Deborah Gillingham. The Welsh Girls:
"The paintings are inspired by my introduction to Wales in the early 1980s. At that time I was working on dramas for the new Welsh language TV channel S4C. I re-created many period, rural Welsh kitchens and homes. I also travelled the countryside looking for suitable locations, and on one of those visits, I met Mrs Jones.
A beautiful miniature valley with small stream and a smattering of buildings. No road access. I walked down the hill. Mrs Jones chased me off her land in no uncertain terms, shouting Welsh and shaking her fist. I persevered and despite the fact we have nothing in common and such entirely different lives, we became very firm friends.
Mrs Jones represents a whole host of very hard-working, stoic, older Welsh women surviving on their small holdings with their livestock, grafting away without any modern facilities.
Also working with us were younger Welsh women, equally hard-working, but crazy, crazy girls, they partied harder than anyone I had ever met in my life.
These paintings are an affectionate celebration of my early encounters with Welsh women."
Deborah trained at Chelsea School of Arts from 1974 to 1978 leaving with a first class BA Fine Art Hons. A postgraduate course at the National Film School was followed by 15 years working as a designer in the British Film & Television industry.
Wanting to be more home-based in order to spend time with her daughter, she transferred her design skills to gardens, working as a landscape designer until moving to Hay ten years ago.
Throughout her working career painting was restricted to holidays, but finally, in Hay, she was able to revisit her first love - painting.
