Jeff Phillips is an accomplished portrait artist and illustrator based in Swansea, South Wales. He is a professional artist with over twenty five years experience and has built up an extensive portfolio of art work. On 23rd November 2001 he received a life long fellowship for his Millennium award winning project The Wheel of Balance, He subsequently lectured in Spain where he delivered a series of talks to the students at the Torrevieja institute and at local schools in the Alicante Province. Jeff has kindly donated a series of original artwork to AmeriCymru to help raise funds for the West Coast Eisteddfod in September 2011. AmeriCymru spoke to Jeff about his life and work:-

AmeriCymru: Hi Jeff, many thanks for agreeing to be interviewed. You are currently involved in a project to set up a new travel group using Welsh stars and Icons birth places as visiting sites. Care to tell us a little more about this idea?

Jeff: For quite a long time my business partner, Alan Maggs and myself have had an idea about setting up Welsh Iconic tours. In 2010 we built up good connections with well established travel promoters in the UK, through our involvement with the 'Dylan Thomas Experience', and now seems like it might be the right time set up such a venture. We have such a lot to offer visitors to our region and adding to it some of the great 'sons and daughters', of Wales, can only be good for raising the profile of Wales, home and abroad.

AmeriCymru: You have kindly offered to donate the original artwork from this project to AmeriCymru to raise money for the West Coast Eisteddfod. Can you tell us what the lucky winner will receive after adjudication in LA in September?

Jeff: Each winner will receive a signed original pencil drawing of a Welsh Icon, the drawings are on A4 art card and mounted to fit a 14ins x 11ins frame. With this I will include a printed copy of the stars biography and a certificate of authenticity.

See the Illustrations displayed individually on this page

AmeriCymru: You have also done some work for the Dylan Thomas Experince. Care to tell us more?

Jeff: The Dylan Thomas Experience consists of three partners, Alan Maggs, of Summerhome Tours, Mike Leahy, Business Sales & Marketing consultant and myself. We formed the partnership 12 months ago with the aim of attracting visitors to South Wales and can now offer really good holiday tours, tailored to the needs of small groups, families, school groups or large parties.

AmeriCymru: How many media do you work in? Do you have a particular media that you consider your favorite to work in? Why?

Jeff: I work in many different types of media depending on the required product. For most of my illustration work I use pencil, watercolour paints and inks, I often use acrylic on canvas for promotional displays and acrylic and masonry paint for wall murals, in my community work. However my environmental, exhibition work is usually in oils on canvas, as are most of the portraits that I paint.

AmeriCymru: What is your process? Do you start with a gesture or in pencil or draw in paint? Do you work from live models or photographs?

Jeff: Other than commissioned pieces, most of my work starts with the writing down of an idea on a theme, working out what is required in the way of research and trying to see the best way in which I can tell a story through my artwork. I use all sorts of information for a themed project, my own sketches, photo's, pre-designed imaginative scenes, sketched and painted backgrounds, and I use full colour or monochrome in the imagery of my work to get the best atmosphere required for each individual piece.

The Water Cycle	The Tree of Concern

AmeriCymru: How many hours a day do you spend creating?

Jeff: How long is a piece of string, unfortunately the light in Wales is not the best to work under and artificial lighting is a pain, but I do put in an incredible amount of hours during the summer and often start at 5.am to get the best out of early morning light. The other thing of coarse is if there are deadlines required, as it is with some of my illustration work, then I work until the tasks are complete.

AmeriCymru: Do you have a particular message in your work, an effect you want it to create in your audience or does this vary from piece to piece?

Jeff: As I mentioned earlier, I try and tell a story through my artwork and for many years most of my work was in creating paintings to raise awareness of environment issues aimed at primary school level. One of the biggest environmental, educational projects that I created was 'The Wheel of Balance', portable exhibition. It consisted of 2 x 8ft x4ft oil paintings on canvas and 12 painted triangular panels that open out like a Spanish fan and form an 8ft circle. For this project in 2002 I received a Millennium Award and a Life Long Fellowship from the Millennium Commission.

