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

Win Original Artwork By Welsh Artist Jeff Phillips

AmeriCymru is pleased and proud to announce that Welsh artist and illustrator Jeff Phillips is donating a series of original artworks to help raise money for the 2011 West Coast Eisteddfod in L.A.. We'll let Jeff expalin a little more about the project in his own words:-

"As part of a project that I am involved with in the setting up of a new travel group using Welsh stars and Icons birth places as visiting sites, it has fallen on me to create a series of portrait drawings for our brochures and fliers. As with this type of work once the artwork is scanned in and put onto disc, the original artwork is discarded and is usually filed away in one of my port folios' never again to see the light of day.

However this time I thought I could donate all the original artwork for auction prizes to raise funds for a good cause and I think that the West Coast Eisteddfod is a very worthy cause.

Each Drawing is in Pencil on art card size A4 / Each will be in it's own mount to fit a frame size of 14ins x 11ins / They will be individually packed in a cellophane sleeve, that will also contain a signed printed Biography sheet and a certificate of authenticity. I am targeting 30 images altogether ."

More of Jeff's work can be seen on his website , on his AmeriCymru home page and on the Dlyan Thomas Experience site.

If you would like a chance to win these unique works of art please click on the Donate button on the AmeriCymru home page ( left hand column near the top ) and donate whatever you can afford for the West Coast Eisteddfod 2011. Every dollar you give entitles you to one chance in the prize draw which will take place at the Eisteddfod in L.A. in September this year. All donations go to the Meriwether Lewis Memorial Eisteddfod Foundation and are tax deductible in the USA.

Find more photos like this on Americymru

About Jeff Phillips

Environmental and Swansea Community Artist an accomplished portrait artist and illustrator. I am a professional artist with over twenty five years experience and have built up an extensive portfolio of art work. On 23rd November 2001 I received a life long fellowship for my millennium award winning project “The Wheel of Balance”, to Spain where I delivered a series of talks to the students at the Torrevieja institute and at local schools in the Alicante Province. Using “The Wheel”, and other paintings. I have developed exciting and thought provoking environmental art workshops, working in schools with children of all ages and youth groups. This work lead to me to writing my own fantasy book ' Return To Annwn ', with thirty full colour illistrations the book is currently being turned into a script by Dan, Leighton and Ben for a young London Director Resul Keech film school. Jeff has also started a new business ' The Dylan Thomas Experience ', travel group, with Swansea Businessman Mike Leahy and Alan Maggs. I am also now working on an animated, environmental, educational DVD 'Denzil the Dragonfly's Environmental Journey', to know more about this project go to www.artistjeff.co.uk

Website:

 

http://www.dylanthomasexperience.co.uk

New Golf Joke Book in time for Ryder Cup

It is well known that Wales is primarily a rugby nation, but golf is becoming increasingly popular. A collection of anecdotes, jokes and humorous tales relating to the golfing world will be published this week. Golfing Jokes by Dilwyn Phillips, covers the subjects of Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden, Titters on the tee, Fourballs, Mixed Fours, Caddies, the 19th Hole and some general facts and fiction. Tiger Woods obviously gets a mention! Many of Wales’s rugby heroes play golf, and the sport is set to attract more interest with the Ryder Cup coming to the Celtic Manor Resort later on this year. Author Dilwyn Phillips has unearthed jokes covering all aspects of the game. He says, “These DIY golf books usually cancel each other out. One book tells you to keep your eye on the ball, the next says not to bother. Personally, I have a much better idea: ditch the teach-yourself books and have a titter on the tee with this one. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did collecting the stories from my golfing pals.” Dilwyn, who hails from Pontarddulais in south Wales, now lives in Los Montesinos, Spain and enjoys a round or two of golf and beer. He is the author of several best-selling joke books. Golfing Jokes (£3.95) will be released by Y Lolfa on Monday the 5th of July and is available in book shops and on www.ylolfa.com.

