KALE - Key Persons

Ben was born in Anglesey in 1956, the son of two eminent Welsh artists, Gwilym Pritchard and Claudia Williams, and brother of the Welsh surrealist Ceri Pritchard. Ben's varied career has included working as a garden designer, a ceramicist and he has also designed and created pub signs. He worked for many years as Head Gardener at Lady Margaret Hall in Oxford. He now focuses on printmaking, while enjoying gardening on a smaller scale for private clients. He also plays golf competitively. He began life as a potter but re-discovered printmaking thirty years ago. Initially he worked exclusively in black and white, using lino as his preferred medium. More recently he has experimented with aquatint, monoprints and wood cuts. His linocuts and etchings of Oxford are popular with residents and visitors alike. Colour is now essential to him; he uses bold, ‘folk art' colours to contrast with his use of heavy black lines in designs that challenge and engage the viewer. His characters include cooks, queens and cats in witty camaraderie; they invite us to join in a private world of jokes and rivalries. A proudly self-taught artist, he works as a print maker in the studio in his garden in Oxford. He has been visiting Pembrokeshire for over twenty five years and is a proud Welshman, despite living and working in England. His work is found in private collections in Australia, USA, France, Italy and the UK.

Bert Evans was born in Port Talbot in 1948. He specialised in painting at Newport collage of Art 67-72 were he found the help and advice by such painters as Jack Crabtree and Selwyn Jones so important in his development. He is primarily a painter of light, which he says makes the most mundane scenes and subjects interesting. His loose approach complemented by a good understanding of colour always attracts a positive reaction from observers. He is a firm believer in only painting from situations he has witnessed first hand. " How else can I be sincere in my work?" he asks. Although he has enjoyed experimenting in watercolour, its his oil paintings that have earned him his reputation and he can count Hollywood actor Michael Sheen to be a big fan of his work, having purchased several Bert Evans Originals. " I use a digital camera to catch those instant patterns of light on a subject and this is the crux. I'm concerned with the effects of how light renders a scene or object, rather than be interested in the subject for it own sake.

Wynne Melville Jones became known throughout Wales as a pioneer of bilingual PR activities and for his involvement in Wales' largest youth organisation The Urdd. The former art student has now returned to his main interest - visual art. He works from his home in Llanfihangel Genau'r Glyn (Llandre) in Ceredigion and he is active in the local community. He is very proud of his roots in Ceredigion and feels a responsibility for things Welsh. In 1979 he established Wales' first bilingual PR agency StrataMatrix and ran the company successfully for 30 years. He is Honorary Life President of the Urdd organisation and he created the ever popular Mr Urdd character - a hot favourable with Welsh youngsters for over 40 years. He was also one of the founders of the weekly magazine Golwg and retains his place as a company Director. On returning to the paint brush he gave himself the challenge to paint Cors Caron, (the renowned nature reserve near Tregaron) in the four Seasons. He has also painted many Welsh cultural and heritage iconic sites and his inspiration comes from his upbringing in Ceredigion and from the rich heritage and culture of the various communities in Wales. His art has also generated interest way beyond the borders of Wales. His interpretation of Soar-y-Mynydd, the most isolated chapel in Wales is in former US President Jimmy Carters' art collection and his picture of Llanddwyn was bought by a German art collector. His painting of the Elvis Rock at Eisteddfa Gurig has generated considerable interest in the US and the picture is now at Graceland Tennessee former home of Elvis which is now dedicated as a museum and archive. His autobiography Y Fi a Mistar Urdd a'r Cwmni Da was published by Y Lolfa in 2010.and another of his projects The Llanfihangel Genau'r Glyn Poetry Path was officially opened in 2012. The Path celebrates the rich poetic tradition in the community of Llandre, has been built in woodland owned by the family, and is open to the public 365 days a year.