'The Wheel of Balance' ( click to enlarge )

AmeriCymru: Where can our readers find your work online ?

Jeff: Apart from the work that is on AmeriCymu you can see more of my work and read about the many projects that I am involved with on www.class-art-from-the-heart.co.uk and on www.artistjeff.co.uk and also on www.dylanthomasexperience.co.uk www.greenhousevisual.com

AmeriCymru: What's next for Jeff Phillips?

Jeff: I have some exciting projects on the go at the moment and one of them is 'Denzil the Dragonfly's Environmental Journey', an animated, educational DVD. Denzil, was originally designed and written by me for a children's book to raise awareness of environmental issues. However, I was introduced to a web designer and animator, Ben Hannibuss of Greenhouse Visual in March, last year and since then we have been working on the DVD of Denzil, in our spare time. We are hopping to have the pilot film ready for screening by the end of this school term and if it is successful there are other stories I have created that lend themselves to animation, they are 'Toby Toucans Jungle Jeopardy', and 'Bottle Nosed Bob's Bubbles & Troubles'.

'Denzil the Dragonfly' ( Click to enlarge )

AmeriCymru: Any final message for the members and readers of AmeriCymru?

Jeff: Yes, I would just like to say how much I like being able to contact other talented people of Welsh descent, I recently introduced my daughter Donna, to AmericCymru, she is much better at this type of networking than I am. Donna acts as an agent for performing artists, singers, dancers, musicians and actors and since she came on to this site she has already built up good contacts from home and the US, this dose go to show how good a networking site this is.

It only leaves me to wish all staff and members on AmeriCymru a good and prosperous New Year and to say Diolch for now. Jeff

View more of Jeff's work on his AmeriCymru page here:- Jeff Phillips

Interview by Ceri Shaw Email

We are accepting registrations on an ongoing basis and hope to be adding extra hours soon.

Tonights classes are at 5pm ( Pacific ) Intermediate Level and 6pm ( Pacific ) Beginners Level

Here is the registration page:- http://americymru.net/page/how-to-enrol-for-the-americymraeg-online-welsh-course

In response to requests for clarification we are presenting the following notes on the post registration procedure:-

1. If you are on AmeriCymru check for an invite to the AmeriCymraeg course group. This is a private group so you will need an invite. You need to be a member of this group in order to ask course based questions and receive homework assignments. There is no need to rejoin AmeriCymru when you receive a group invite , just join the course group.

2. Make sure you have a Gmail and Google+ account for the weekly classes which are conducted on Hangouts. These only take a minute to sign up for and are completely free. Also check that you have a working mic and webcam as the course sessions are fully audio and video interactive. FINALLY make sure that you provide us with your Gmail address so we can invite you to the hangout. Post Gmail addresses on the course group comment wall.

This may sound like a lot but it only takes a few minutes to set everything up and we promise you it will be well worthwhile....Croeso i AmeriCymraeg

Happy New Year!

Have you made any New Year resolutions? If, like us at Seren, those new resolutions havent quite gone to plan, lets all make one promise together: 'In 2013, we'll read good quality books!

And you dont have to look much further than the Seren forthcoming titles list . Seren fiction starts 2013 with a headlong dive into the tricky but hugely enjoyable world of the short story, with The Scattering - a scintillating first collection from acclaimed Irish author and playwright Jaki McCarrick (March) followed by All the Souls , a haunting collection of tales set in Wales and Brittany, from Aberystwyth author Mary-Ann Constantine (April). Watch out for a wonderful first novel from Francesca Rhydderch (May). Set in Hong Kong in the second World War and post war-West Wales, The Rice Paper Diaries is a story of war told from the edges, and the havoc it wreaks on individual lives.

Seren poetry titles for the first half of 2013 include: Marianne Burton's beautifully intelligent first collection, She Inserts the Key ; a second collection from London-based American poet Kathryn Maris, God Loves You , in which she pointedly subverts religious clich while borrowing formats and tones from scripture.