Ten Questions With Dilwyn Jeffrey Phillips - Welsh Author and Humorist

Dilwyn Phillips:-"Dilwyn was brought up in Pontarddulais and attended Pontardawe Grammar School. He has lived in Llandrindod, Machynlleth, Aberaeron and Talybont, Ceredigion. Many of his jokes derive from his experience as a civil engineer, teacher and salesman." Americymru: You have published 4 collections of Welsh jokes and humorous stories. How do you go about collecting material for your books? Dilwyn: It really started with me always keeping a few jokes up my sleeve for use in after dinner speeches or similar.  Over the years I managed to collect many jokes which I saved.  Whilst working for Y Lolfa, (as a Sales Manager) during one of our regular meetings we were asked for suggestions for topics in the ‘Its Wales, series’.  I suggested Welsh Jokes and was asked if I would like to write a book. I obviously didn’t have enough material to complete the first book initially, but when friends, relatives and colleagues realised that I was collecting material I was inundated with anecdotes and stories that they had heard or been told. Incidentally I have had 5 books published, but due to the content of one I used a pseudonym, however, after people read the first joke and noted the style I was found out. Americymru: Do you think that there is such a thing as a specifically Welsh joke? What if anything distinguishes the Welsh sense of humour from others? Dilwyn: I don’t think there is a specifically Welsh joke, only that almost any joke can be adapted by using names and localities that are specific to different parts of Wales. I believe that the Welsh have the ability to laugh at themselves and are not offended at references to their shortcomings and do not seemed bothered about political correctness, similar comparisons can be made to other Celtic races, i.e., the Irish and Scots. Americymru: Gwyn Thomas is famous for observing that "There are still parts of Wales where the only concession to gaiety is a striped shroud." Do you think Wales has changed at all since Gwyn's time? Dilwyn: Obviously Gwyn Thomas is talking of a different era and I would agree that in those days of hardship he may well have been right.  From my own experiences as a child and young adult growing up in a mining community this didn’t seem to be the case. Americymru: You were born in Pontarddulais ( South Wales ) but lived at various times in Machynlleth, Aberaeron and Talybont ( Mid and North Wales ). What cultural differences did you note between North and South Wales? Were these reflected in the humour of the different regions? Dilwyn: With integration through education and work there doesn’t seem to be any noticable cultural differences.  There has always been a great deal of jovial banter between the ‘Gogs’ and the ‘Boyos’!  There isn’t  a noticeable difference in the humour between the regions. Americymru: You worked once as a teacher. Having had some experience of teaching in Wales myself, would you say that a sense of humour is an essential prerequisite for anyone taking up the profession in Wales? How much of the material in your books was gleaned during your time at the 'chalkface' or how much of it relates to your experience as a teacher? Dilwyn: During my teaching practice I was told that every teacher should not be ashamed to be a clown and to make a fool of oneself in jest.  If anything happened I always tried to turn it into a joke and this did gain the respect of the children. Most of the material regarding education has been passed on to me, however, there is the odd incident during my teaching career which has been used in the books. Americymru: You also worked as a salesman. Care to tell us more about your experiences in those days? Dilwyn: This was a job I took in retirement and allowed me to travel all over Wales and meet many of the characters depicted in the books. Americymru: You were also a civil engineer. What kind of projects did you work on? Dilwyn: I worked on the Heads of the Valleys Road, Corby Steel Works, Gower Sewage Schemes and the Trostre Steel Works.  I then joined Local Government as an Engineer. Americymru: What prompted your retirement to Spain? Was it mainly the lousy weather back home? Dilwyn: I retired to Spain to start a new life with my new wife, who as a retired Nurse, contributed to the Hospital Jokes Book?  The weather was a major influence in our decision also the Costa Brava is the healthiest area in Spain, according to WHO, due to the abundance of Salt Lakes. Americymru: Do you have any further books planned? Dilwyn: Yes, I have submitted 4 books for publication and have been informed that Golfing Jokes will be published before the next Ryder Cup, which you are most probably aware, is being held at the Celtic Manor Resort in Wales. Americymru: Any final message for the members and readers of Americymru? I quote from my last published book. Dilwyn: ‘Laughter can reduce stress, boost your immune system, help reduce your blood pressure and exercise certain muscles. If you are looking for a quick way to work out, Laugh!’ Some of the jokes I have contributed to the Humour section of Americymru, but don’t let this stop you from purchasing any of the books. They can be bought online directly from the publishers at www.ylolfa.com The titles are Welsh Jokes, Celtic Jokes, More Welsh Jokes, Welsh XXX Jokes and Hospital Jokes. SAMPLE JOKE It was a hot Saturday evening in the summer of 1961, and Ianto had a date with Myfanwy. He arrived at her house and rang the bell. 'Oh, come on in!' Myfanwy’s mother said as she welcomed Ianto in. 'Have a seat in the living room. Would you like something to drink? Lemonade? Iced tea?' 'Iced tea, please,' Ianto replied. Myfanwy’s mother brought the iced tea. 'So, what are you and Myfanwy planning to do tonight?' she asked. 'Oh, probably catch a movie, and then maybe grab a bite to eat at the fish and chip shop, maybe take a walk on the beach..' 'Myfanwy likes to screw, you know,' her mother informed him. 'Really?' Ianto replied, his eyebrows rising. 'Oh yes,' the mother continued, 'When she goes out with her friends, that's all they do! Screw, again and again!!' 'Is that so?' asked Ianto, incredulous. 'Yes,' said the mother. 'As a matter of fact, she'd screw all night if we let her!' 'Well, thanks for the tip!' Ianto said as he began thinking about alternate plans for the evening. A moment later, Myfanwy came down the stairs looking pretty as a picture, wearing a pink blouse and a hooped skirt, and with her hair tied back in a bouncy ponytail. She greeted Ianto. 'Have fun, kids!' the mother said as they left. Two hours later, a completely dishevelled Myfanwy burst into the house and slammed the front door behind her. 'The Twist, Mam!' she angrily yelled to her mother in the kitchen. 'The f***ing dance is called the Twist!!! Did you know that laughter can reduce stress, boost your immune system, help reduce your blood pressure, and exercise certain muscles? 'Hospital Jokes' by Dilwyn Jeffrey Phillips Find more Welsh humor and Welsh jokes on AmeriCymru

