Cletwr on the road between Aberystwyth and Machynlleth has become well-known for its art exhibitions and textile displays.

In May it celebrates the 10th anniversary of the opening of the community-owned business. Cletwr has shown the work of local artists since opening. What could be more local than the recent exhibition of work by the Taliesin Art Group? But Celf Cletwr Art sometimes displays work from further afield.

The exhibition that has just opened in the Cletwr Cwtch is the work of Tanja Bolenz. She has called her exhibition Fun with Letters and visitors to the exhibition will see a variety of beautiful ways in which lettering can combine with other forms. Many of Tanja’s themes refer to nature and show how words and images can complement each other.

Tanja said: “To create something beautiful and meaningful, to do it with care and attention to detail and with the best materials available, is what inspires me”.

She explains that the basis of creating unique inscriptions in stone lies in the design and drawing of the letters by hand. Characteristics such as strength, joy, playfulness, elegance, can be reflected in the design. Tanja’s tactile approach lets the feel and texture of the letters combine with the stone’s surface to bring out their aesthetic and expressive qualities. Her experience in working stone has given her the skill and versatility to work three dimensionally.

Tanja works from her studio in Pennal, near Machynlleth and accepts commissions as well as creating her own work for exhibition. Initially she trained as a bookbinder in Germany and for 14 years devoted herself to repairing old books and creating new bindings. In 1994 her interest in lettering led to a three-year degree course in calligraphy and book binding at the

University of Surrey and then to her training as a letter carver in stone. She now carves memorials, plaques, house signs and garden features as well as creating personal inscriptions, often using Welsh slate.

Fun with Letters is on display until 8 May and there will be a Meet the Artist event at Cletwr on 22 April from 3pm to 4.30pm, and Tanja will be running a workshop on 19 April.

For more information contact Cletwr at [email protected]