Other News

Congratulations to two Seren poets on their recent appointments. Judy Brown is the 2013 Poet in Residence for the Wordsworth Trust. Judy won the prestigious Manchester Poetry Prize and her first collection Loudness , was shortlisted for the Forward Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection in 2011 and the Fenton Aldeburgh First Collection Prize. As well as her own work, Judy will be involved in the contemporary literature programme, running the monthly Dove Cottage Poets group, mentoring local poets and acting as a judge in the 2013 Michael Marks Awards. Judy will move into the Wordsworth Trust site in January and her first public appearance as Poet in Residence will be on 26th January, at the Arts and Book Festival. She will offer a Beginners Poetry Workshop and, later, read from her work.

Also, poet Rhian Edwards was recently awarded the Writer in Residency position at Aberystwyth Arts Centre from March to June 2013. Her debut collection Clueless Dogs was shortlisted for the Forward Prize Best First Collection 2012. Rhian also won the John Tripp Award for Spoken Poetry 2011/12.

Beyond the Pampas: In Search of Patagonia by Imogen Rhia Herrad is Waterstones Welsh Book of the Month (Jan 2013). Beyond the Pampas is an entrancing and highly unusual account of a journey to the ends of the earth in search of a dream. Imogen Herrad sets off in search of the descendents of the nineteenth century colony of Welsh settlers in Patagonia, in the deep south of Argentina, and discovers that Welsh-speaking communities, proud of their heritage, still exist there today. She also discovers a country and a way of life hugely different from her European experience.
You can order your copy from the Seren website now .

Tony Conran (1931-2013)

We were saddened to have the news of the death of Tony Conran, at the age of 81. Poet, translator, dramatist, teacher and literary commentator, much of Tony's fifty plus year career was spent at the centre, or perhaps the interface would be a better word, of English and Welsh language cultures. Though he was never afraid to ask the awkward question, or to follow a difficult argument, he was a generous teacher, collaborator and person. His translations from Welsh poetry stretching over a thousand years were landmarks, and testimony to his ability to empathise with writers and writing across centuries of differing experiences and conditions. Tony's own poetry was often demanding, sometimes almost mesmerising in its craft and conviction. He was able to take poetry to more places than most poets in the second half of the twentieth century, as those whose starting point was his truly memorable Elegy for the Welsh Dead, killed in the Falkland Islands would quickly discover. A distinctive writer and critic, his intelligent contribution to the literary life of Wales will be missed.

Forthcoming Titles

Meet the Author

Wednesday 23rd January 2013, 7pm: Rhian Edwards reading from her debut poetry collection Clueless Dogs at the Word 4 Word National Theatre of Wales, Clwb y Bont, 85a Taff Street, Town Centre, Pontypridd, CF37 4SL

Thursday 18th January 2013, 1pm: Art Lunchtime Talk with Tony Curtis, who will be discussing Jonah Jones and the image of writing at the National Museum of Wales.

Thursday 7th February 2013, 7.30pm: First Thursday literary evenings at Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. We celebrate the release of the anthology Newspaper Taxis: Poetry After the Beatles . Editors Phil Bowen and David Woolley will read a select few poems. Also poets featured in the anthology will be reading, including Rhian Edwards.

Sunday 10th February 2013, 12-3.30pm: Self-Portrait with a Pen: themed writing workshop for Coffee-House Poetry at the Troubadour, Earls Court London.

We were sad to see Robin Grossmann, who was editorial assistant for Poetry Wales magazine, leave his post at the beginning of January. Robin is now working at University Wales Press, and we wish him all the best in his new role.

What are the Seren staff up to?

Penny has been trying and failing to avoid the sales. Still no Kindle, but print purchases of The Beloved by Toni Morrison and Midnight's Children , from Burway Books, an independent bookshop based in Church Stretton.

Victoria is detoxing from the festive period and has banned chocolate from the office. Shes also been visiting the Liberty Stadium to watch Swansea, and is eagerly awaiting the 2nd leg of the Capital One Cup game against Chelsea.

