Open 25
February 1st - 22nd 2025
We are thrilled to announce the opening of our 7th Annual Open Art Exhibition, once again hosted at our new venue in The Lofts and at Studio 40, Queen Street, Neath.
Our annual Open competition welcomes participants from near and far, showcasing a vibrant array of art and craft from artists and makers across Wales and beyond.
This competition provides a fantastic opportunity for contemporary artists to explore new works and innovative ideas, merging traditional techniques with creative originality. This year, we were fortunate to receive an exceptional selection of entries, making the judging process quite challenging.
A heartfelt thank you to all our participants; we truly appreciate your engagement and wish you every success in your future artistic endeavours.
Many congratulations to this year's winners: First place was awarded to Matt Williams for 'Break in the Storm - Port Talbot Beach,' second place went to Suzanne Callen for 'Here Within,' third place was claimed by Sarah Defriend for 'Sweet and Bitter,' and fourth place, along with this year's 3D award, was given to Myles Mansfield for his remarkable 'Trout' recycled steel sculpture.
A Brush With Reality - Simon Goss ARCA
Figurative Art and Portraiture Landscape and Still Life Solo Exhibition - 1-22 February 2025
In our Studio 40 space, we have the incredible work of Simon Goss on display, last year's Open Art winner.
"For over forty years I have run or attended life drawing sessions, working in graphite, watercolour, pastels or coloured pencils. This began on a Foundation course in Art, throughout training as a Technical Illustrator and, later, a Graphic Designer. I then taught life drawing, analytical drawing, graphic design and multi-media, part-time, for many years. For the past twenty five years I have also run SIGGA Design, a graphic design company whose clients have included The Scarlets, Swansea Building Society and H&E Magazine."
"During the Covid restrictions I joined online life sessions, and continue to do so, as well as regularly drawing from life. Life drawing is the basis of all of my work as it encompasses so many disciplines - line, proportion, shading, colour and composition. It also give you a healthy respect for the human body in all its forms. I have been painting traditional portraits in oils for several years, refining a direct, ‘painterly’ style. During the first three months of lockdown in 2020, I painted a series of nineteen portraits over Zoom. One of these was shown at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters annual exhibition in the Mall, London in 2021."
"More recently I have had portraits in exhibitions at the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery in Swansea, and at Chester Cathedral. Last year I won first prize for a portrait at the Neath Open Art Competition at this very gallery. I now take commissions for nude portraits, often via Zoom, as well as for conventional portraits. I began painting landscapes as an excuse to get myself out of the studio for some fresh air. I soon found that there is nothing as enjoyable as painting in a quiet field or up a mountain. When the weather is less favourable, I turn to drawing in pastels, working from photographs."
"I also produce enlarged renderings of conkers, tomatoes, lemons and other organic items. I enjoy the freedom this gives me away from the more demanding task of painting people! I was elected an Associate Member of the Royal Cambrian Academy of Art (ARCA) in 2022. I am a keen writer, and have produced many articles about my work, a number of which have been published in online magazine Counter Arts. I also write a monthly article on my life drawings for H&E magazine."
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