Ynys Enlli

In late September I was lucky enough to spend a week on Ynys Enlli as artist in residence. It was my first visit to the island and not knowing what to expect found me both excited and rather nervous. I see the island regularly on my walks from home, on the far west horizon, a distant blur off the end of the Llyn Peninsular. Often it is lit up. Surrounded by the wide sea of Cardigan Bay it takes on an almost magical quality, especially knowing it is traditionally a place of pilgrimage .

So, with the mindset of a pilgrim, I packed canvas, paint, paper, pens and ink, an easel, food and some warm dry clothes.

The short boat ride from the mainland sees the island come in to view and look impenetrable. Where would it be possible to land? The skilled boat handling from Colin took us beyond the steep cliffs to the more pastoral side and a bay in which to land.

A walk to my accommodation Beudy Plas, a converted cowshed helped settle me. When I unpacked I decided to paint the view from outside my current home and get a feel for where I was before exploring further. Looking away from the mainland, westwards to Ireland, normal everyday life is temporarily left behind. There was no sign of the mainland.

The lighthouse on Enlli is a focal point to the west. In the afternoon/evening it is viewed as a silhouette against the changing sky. It is a recent addition in the timeline of the island, but a prominent one.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Exploring the island daily I became entranced by the light, the view west to the Wicklow mountains and the light pouring into the sea from both the sun and the moon. The sea smashing on the rocks, the changing tides, the cycle of day and night all became subjects for my “plein air” paintings. More intimately the seals were calling in the bays and giving birth to pups. The seal pups lay scattered above the tideline, helpless fur clad beings waiting to be fed and grow before their return to the ocean. Stories of Selkies came to mind, old stories of travel between Wales and Ireland, old cultures. The past meets the present and as the sun comes up and the tide ebbs and flows, shadows are cast, birds migrate, other worldly, the seals are calling …

Beached

Rolling on your back

Feet crossed, flipper paws in air

Edge up beach as tide encroaches

Pebbles, rocks,

Human eye, dog eye,

Soft blonde fur,

Polar bear

Swaddled

Conserving energy from the sun,

Solar powered,

Salt sea charged

Selkie pup

Nuala ( September 2020 )