Born near Llandeilo and brought up in the wooded wilds of the Hafod Estate near Cwmystwyth, Jemima Roberts moved from Wales when she was 19 “to follow the well-trodden path to university, globe trotting, and a rite of passage stint of London and Brighton-living”.

She returned after the birth of her son and is now based in Felinfach, near Aberaeron.

“I’m a single parent - but a blessed one - as my boy is now a bright and brilliant 10-year-old,” said Jemima.

“I’m an artist, writer, poet, cartoonist, and undertake a broad range of commissions under that variegated umbrella. I see myself as an artist who motors along on an ever-evolving and revolving engine of ideas - rather than being confined to a particular genre or media/medium.”

Self-employed since 2018, Jemima has built “a small, but ever-growing and evolving independent creative practice” called on the wing, that has seen her design prints and cards, customise enamelware and tote bags, and hand-paint bathroom wallpaper.

“My most ambitious project to-date was designing, making, building and installing four giant billboards that were installed on the Scottish (Glen Dye) and Welsh (Hawarden) estates of Charles Gladstone for the Good Life Society,” Jemima explained.

“Each one stands a metre off the ground and a further two metres high by three metres wide.”

Last month, Jemima’s ‘I was edgy once’ bag was featured on the front page of The Times and Times 2 as part of a fashion feature written by their fashion editor, Harriet Walker.

“I designed the ‘Edgy bags’ a little while ago,” said Jemima.

“I never intended to do a big run of them, but I thought I’d get a batch made as a whimsical, fun idea, but it seems the slogan has wide resonance as in a curious and entirely nonstrategic turn of events, they have been one of my most successful designs.

“I think the slogan speaks to a lot of people who might have had a more ‘jazzy’ past but now find themselves, with their ‘virtuous’ cotton tote shopping bag on their shoulder, buying vegetables, so the slogan is a nod to that juxtaposition really.”

Jemima gifted a bag “to a lovely and very stylish soul called Kirsty Warriss who pours a lot of energy, good cheer and championing into small, independent businesses via her instagram account (@girlwithbellsandwhistles). The gift was a thank you really for her indefatigable support of me and others”.

“Kirsty just so happens to be friends with Harriet, Times fashion editor, who clocked Kirsty’s bag, loved it, and started following me on Instagram. She got in touch about the bag and wondered if I was London-based as she’d like to feature it in a shoot. I realised this was one of those opportunities to jump on, so drovethrough the night from mid Wales to hand-deliver a bag by 10am!

“Harriet - quite brilliantly and accurately - described me in the piece, as “an artist you’ve never heard of”, which made me laugh and garnered respect from me too. It is true and also, I felt, showed kudos too - the fashion editor of a major national broadsheet featuring the work of an essentially ‘unknown’. However, being the mischievous artist I am, I then also jumped on this description of me and designed a T-Shirt that reads ‘I’m the artist you’ve never heard of’, and also designed some swing tags for the Edgy Bags and other stock which read ‘Designed by an artist you’ve never heard of’. Harriet knew that was done in good spirit and loved them.”

And the Edgy bag is getting more attention, as Jemima explained.

“The latest high profile twist in this story is that Zoe Ball is now the owner of an Edgy Bag too and so everything has gone bonkers for me again!”

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