Paintings and photography celebrating the Welsh countryside are to be featured in two new exhibitions, opening at Tŷ Pawb this April.
Clyde Holmes: Uplandscapes
Clyde Holmes: Uplandscapes is an exhibition of works by landscape painter, Clyde Holmes (1940-2008).
Clyde was born in London and studied fine art at Hornsey College of Art and St Martin’s School of Art 1965-68.
In 1970 Clyde moved with his family to a remote shepherd’s cottage in Capel Celyn, Frongoch, near Bala in Snowdonia National Park, where he lived for over 30 years, painting and writing poetry about the landscape around him.
Clyde’s work featured in ‘Visions of Snowdonia’ series, narrated by Sir Anthony Hopkins.
His works have been exhibited widely in England, Wales and Europe as well as in public and private collections in the UK and abroad.
Bom Dia Cymru
Accompanying the Clyde Holmes works in the gallery will be Bom Dia Cymru, an exhibition of work by renowned photographer Mohamed Hassan. This will include some iconic scenery from around Wales, alongside a selection of photographs taken in Egypt.
Pembrokeshire-based Mohamed Hassan has been shortlisted for several awards and competitions since graduating with a 1st class honours degree in Photography from Carmarthen School of Art in 2016, and has had works featured at prestigious venues including the Mission Gallery, Oriel Davies, the Waterfront National Museum and the National Portrait Gallery.
This exhibition will also feature photographs co-created with members of the Bom Dia Cymru group (part of Comunidade de Lingua Portuguesa CLPW CIC), made up of Portuguese diaspora community members living in Wrexham.
The group recently spent a day photographing some of north Wales’ most iconic locations with Mohamed’s expert support behind the camera, including Llyn Tegid (Bala), Llangollen and Capel Celyn.
Co-creating exhibitions with the local community
Lead Member with responsibility for Tŷ Pawb, Cllr Hugh Jones said: “With tourism interest in Wrexham continuing to boom and the spring season fast approaching, these two complimentary exhibitions will be perfectly timed for visitors to enjoy a celebration of the breathtaking scenery that we have on our doorstep.
“A real highlight of the exhibition will be the photographs Wrexham’s Bom Dia Cymru group produced on their trip around north Wales with the support of Mohamed and the group’s coordinator from CLPW, Iolanda Viegas.
“Bom Dia Cymru have been part of the Tŷ Pawb family since the lockdown period of 2021 when art packs were delivered to the group members as part of the Arts at Home programme. Since then, the group have continued to meet regularly at Tŷ Pawb working on various creative projects.”
“The group’s trip across north Wales with Mohamed included a visit to photograph the Arenig mountain where Clyde Holmes lived and painted for over 30 years, meaning we’ve been able to dovetail the two exhibitions and provide a memorable and enjoyable experience for the group members; a superb example of the community-focused co-creation that is at the heart of Tŷ Pawb’s arts programme. I would encourage anyone visiting Wrexham over the next few weeks to come to the gallery and see these wonderful artworks up close.”
Uplandscapes Clyde Holmes and Bom Dia Cymru open from 13th April until 22nd June.
A special public launch event for both exhibitions will take place on Friday 12th April, starting at 5.30pm – everyone is welcome.
Visit Tŷ Pawb’s exhibitions page for further details.
