THE current exhibition of 40 paintings at the Morlan Centre in Aberystwyth features the artwork of local artist Wynne Melville Jones.

The collection of paintings includes his interpretation of two of Aberystwyth’s most renowned and iconic buildings and the exhibition which has been organised to mark the end of a five-year return to the paintbrush is open until Christmas.

Wynne, a former art student at Swansea College of Art and Trinity College, Carmarthen, established himself as a pioneer in bilingual public relations and marketing and established his own company StrataMatrix in 1979.

He is best known as the man who created the Urdd mascot Mr Urdd in 1968 and the lively character continues to be a favourite with many thousands of young people in Wales.

“Due to a busy lifestyle and a rather heavy workload with the Urdd and in running a business, I could not find the time to continue with my art activity," said Wynne.

"This changed in 2011 when I decided to gradually depart from my business responsibilities and I designed a garden studio to be built at my home with the intention of once again producing original artwork."

The exhibition marks five productive years of painting some of Wales’s best known landscapes and iconic sites.

“I’m delighted to return to Morlan where I put on my first exhibition in 2012 and in preparing for this I felt it appropriate to give myself the challenge of producing paintings of familiar sites in Aberystwyth.

"As a regular visitor to the promenade it has been on my mind for some time to paint the architectural splendour of the Old College, a distinct symbol of Welsh culture, together with the rebuilt shelter on the prom made famous on worldwide news channels after the destructive storms of 2014, a structure originally built and design to shelter from the weather."

To celebrate the five years, Wynne invites all who are interested to join him for a festive drink and to view the paintings at Morlan on Saturday, 17 December, between 11am and 3pm.