Doctor, Doctor, I Can’t Stop Laughing!

Welsh comic author Dilwyn Phillips has just published a collection of humorous medical anecdotes. Hospital Jokes, published by Y Lolfa, covers all aspects of hospital humour from “doctor, doctor” jokes to a whole chapter on viagra. Dilwyn Phillips, author of many similar books believes that humour is an antidote to many conditions and that reading this book may be a drug free way of alleviating stress, boosting your immune system, and may even help towards managing certain physical conditions whilst exercising various muscles.

Dilwyn Phillips, who hails from Pontarddulais in South Wales , but now lives in Los Montesinos Spain , said “I’ve spent days on end on hospital beds and it’s always great to have something easy to read. I’m convinced that this book taken 3 times a day with the medicines and treatments will put you into a good mood and help get you out of that hospital bed in no time.”

Dilwyn is married to a retired nurse and credits many of the anecdotes, stories and observations included in this book to her. Hospital Jokes, an ideal “get better soon” gift, is available on Y Lolfa’s website www.ylolfa.com for only £3.95. ($6.00 approx )

Announcement: Eluned Phillips (27 October 1914 – 10 January 2009) Memorial Service at the Welsh Church in Los Angeles

"This Great Welshwoman was born in Cenarth,on the same day that Dylan Thomas was born in Swansea. She knew Dylan well, but did not number him among her close friends. Her friends included Augustus John, Pablo Picasso and that fantastic French singer, Edith Piaf. Her autobiography The Reluctant Redhead relates the story of her unusual upbringing in west Wales, and her periods in London, Paris, USA and Patagonia. She died of pneumonia aged 94 at Glangwili Hospital in Camarthen. At the time of her death she was the oldest member of the Gorsedd of Bards. Being also the only woman to win the bardic crown at the National Eisteddfod of Wales twice, a feat she accomplished in 1967 at Bala and 1983 at Llangefni. There may be a Memorial Service for her at the Welsh Church in Los Angeles. For more details please contact Caroline Roper-Deyo cariadcaroline@yahoo.com"

Diolch yn fawr to Michael Barnes of BritishSocialNews.com for this information.