Dydd Gŵyl Dewi – Past, Present & Future | Mixed Media Welsh Art by Penelope Rose Anderson

Four‑Artist Commission | Rhondda Cynon Taf Council
Dydd Gŵyl Dewi – Past, Present & Future was a creative commission celebrating St David’s Day through newly commissioned work by four local artists. Developed through Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Arts & Community Engagement programme and made possible by Community Engagement Manager Jessie Briton, the project brought together painting, multimedia, film, poetry, folklore, and community voices to explore how land, memory, and belonging shape contemporary Wales.

My contribution, Afon · Cwm · Tir (River, Valley, Land), is a mixed‑media triptych of three 1m × 1m canvases created with acrylic, Portland stone dust, alloyed oil paint, and collage. The work traces the movement of water, valley, and earth as living forces — carriers of history, witnesses to change, and collaborators in the act of remembering. Its layered textures and gestures echo the rhythms of the landscape, inviting viewers to consider how the natural world holds and releases memory.

The project also included a spoken‑word collaboration with poet clare e potter, whose poem Cyfoeth Mwynol deepened the dialogue between land and voice. Drawing on Welsh folklore, oral tradition, and archival writings — including John Rhys’s accounts of Llyn y Forwyn (the Lady of the Lake) — the work bridges past and present through story, sound, and embodied connection.

Participating Artists
🎨 IG @iambagsy — Multimedia Artist
🎨 IG @joysaundersart — Acrylic Painter
🎨 IG @osian.i.andrew — Filmmaker
🎨 IG @peneloperoseanderson — Bilateral Painter (Afon · Cwm · Tir)

Together, the four commissioned works formed a touring exhibition that travelled across libraries in Rhondda Cynon Taf, inviting communities to reflect on the meaning of St David’s Day — its histories, its stories, and its continuing relevance today.

Acknowledgements
With thanks to Harriet Fleuriot and Duncan McGonigle for their support and creative insight throughout the project.
Commissioned by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council – Arts & Community Engagement, with special thanks to Jessie Briton for making the project possible.