An Interview With Chris Keil - Author of 'Flirting At The Funeral

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN MOVED TO

 THE WELSH AMERICAN BOOKSTORE

AN INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS KEIL - AUTHOR OF FLIRTING AT THE FUNERAL

An Interview With Welsh Buddhist Publisher o-Dzin Tridral ( Aro Books Worldwide )

In this interview AmeriCymru talks to o-Dzin Tridral, founder and owner of Aro Books Worldwide, a Welsh printing press specializing in publishing works in the Aro Tradition of Nyingma Buddhism.

Aro Books Worldwide

Aro Books on the AmeriCymru Bookstore

An Interview With Jeff Phillips - Welsh Artist & Illustrator

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:-

Jeff Phillips at 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

David Garland Jones - The Man, The Legend - A Christmas Interview

For our special Christmas interview this year AmeriCymru spoke to David Garland Jones - Welsh living legend, Actor, Guru, Raconteur,  Poet and future Penderyn Whiskey, Welshman of The Year 2010. David took this opportunity to introduce a selection of his groundbreaking work on YouTube. He would also like to  wish all our readers Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda! 

Americymru:  Who IS David Garland Jones?

David: He… (or should that be ‘I’. Think I’ll go with I… but then ‘I am an actor…’ sounds a bit grand and pompous). Ok, have another shot of Penderyn’s Finest Welsh Whiskey… I (cue fanfare), am an actor, guru, raconteur, poet, and latterly male model and YouTube phenomenon. I was born on the grubby fringes of Port Talbot, South Wales in 1962. ‘Anthony Hopkins, Ivor Emmanuel, Michael Sheen, Richard Burton, David Garland Jones… what other town ever produced such a quinvirate of acting talent?’ as the Port Talbot Guardian (now sadly defunct) put it. A potted history of my life featuring Michael Sheen (as well as Brothers & Sisters’ Matthew Rhys) and can be found here: 

Roger Garrick - 'The Acting Guru's Acting Guru'

Americymru:  What was your first big break and how did you come to star in so many groundbreaking roles on YouTube?

David: I realised that to reach an audience I needed two things: I needed a small cheap camera (for any nerds out there I use a Flip video camera and the Power Director 7 editing suite). Three things. I needed three things. The above two things and an amiable presence to hold the camera and do all the technical stuff. So I enlisted my brother Jake. As I produce the films actually getting the leading role in them isn’t so difficult. I was up against Rhys Ifans for the lead role in my epic, Grand Theft Actor, but he didn’t return my call so I stepped in.

Grand Theft Actor (Spoof)

Americymru:  Has fame changed you?

David: No. There are still holes in my socks, but there are still dreams in my soul. One change is that I have started acting as a guru to younger actors… though in the case of Jonny Hollywood I encountered a few difficulties.

Ep 11. David Garland Jones - 'Jonny Hollywood's The Kiddie'

I also have a number one fan/stalker…

Sandra Bolton No.1 Fan

Americymru:  What is the current supply situation with 'David Garland Jones In A Can'? Will you be continuing this line after the holiday season?

David: Sales have been better than expected especially since our US rep, Mr Iain Sewell has been appointed. I may become the first actor who breaks America in ‘can’ form. In the UK there have been reports that fake DGJIAC (for short) have been seen in marketplaces alongside fake Prada, Gucci and Calvin Klein handbags. There have been reports of other actors crudely jumping the bandwagon, or can-wagon if you prefer, e.g. I’ve heard that the light entertainer, Rob Brydon, is bringing out ‘Bob In A Bag’.

DGJ In A Can #1 - 'Advert' (Spoof)

Americymru:  Many of our readers have asked what really happened at the Damian Dark audition. Care to elaborate?

