The wonderful work of landscape artist Gillian Yorath can currently be seen in Criccieth where a selection of her paintings of Snowdonia are on display at the Castle Gallery, writes Julie McNicholls Vale.

As vice chair and an active member of the North Wales Society of Fine Art, Gillian also exhibits in the society’s annual exhibition, which this year is being held at the prestigious Williamson Art Gallery and Museum in Birkenhead. It opened yesterday and runs until 15 March.

“I am also keen to support the local art scene and am still a member of our local art society in Caernarfon and will be exhibiting with them in Galeri Caernarfon, 10-29 February,” Gillian explains.

Born in 1957, Gillian spent her childhood in the village of Gwaelod y Garth, beneath the Garth Mountain, so it is perhaps no surprise that mountains inform the artist’s work.

After moving to the Vale of Glamorgan, Gillian attended Cowbridge Grammar School, where she spent most of the sixth form in either the art or woodwork rooms.

“I was always painting or making things from an early age; often raiding my father’s workshop for scrap wood to make sculpture,” she recalls.

“Snowdonia is wonderful, and I am fascinated by its rock formations, along with random scatterings of stone in scrubby grassland; the result of millions of years of plate tectonics, volcanic eruptions, glaciation and erosion.

“Along with its impressive geology, the atmospheric effects of the weather and light in the mountains is a key aspect of my paintings, and it is often the extra something that inspires a painting.

“I paint mainly in oils on linen-covered boards that I make myself. I aim for a painterly realism in my work and try to represent the gritty complexity of nature with pallet knife and brush marks.

“I often paint and sketch en plein air. Working outdoors enables you to understand the location and capture the atmosphere; I always have a sketch pad and camera with me. Studio landscapes usually start with plein air sketches and simple studio sketches where I determine the composition and mood, followed by a more resolved, full-size, black and white tonal version, which becomes my main reference for the final painting.

“I am in awe of the wild landscape of Snowdonia and I hope this sense of wonder comes across in my work.”

Gillian’s work often exhibited in the area and beyond. “I currently have work for sale in the Castle Gallery Criccieth and at Artworks2 in Betws y Coed, as well as from my studio at home, with my work being displayed on my website and social media sites. I also take private commissions,” Gillian said.

• To view more of Gillian’s work, visit her website: www.gillianyorath.co.uk