Kate Pavsol

T

HIS week we talk to artist Kate Pavsol, whose work is on display at Ffin y Parc, Llanrwst. Q

Tell us about your family.

A

My family were from South Wales and my parents came to London after the war, where they brought up their four children and then returned to South Wales in the early 1970s. Family holidays were always spent in Bridgend with Granny or Aberystwyth with aunties and this instilled in me a love of the Welsh landscape and especially mountains. I am married with one son.

Q

What are you best known for?

A

I am best known for my blocks of glass which contain three dimensional interpretations of Welsh landscapes, although I have recently been working on my landscape books which were awarded the “People’s Prize” at the recent British Glass Biennale in Stourbridge 2019. Q

Tell us about your exhibition.

A

My show is called Welsh Walks. The exhibition is inspired by walking in the Welsh landscapes and

How old are you? 69 Where are you from? I was born and brought up in London, where I live today.

Tell us a little-known fact about yourself: I have lived on three continents – Africa, North America and Europe.

it tries to convey the feeling of moving through a landscape by making three dimensional images in glass that reflect and refract light and thus appear to change as you pass them or shine light through them. I am sharing gallery space at the wonderful Ffin y Parc art gallery with Welsh landscape artist Anne Aspinall.

Q

When is it running from and ’til?

A

It started on Sunday, November 10 and runs to Wednesday, December 4.

Q

What can people expect?

A

The works are on a domestic scale, there are 20 pieces in this show, some of which are multiple blocks linked together to form one image and some are in book form inspired by the books of Alfred Wainwright who created wonderful illustrated books of his walks in the Lake District.

Q

Tell us five things which make your exhibition great?

A

I hope it captures the wonder of this great landscape. The setting is wonderful. The work is very unusual. It is a technique I have developed myself. The pieces change throughout the day depending on light sources. Glass is very exciting and fascinating material and we are still finding new ways to manipulate its properties to create an emotional response.

Q

What’s good about the venue?

A

The building the gallery is housed in is as beautiful as its surroundings. Also, the coffee is great! The owners Ralph and Roland are so warm and friendly and the staff welcoming. It’s just a nice place to be, and then there is the art, of

Kate Pavsol is displaying her work at Ffin y Parc, Llanrwst. Insets from top: Pen y Fan, Snowdon, Llyn Ogwen

course. The setting allows visitors to see work in a domestic setting as well as a fine art gallery setting.

Q

Who is your favourite artist and why?

A

Too difficult to answer as they are numerous, but if I could only pick one it would have to Michelangelo; the slaves emerging from marble are unforgettable.

Q

What piece of work are you most proud of and why?

A

The trouble with me is I am very fickle and whatever I am working on at the time is what I am most proud of. So at the moment it’s the books, but I am also very pleased

with some of my wood carvings that are also about landscape and walking.

Q

What are your best and worst habits?

A

The best thing is that I’m always trying to look at things in different ways and experimenting. Worst thing is I get very impatient and I am a very messy worker.

Q

What’s next for you? What are you working on, or what do you plan to work on?

A

I am exploring the use of maps in my work and techniques for combining them with glass into a 3D form.