{"id":23994,"date":"2014-11-17T21:48:12","date_gmt":"2014-11-17T21:48:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/?p=23994"},"modified":"2014-11-17T21:48:12","modified_gmt":"2014-11-17T21:48:12","slug":"cardiff-character-ceri-aukland-davies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2014\/11\/17\/cardiff-character-ceri-aukland-davies\/","title":{"rendered":"Cardiff Character: Ceri Aukland Davies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Local artist puts an experimental twist on an ancient painting technique to give his seascapes some edge.\u00a0<\/p>\n

You\u2019d be forgiven for thinking that Ceri Aukland Davies\u2019 studio housed an alchemist. Besides the feathers and other improvised tools, there are jars of gelatin, bags of gilders\u2019 whiting and packets of powdered pigments. A pot on the stove is filled with gesso, which is used to make the porcelain white surface that lies beneath every egg tempera painting. The other tools of his trade are in the fridge; boxes of fresh hens\u2019 eggs. He breaks one and holds the yolk in his palm, ready to be mixed with powdered pigment and a dash of water.<\/p>\n

\"ceri

Egg tempera is a time honoured painting technique and has been noticed on the tombs of Egyptian mummies. \u201cThe egg tempura creates luminosity and it suits the way I paint,\u201d Davies explains. \u201cI paint in layers. You can\u2019t physically peel each layer off, but metaphorically you could peel one layer off, then another, then another. It\u2019s much more interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leading American painter, Andrew Wyeth, is a modern day champion of the technique; in the early days of his own career, Davies was inspired by a visit to one of Wyeth\u2019s exhibitions. It\u2019s easy to see why; both artists take an experimental approach to a medium that is notoriously difficult. \u201cI try to do anything and everything with egg tempera that I can,\u201d Davies says. \u201cThere are painters who go through a far more traditional route and produce wonderful pieces. I started off thinking I would work like that, then I realised that I couldn\u2019t. My paintings were looking too controlled, and I need a painting to lose control at some stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s just a week after one of Davies\u2019 solo exhibitions where 16 paintings were sold but he admits that however many red dots there are, he\u2019ll still have opening nights nerves. \u201cIt\u2019s a bit like baring your soul all over the walls,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s yourself up there, isn\u2019t it? And there\u2019s no hiding place.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Coming from a landscape painter, this comment seems surprising; but Davies\u2019 pictures are as much about an inner, emotional landscape as they are about the coastline that inspires him. \u201cThe landscapes or the seascapes are irrelevant in some respects. I\u2019m not interested in the picturesque elements really, and so the view I take on things will be different. The mood I\u2019m in and the emotions I feel before I go on a walk can determine what I see.\u201d<\/p>\n

However personal his vision, Davies is painstaking in his efforts to record the scenery that forms the starting point for his paintings. Ever since he was a boy growing up in Llanelli, he has had a passion for drawing and painting outdoors.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother didn\u2019t know, but when I was 14 I used to hitch lifts down to West Wales to draw. I\u2019ve always painted and drawn \u2013 it\u2019s all I\u2019ve ever wanted to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back in the studio he creates intricate charcoal drawings before translating these into egg tempera. Before he begins painting, Davies coats a board with eight layers of gesso, which is sanded and smoothed to create a white, slightly translucent looking surface onto which to paint.<\/p>\n

The egg tempera dries quickly, and because it\u2019s insoluble once dry, you can paint over it without disturbing the layers underneath. Davies utilises this technique, and the semi transparent nature of the tempera, to paint his renowned waters that seem to have genuine depth and movement.<\/p>\n

When asked what inspired him most, Davies answers that it is his passion for creativity. \u201cI love painting and I hate it,\u201d he says. \u201cI hate it, but I can\u2019t do without it. It\u2019s a bit like a drug. It\u2019s what I\u2019m here for, you might say.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Local artist puts an experimental twist on an ancient painting technique to give his seascapes some edge. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":252,"featured_media":24008,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[180,4118,4119],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-23994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","tag-art","tag-ceri-auckland-davies","tag-egg-tempera"],"yoast_head":"\nCardiff Character: Ceri Aukland Davies - alt.cardiff<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2014\/11\/17\/cardiff-character-ceri-aukland-davies\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cardiff Character: Ceri Aukland Davies - 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