The work of artists Sam Vicary and Sophie Turner are on display at Canfas in Cardigan.

Sam’s career working in the arts in Wales builds on her degree in visual arts from De Montfort University. Now based in Pembrokeshire, Sam’s quiet paintings balance still life objects within the landscape, coaxing the viewer on a path into the Preseli Hills with a Welsh tapestry motif. Sam said: “I start in the landscape with what I can see. I destroy a lot of the painting at the beginning - messing things up and working with ideas and memories connected to the place. The challenge is to make something in the studio with the paint and marks left behind.”

Sophie Turner’s oil paintings are a tribute to ‘Gretel’, a crow fledgling she found injured at the side of the road and rehabilitated back into the wild. Incorporating a very gothic feel to her work, Sophie captures the bird’s unique personality within each piece as if it were a classical portrait. “It was an honour to have had the experience, to be so close to such a shy and amazing creature,” Sophie said. An artist, ceramicist and jewellery designer, Sophie graduated from Middlesex University in 1999 with a BA in Three-Dimensional Design, specialising in ceramics.

The exhibitions run until Saturday, 25 June.

The gallery is open from 10.30am-4pm, Monday to Saturday. Private appointments to visit the shows inside for those nervous about entering a public space can be made by directly emailing [email protected] or phoning 01239 614344.