Portrait of the wood engraver ……

I don’t venture out today until the early evening. We’ve been invited to the preview of Ffin y Parc’s latest exhibition - wood engravings by Colin See-Paynton, primarily those forming an exquisite book illustrating the collective nouns for various birds. 

I know from the catalogue that I will want to buy one - and G says this can be my birthday present - but the question is which one to go for; they’re all so intricately beautiful and detailed. 

So glass of fizz in hand, we wander round the gallery space - our first visit since they’ve moved from rural Conwy to the heart of Llandudno and a beautifully restored and decorated Victorian villa. We hadn’t realised that the man himself would be there, chatting to the invited guests. He’s a wonderfully colourful character - long flowing pure-white hair and beard, flamboyant gold bow tie and waistcoat - and is both animated and relaxed in answering all our questions. He holds a woodblock in his hands - the one for Covert of Coots. It’s a tiny 15x20cm, and the detail is incredible. Ripples, fish, dragonflies, reeds - as well as the coots themselves of course. I hold it - tropical lemon wood, hard and dense and heavy, its engraved surface ink black. He then hands me a much smaller block of boxwood, as yet unmarked, but the size he’ll use for his even smaller 5x5cm pieces. 

I ask him if he minds me taking photographs, and he’s quite happy for me to do so; and so I spend a few very happy minutes wandering amongst the crowds taking informal shots of his interactions with the gallery guests who are all both fascinated and in awe of his skills. 

It will come as no surprise that we leave without making a decision. I’m now too tired to think, and so we go intending to return in the morning. 

Here’s the link to his website if you’re interested - in the video he talks about the seasonal hare series.  http://www.see-paynton.co.uk/index.html


Postscript: we return as promised, bumping into Colin See-Paynton who is now off home. I show him the photos and he seems to like them, asking me to send them on to him which we do. And finally I decide; I’m very tempted by the coots (and the bitterns, and the wrens and the guillemots …….) but in the end the winner is a larger print from an earlier four season series of hares with birds entitled ‘Autumn on the Breeze.’ I suspect it may later be joined by another one …..

As for deciding on my blip …… well that’s another story! Yes, there are extras, including one of my actual purchase, though it won’t join us at home until the end of April when the exhibition ends.