'I returned
to live in Pembrokeshire from London in 1976 full of good intentions to
establish myself as an artist.
It didn't
happen. Responsibilities necessitated falling back on my training and experience
as a graphic designer to make a realistic living. In January 2000 I suddenly
realised that, apart from entering the new millenium, I was past 50 and
had very little to show for my own personal creative aspirations. I
produced a picture of Pentre Ifan, got the bug and began working with a
frenzy. Five years later I have produced a substantial body of work and
held 11 solo and shared exhibitions.
My pictures
are very representational and detailed. I work in a mixture of media that
includes chalk pastel, watercolour, ink and gouache. But predominantly
I work in coloured pencil (soluble and otherwise). This gives me an enormous
amount of control over the marks I make to acheive the high degree
of detail that features significantly in my work.
I will
draw anything that interests me visually. My main source of inspiration
is, quite simply, the coast and countryside of Pembrokeshire but in particular
the superb estuarine scenery around Llangwm, where I live.
I have
not set out to make any profound or pretentious artistic statements, simply
to recreate as accurately as I can within the limitations of my ability
and the media I use, exactly what I see that strikes a chord. A combination
of photographs, visual memories, notes and sketches provides the reference
and a little occasional artistic licence help to complete the picture.'
Graham
Brace was born in Hakin, Milford Haven, in 1949 and educated at Milford
Haven Grammar School. He studied Graphic Design and Advertising Art at
Cardiff College of Art from 1966 to 1969 immediately after which he worked
in the advertising and design industry in London before returning to Pembrokeshire
in 1976 to establish a graphic design and advertising business in
Haverfordwest. In 1988 he formed a partnership with fellow graphic designer,
Tim Harvatt (Brace Harvatt Associates) and in 1999 they merged the partnership
with CIT Printing Services in Merlins Bridge. In December 2003 Graham left
the company to work full time as an artist.
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