AmeriCymru: Hi Peter and many thanks for agreeing to talk to AmeriCymru. Many of
our members and readers are fans of your original artwork for Wales
Ireland Design. Can you tell us how the project got started?
Peter:
Hi Ceri, thanks for having me here. The positive response to the
designs in my store has been gratifying. I began Wales Ireland Design as
one outlet for my design skills, apart from the commercial work I do as
a living. I trained as a fine artist and work as a commercial artist,
and the two are sometimes in conflict. In particular I wanted a place
where I was the client, where I decided whether something was good and
was worth doing. I actually run two stores, with another called Ragged
Beggar Designs. This second store encompasses everything that doesn't
have a Celtic element. So far I have concentrated on creating graphic
designs that are suitable for printing on a variety of products. Soon I
expect to begin creating more fine art drawn from celtic myth as I find
ways to approach the classic tales of Wales in an abstract fashion, not
literal illustration, which is, I think, a modern approach to an age-old
theme.
Wales and Ireland are two parts of my family heritage, but few in my
family were interested in family history. I had to spend quite some time
in tracing my genealogy to get a sense of how these countries figured
in my own history. How did things conspire to place me in CT in the
20th century? It's a personal search of interest to some and not to
others. I was inspired by my childhood readings of Celtic myths and of
stories inspired by Welsh myth, especially the books of Lloyd Alexander.
His six book series for children, drawn from Welsh myth, features an
Oracular Pig and a hero named Taran and another character, a bard,
Fflewddur Fflamand and, of course, a princess Eilonwy. In his stories, I
was thrilled to recognize variations my own name. For the first time I
realized I had a history, and it was connected to Wales. The stories of
the Ulster cycle and Cuchulain were also a big influence. I read works
by James Campbell, particularly "The Hero With A thousand Faces" and was
very struck with the universality of much myth. Also influencing me was
"The White Goddess" by Robert Graves, which is an attempt to understand
the mystery religion aspects of Taliesan's poetry and decode the
meaning of the mysterious poem "The Battle of the Trees". It is an
attempt to understand creation as an act of poetry, which I saw as a
view at the heart of Celtic spirituality. After decades as an artist I
am only now coming to a point where I would consider painting that poem,
in an abstract fashion, and tackling other Welsh myths in a modern
painterly style, not so much as an illustration of a scene.
While
traditional celtic design motifs are the starting point for many of my
designs, I also realize that Wales and Ireland are modern countries that
have modern identities. As time goes on I hope to produce more designs
leaning towards a modern perspective. I am fascinated by history though
and have tried designs based on such things as Pibgorns and The Coracle
Man, but perhaps the general public isn't as intrigued as I by coracles!
I've tried my hand at building a pibgorn (difficult to tune) and a
coracle is to come.
AmeriCymru: In particular AmeriCymru members will be familiar with your recent St David's Day card design. What inspired it? Are we talking Austin Powers
here?
Peter: That card was a lot of fun. I was playing around with a humorous
approach to that ubiquitous symbol of Wales and ideas that might be
useful for next years Eisteddfod, and realized I needed to think in a
more modern and fun direction. LA, land of fun cars, shades, and
hedonism, was the obvious inspiration. I'm a fan of sports cars and had
been looking for a bug eye Sprite or similar for a restoration project.
(I only have 9 hobbies and clearly needed a 10th). This drawing was
very different from my usual approach and I hope it will prove useful in
keeping things modern and humorous. I'm a big believer in keeping the
past and present firmly in touch. As Utah Phillips (and Faulkner) said,
"the past didn't go anywhere, the past is right here". And in Wales,
awareness of the past seems to greatly inform the present, unlike LA. I
like the idea of an age-old symbol put in modern dress.
AmeriCymru: What part do the ancient Celtic myths and legends play in your creative inspiration?
Peter: There is an edition of the Tain Bo Cuailnge (the great Irish story cycle) that has illustrations by Louis le Brocquy. (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Here
is another example, the approach of the giant Bendigeidfran (Bran the
Blessed) and the Ships of the Island of the Mighty as they approach the
warriors of Ireland.
For
now I work with landscape in a way that similarly brings it alive and
exploding. Another concern is the place of landscape in the stories. In
Wales especially landscape and the spirit of places plays a large role
in folk tales. Landscape is my preferred subject when I'm painting,
drawing or printmaking. I'm collecting material to help in a series of
prints on the landscape of the Welsh mountains and valleys. In regard
to Ireland I often think of the villages, but in regard to Wales I think
of the land itself. To be there would be best, but working from
pictures and imagination can also give good results.
The
place of ancient myth in modern identity is also an issue. I was
trained as post-modern artist in a school that stressed social issues.
I'm accustomed to think about art in terms of the issues it addresses.
Modern identities are one such issue. When I work with celtic motifs or
Welsh landscape or read Welsh poetry, another great favorite, I am
reaffirming my own chosen identification with Wales, and with Ireland.