Simon has been listening to Beach House, Tame Impala, Grizzly Bear, The Flaming Lips and Do the Pop: Australian Garage-Rock 1976-87 (3 vols).

2013 has been full of new beginnings for Rebecca as she has taken up the role of Editorial Assistant at Robin's departure as well as continuing to work on subscriptions and marketing for Poetry Wales. She also took up the trapeze this month and hopes to fly by the end of the year! She is currently reading: Gossip from the Forest by Sara Maitland and Collages by Anais Nin.

Amy has dived headfirst into 2013, after flu-detour in the first week. Christmas gifts included 'pocket' leather edition of Poems from Keats and Shelley selected by Sidney Carleton Newsom: teacher of English in the manual training High School, Indianapolis, Indiana, and published by Macmillan, New York, 1923. New Year's Resolution: Carry Keats/Shelley for a week instead of ubiquitous digital devices, consult instead of 'twitter'.

Mick has had a sombre start to his reading in 2013, catching up with Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian and Patrick Suskind's Perfume . Suggestions for jollier reading welcomed!

Clancy is currently listening to a lot of Welsh language rock/pop from the late 20th century whilst writing and researching her book on the Sin Roc Gymraeg (Welsh Rock Scene) to be published by Seren next year. She has just finished reading Luke Haines hilarious memoir Post Everything and is now revisiting The Great Gatsby and wishing she was at one of his fabulous parties instead of looking out of the window at the snow.

Poem of the Month

Thirteen in Sixty-Three

We were all thirteen in sixty-three.
Profumo and a Russian spy using the same Marylebone mews.
After Love Me Do came Please Please Me.

From Me to You soon to be MBE.
The man in the mask. Christine Keeler in the news.
We were all thirteen in sixty-three.

Staying up late with TW3.
Stephen Ward picking up the tab the Establishments dues.
After Love Me Do came Please Please Me.

Harold Wilsons white heat of technology.
Macmillan in the mud on the grousemoor in his trews.
We were all thirteen in sixty-three.

Jack Kennedys Promised Land across the sea
From an island full of noises; John Lennon had lit the fuse.
After Love Me Do came Please Please Me.

The Shrimps dress four inches above the knee!
One of the great train robbers on the boat to Santa Cruz.
We were all thirteen in sixty-three.

After Love Me Do came Please Please Me.

Phil Bowen

Taken from the forthcoming anthology Newspaper Taxis: Poetry After The Beatles

Pre-order your copy now

A locally brewed bitter has seen production double since its successful launch in October 2010 and now producers are hoping for a surge in sales as competitors from around the globe descend on Llangollen for the 65 th International Musical Eisteddfod.

Llangollen Bitter, which was brewed and created by Steven and Ynyr Evans of Abbey Brewery, will be available to samples at the brewerys stand on the festival site and purchased in local establishments around the town.

The brewery is sponsoring Folk Friday a vibrant day devoted to British and world folk music on Friday 8 th July. For the first time, a special line-up of folk artists will entertain crowds gathering on the field. The programme aims to compliment the competitive performers drawn from around the world.

Ynyr Evans says: Were thrilled with the response to Llangollen Bitter since it was launched at the end of last year and hope that it continues to grow and grow. The beverage will be available throughout the week on the field and at Llangollens pubs but it could also be the perfect accompaniment to Folk Fridays entertainment.

Mervyn Cousins, Chief Executive of the Eisteddfod, adds: This Eisteddfod is able to continue each year and attract competitors from all over the world thanks to the support and generosity of local businesses, like Llangollen Bitter. Were thrilled that theyre supporting the festivals latest addition, Folk Friday. Were hoping the line-up, which includes Mabon and the Cornish Shantymen, appeals to folk lovers who may want an early start to their weekend at the International Eisteddfod.

Tickets for Folk Friday can be purchased in advance via the ticket hotline on 01978 862001 or on the website www.llangollen2011.co.uk Alternatively, tickets will also be available at the entrance gates.