredictable and unknown. The plates printed in different orders, create different colours, a deck of cards to play with.
The award was a catalyst for me, coming at a critical moment. A young mother in a rural area, working by myself, the award gave me the confidence and financial support to turn outward. I bought a mobile press and taught international students, Welsh graduates, peer and public workshops for the first time.
Using the award to insulate and maintain my studio enabled me to host three Welsh artists from other disciplines as lead artists for a print residency created by Cardiff M.A.D.E gallery. Each participant can now organise a home print space and use non toxic, readily available materials to playfully build prints. We created an edition together for each artist, essential professional practise; the first time I’ve enjoyed editioning.
Finding my peers, through sharing others’ vulnerability and my own, laughing a lot, has made my work tender and me more at home here.” - Sarah Garvey
Rebecca F Hardy - Highly Commended (2022-2023)
"The balance between too little and too much, what is visually pleasing and total chaos, is something that I’m constantly playing with.
I am a multi-disciplined visual artist based in North Wales; my work is the exploration of materials and relationships between surface and object, colour, layers, and patterns. From drawings to screen-prints, photography, video, live-art, sculptural forms and installations.
Research and use of human anatomy, domestic objects and every so often my own fluttering state of mind are embedded in the work. Making my screen-prints, sculptures and installations act as vessels and metaphors and co-exist with an array of materials and the space it temporarily exists in.
In 2022 I was awarded the Eirian Llwyd Honorary Memorial Award for Printmaking and showcased some artwork alongside the 2022 winner Sarah Garvey, previous winners and Eirian Llwyd’s collection of artwork at Ruthin Craft Centre.
Receiving this honorary award of £1,250 enabled me to travel to the Regional Print Centre, Wrexham, 65 miles away, participating in the 'taking part in the introductory to printmaking' course, falling in love with etching and taking part in a 2-day masterclass and purchases of more screens for screen-printing.
This award has given me the confidence I needed in my practice and as an artist. Since this award I've exhibited in the DAC Art Prize 2022 which toured across Wales in 6 venues (g39, Cynan Valley museum, Galeri, Tŷ Pawb, Oriel Davies, Glyn Vivian). I received a bursary of £1350 from a-n magazine, which helped me develop my practice further and explore ceramics.
I also had my first solo exhibition at Pontio, Bangor. ‘Yr Hyn Sy’n Pylu’ was a new body of work that presents the subtle implementations of layers and loud statements of colour and form. The abstract forms are derived from my own study and understanding of my dyslexic brain.
This year I received £2,000 Seed Funding from Cyngor Gwynedd and UK Government, allowing me to continue creating new artwork and researching about the following themes - procrastination, 'imposter syndrome', power of saying 'NO'. “ - Rebecca F Hardy