DIEITHRYN CYFEILLGAR | FAMILIAR STRANGER
Kevin was born in 1947, the youngest of 16 siblings, in Sarn in the valleys of South Wales. These valleys have been one of the central elements of his work. A stage for the everyday human dramas he presents.
For over 40 years he has been exhibiting in Wales, the UK and Internationally. He is one of the Country's most beloved and successful artists and his work appears in the collections of some of the world's most important galleries and museums. This show will be his final, exquisite exhibition for us.
The reasons for his popularity are many and clear.
Kevin's work celebrates joy and love. His people are full of feeling and desire. They dance and jump. They fling themselves through the air and run across the hillsides, hollering. They have history and stories to tell. All around there is colour and clamour. And desire.
He is a master storyteller. His mark-making and palette are bold and uninhibited, but his intentions are clear and precise. He illuminates his subjects. He catches their moods, emotions and intentions vividly. They can be noble or tragic or foolish. He plays with time, blending recollections and the present with insight and humour.
The valleys become a place of light and freedom, a place for adventure and exploration. All this energy and drive pours from the work, but there is tenderness too, and eloquence. Kevin likes to ambush us with moments of peace and revelation.
These paintings spark recognition, and they move people. Kevin understands us: our triumphs and doubts, our foibles and our little lies. His perceptiveness always comes with understanding and benevolence. Feel the joy- the wonder of being here and being alive.
Life is a dance!