A North Wales photo artist is looking for volunteer nude models to brave the Welsh elements and enhance his stunning landscape images.
Photographer Glyn Davies in his Menai Bridge studio
Mountaineer and surfer Glyn Davies, who runs his own gallery in Menai Bridge, on Anglesey, is set to exhibit his collection of nudes in nature as part of Anglesey Open Studios Weeks.
A taster display of his work will go on show at his gallery in Bridge Street when the event opens for a fortnight on Saturday, April 12, ahead of a major exhibition at Oriel Ynys Mon, in Llangefni, this summer.
He already has an impressive selection of photographs but wants to do more and is keen to encourage more amateur models to come forward – particularly men.
He said: “It has been quite a struggle to find models willing to climb to the summit of a mountain and then strip off and bare their bodies to the elements and their souls to my camera.
“But I think they almost all found it quite liberating to be honest. You can’t see the face of the models in the majority of the images and that helps protect the identity as some are local but also, it isn’t portrait photography, the model is there to compliment the landscape.
“The biggest problem I have is getting male models. The majority of men just don’t seem as liberated, or uninhibited, as women.
“It’s important the model is slim so they look fragile, although I did use a heavily pregnant woman for one image as it worked really well.
“I have even found new models after they viewed some of the images and then approached me to volunteer.
“That’s really pleasing when someone is so blown away by an image they want to get involved in the project, even if it means stripping off!”
“And I’ve used models pretty much across the age range, the oldest being 54 and the youngest 18. It’s all about creating a powerful image and ensuring the model works in the chosen landscape.”
And Glyn prefers not to use professional models as he believes amateurs have a greater sense of naivety about them and are unhindered by any previous professional experiences.
It’s a return to an early project from his student days for Glyn whose books, Anglesey Landscapes Volume 1 and 2, were presented as a wedding gift to Prince William and Kate Middleton by Prime Minister David Cameron.
He said: “It’s a major project I was keen to return to. It’s all about showing the fragility of the human form in big landscapes. But it’s the landscape that remains the important element.
“Yes, lots of photographers have shot naked models in all sorts of landscapes but, unlike their work, I hope the viewer will see the nudes in my work as secondary to the landscape.
“I have been pulling this project together for the last two years and still have some way to go.
“Having climbed extreme rocks, negotiated precipitous mountain ridges, faced walls of sea as a surfer and generally been exposed to the full force of the weather while out in the landscape, I have always been aware of just how vulnerable and frail the human form is against nature and the elements.
“So in this project, which started with an experimental series of self-portraits, I removed all forms of protection from the models – clothes, boots and equipment, so they were utterly vulnerable – and placed the now exposed models into big landscapes.
“I have concentrated on moody Welsh landscapes, but really the location is unimportant as it’s the idea that matters.
“In fact I’ve created numerous landscape nudes elsewhere in the UK and abroad, in strikingly different climates. But the Welsh weather and all that it entails, is perhaps the most influential and prominent element.”
He added: “Although nudes are vital to this project and integral to the images, it’s conversely not ‘nude’ photography – they are landscapes given a greater sense of scale or drama by the inclusion of the figures, which in some photographs, are actually quite hard to spot.”
And Glyn says he hopes the public will enjoy the preview at his gallery which is part of the Anglesey Arts Weeks Open Studios Weeks which sees artists across Anglesey throw open the doors of their studios to the public.
This year the event is paid for through support from The Arts Council of Wales and Anglesey County Council having previously received funding from the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013, which is funded by the Welsh Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.
Last year the Open Arts Weeks attracted over 13,000 visitors and organiser Mike Gould said: “Glyn’s works are quite stunning and I’m sure visitors to his gallery, and the exhibitions in the Ucheldre Centre, Holyhead, and the David Hughes Centre, Beaumaris, will find them very thought provoking.
“And Glyn and the other artists involved across the event will be keen to meet and talk with visitors to their studios, often over a cup of tea, and this can provide a unique insight to the artistic process.
“We have free guided bus tours and this year we are also offering two free nature walks with a guide linking some studios. Before these last few years we have usually run on a shoe-string and struggle to raise funds to run the event, so this year we are extremely grateful to our funders.”
Glyn said: “I know the subject may be viewed as controversial for as soon as you mention nudes, or nakedness, people seem to have preconceived ideas. But I hope that isn’t the case here and people will see beyond the obvious.
“This is a subject I originally looked at when I was at Art College 30 years or more ago. It’s been good to go back and revisit a project with a totally different eye after more than 30 years of commercial experience.
“It’s been an interesting project and I feel I’ve still got a long way to go. All I need is a few more models, male and female, willing to climb mountains, trek across beaches or hike through woods until we find the perfect landscape – and then take their clothes off for the camera.”
To see Glyn’s work go to http://bit.ly/1d79DGO and for more on the Anglesey Arts Weeks go to www.angleseyartsweeks.org
For requests for hard copies of the Guide or to book tours call the Ucheldre Centre 01407 763361 or email [email protected]
