Meinir Mathias

Working predominantly in oil painting and intaglio printing, her most recent works have been reflecting on the idea of ‘Rebel’. Much of this series has focused upon the Rebecca Riots and the characters that are reimagined through these striking portraits.The paintings play with the idea of heroism. The characters depicted are romanticised in a sense as they have been through stories and cultural memory. These are characters who challenged authority, challenged the laws and structure of society in Wales. They were fighting against imperialism and fought for equality yet were branded as criminals by the authorities in their time and punished harshly. Meinir Mathias is a Contemporary Welsh painter. She explores ideas relating to cultural memory, history, land and people. She lectures at the Carmarthen School of Art and also works from her studio here in West Wales. Her work is becoming increasingly sought after by collectors of Welsh art.

Gan weithio’n bennaf gyda phaent olew ac argraffu intaglio, mae ei gweithiau diweddaraf yn adlewyrchu’r syniad o ‘Rebel’. Mae llawer o’r gyfres hon wedi canolbwyntio ar y Terfysgoedd Beca a’r cymeriadau sy’n cael eu hail-ddynodi trwy’r portreadau trawiadol hyn. Mae’r paentiadau’n chwarae gyda’r syniad o arwriaeth. Mae’r cymeriadau a ddarlunnir yn cael eu rhamantaiddio mewn ystyr fel y buont trwy straeon a chof diwylliannol. Mae’r rhain yn gymeriadau a heriodd awdurdod, a heriodd gyfreithiau a strwythur cymdeithas yng Nghymru. Roeddent yn ymladd yn erbyn imperialaeth ac yn ymladd dros gydraddoldeb ond eto cawsant eu brandio fel troseddwyr gan yr awdurdodau yn eu hamser a’u cosbi’n hallt. Mae Meinir Mathias yn arlunydd Cyfoes Cymreig. Mae’n archwilio syniadau sy’n ymwneud â chof diwylliannol, hanes, tir a phobl. Mae hi’n darlithio yn Ysgol Gelf Caerfyrddin a hefyd yn gweithio o’i stiwdio yma yng Ngorllewin Cymru. Mae ei waith yn dod yn fwy a fwy poblogaidd gyda chasglwyr Celf Cymraeg.