Being an American mutt with numerous family ties, identity is a choice
among possibilities, a choice about which history and culture speaks to
me inwardly. In that sense setting up Wales Ireland Design was a means
to establish a connection that I wanted to encourage. Whether Wales
wants me or not is another question, but the fact that these celtic
myths spoke to me as a child tells me that this is a connection I should
make an effort to explore and to maintain. Identity plays a large role
in celtic myths, often hidden identities that must be guessed, of the
Who Am I variety, and refusals to give one's identity. The development
of these stories into collections with modern names such as the
Mabinogion are part of the development of Welsh identity, and my
illustration of them becomes part of my identity. Even phrases like "As
Long As We Beat The English" play their part in the creation of a
cohesive modern identity. Choosing what parts to embrace helps negotiate
my own American and Celtic and Welsh identity. (My French ancestors
from Montenegro or my Russian ancestors from Poland and Latvia might
disagree with my choices!)
In
some Welsh folktales the faerie world and the real world exist next to
each other, indeed occupy the same space at the same time. There is the
story of the farmer whose back door is opening onto a faerie town and is
getting in their way, even though he can't see it. So the sense of
place and the spirit of a place are of utmost importance. These
feelings inform my approach to painting a living landscape where even
the rocks live. See this example below.
AmeriCymru: Is there a large market for Welsh design motifs in the US?
Peter: In
America, at least, the Irish seem to own the idea of Celticism. I've
found that few people actually know much about Wales. I'd like to help
reclaim that Celtic identity for the Welsh in the popular imagination,
and put them on the same footing as the Irish in terms of popular appeal
and knowledge. Of course I'm also proud of my Irish heritage, which
was my mother's, but they haven't cornered the market on all things
Celtic. The largest market, in general, is for Irish merchandise, much
of it in the "Kiss Me I'm Irish" variety. I'm trying to do something a
bit more sophisticated than that. I'd like people to come to understand
that Irish music, dance, etc. has Welsh counterparts, and the Celtic
aspects of modern Ireland are echoed in similar Welsh aspects. Irish and
Welsh folktales are echoes of each other. So raising awareness of Welsh
Celticism is an important part of my own marketing.
I
also have to try to find what people are drawn to. And in Wales it is
often rugby. With the Wales-France game about to start as I write,
rugby shirts are popular. Popular events such as the West Coast
Eisteddfod can help raise awareness of the sheer fun aspects of
Welshness, and having fun is an important part of any marketing. It's
not all hymn singing. Whiskey, poetry and fighting have their place,
just as they do for the Irish. Luckily I can sell all over the world
through an internet store, and the Welsh have set roots in many
countries. Expanding the idea of what a welsh motif is is part of the
challenge. It has to go beyond tall hats and sheep to extend it's reach
to a wider audience. At my local gym I wear a Welsh shirt to exercise as
there are already five guys wearing Irish shirts. Show the colors as it
were.
AmeriCymru: If you could visit Wales tomorrow where would you like to go and why?
Peter: Send
me to Snowden, and the Preseli hills. I would love to hike and sketch
in the high country. Being a musician, I would have to check out the
Cardiff music scene, both for modern rock and traditional music,
wherever I find it. I've been trying (with small success) to learn some
Welsh, so I'd want to spend some time in a Welsh course. Having an
interest in boatbuilding I'd like to visit a folklife center and see a
coracle being built, and visit Evans Boatworks in Pembrokeshire where
they build wooden boats. I'd also like to tour the healing wells around
the country, waterfalls (a favorite for drawing) and such historical
sights as the castles, Hedd Wyn's home, and Dylan Thomas' home.
AmeriCymru: Where should people go online to find your work?
Peter: Here are URLS for my webs stores: http://www.zazzle.com/
AmeriCymru: What's next for Peter Lewis?
Peter: This
summer I will be building a small studio in the backyard. I haven't had
a dedicated studio for some time. This will greatly help me spend more
time on the fine art aspects of my work, the printmaking and drawing and
painting, as opposed to the design work which is done mostly on a
computer in my office. I plan some woodcut prints of waterfalls, and
also some landscape etchings, both locally and perhaps of Snowdon drawn
from photographs. My own New England landscape is a great favorite for
landscape paintings. But aside from landscape I want to work on images
drawn from stories, such as the Children of Llyr cycle. I continually
add new products to my web store. I just added a Ddraig Goch pillow and
some tea towels. More to come!
AmeriCymru: Any final message for the readers and members of AmeriCymru?
Peter: My
thanks for the continuing support of Americymru members. Keep
supporting all the cultural elements that uniquely say Wales. And
proudly wear your Wales t shirt to your local Irish festivals. We're
fighting cousins after all, and can probably outdrink them (except for
the Methodists who could probably outsing them). (Now I'll have to
promise Mom to wear an Irish t shirt sometimes for equal time!)
Seriously, raising the cultural awareness of Wales in this country can
only help the musicians and poets who can come here and share their
skills with us, and help extend the folk culture into modern times.