David: Let’s just say that there is now a legally enforced exclusion zone around the BBC in Cardiff which I am not allowed to enter:

Ep 6. David Garland Jones - My Name Is Damian Dark

However, I did manage a brief live appearance there:

David Garland Jones Live At The BBC

Americymru:  Does David Garland Jones have any future plans for live stage appearances after the triumph at the Goldie Lookin Chain concert last year? Can you tell us how that appearance came about?

David: It was all down to Jay-Z and Alisha Keys. Thanks guys! They recorded a song called ‘New York’ which was then appropriated by some Londoners and re-recorded as ‘New-port’. However, it quickly emerged that they had never been to Newport. I was in a bar one evening and someone suggested that I did a song called ‘Ain’t Seen Ruthin Yet’ based on the classic Bachman-Turner Overdrive song ‘Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet’ as I had never been to Ruthin. My brother Jake downloaded the karaoke track, I sang it and the rest as they say is history. To date it’s had over 31,251 hits. So thanks Jay-z and Alisha, if you’re ever in Treforest please pop in.

Ain't Seen Ruthin Yet (Spoof)

But here’s some more history – Newport’s finest Goldie Lookin Chain then recorded their own version of ‘New-port’ then spotted the ‘Ruthin’ track and went on Sky News and mentioned it…

Goldie Lookin Chain plug 'Ain't Seen Ruthin Yet' on Sky News

A relationship developed and they kindly asked me to appear with them at their big Ryder Cup gig… Which I’d rather not talk about, what with the booing and the heckling and the breakdown I suffered afterwards…

'Who Are You? Who Are You?' - DGJ & Goldie Lookin Chain live in Newport

(However, if I was asked to perform it again I would remember the pink suitcase air guitar solo…)

Americymru:  More 'spoofs' along the lines of 'Aint seen Ruthin Yet' have been promised but I notice that Pontypool was not on the list. Is that because it's hard to rhyme or is there some other, more sinister, reason?

David: Someone suggested Little Jimmy Osmond’s ‘Long Haired Lover From Pontypool’ (formerly Liverpool) but it’s not even funny when you read it, let alone when you try to sing it. There will be a video in February featuring 12 of the best, ‘Spoof Songs With Welsh Place Names In The Titles’. Some of my favourites include Boston’s ‘More Than Rhydfelin’, KD Laing’s ‘Constant Aber-craving’ and my personal favourite, Odyssey’s ‘How ‘Bout Usk’.

Americymru:  You're a shoe-in for Penderyn 2010 Welshman of The Year, what will you do when you win?

David: Not a shoe-in, or even a shoo-in. I will need the votes of my Americymru friends first. Can I just mention that Penderyn’s Whiskey is the finest whiskey and the drink of kings. When, or indeed ‘if’ I win, I will run naked down the lanes of Treforest … ah, already done that.

M.A.D. - Mothers Against David

Americymru:  After your principled stand on cigarette smoking did you succeed in getting any sponsorship money from Big Tobacco?

David: Interestingly the pro-smoking lobby group FOREST regularly blog about my work. Did they not realise that this video is actually anti-smoking? And no. No sponsorship. Nothing at all.

David's Quickies No. 7 - Cigarette Trick

Americymru:  What's next for David Garland Jones? Any plans to visit the US?

David: I would love to visit the US. I have a live show which includes performing Under Milk Wood in mime. This went down really well at Treorchy Rugby Club where Max Boyce famously made his name:

Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood... In Mime

Americymru:  Any messages for the members of AmeriCymru and your other fans?

David: I am an internet pioneer. Like all the great pioneers of yore I am badly dressed, ill-prepared and lacking funds. However, I am not asking for clothing, skis or money. I simply ask that you keep watching my videos, subscribe to my Youtube channel and pass the links on to your more sophisticated and cultured friends. Have a lovely Yuletide weekend and an inspiring and theatrical 2011!

www.davidgarlandjones.com 

www.youtube.com/davidgarlandjones

The Latest From David Garland Jones 'The Man In A Can' - Live in Aberdare