Under Milk Wood

Bonnie Helen Wood - Illustrations

Jo Mattox and Hilary Cowley Greer - Sculptures 

Bonnie Helen Hawkins

 “The pencil is the most egalitarian of all artistic tools, almost all of us have access to a humble, inexpensive pencil, it’s what we start with as children. By drawing all of these images by hand, I’m hoping to show other aspiring artists that you don’t need expensive software to create art.” 

Taking inspiration from the word play, humour, and the complexity of the human condition depicted in Dylan’s words, as well as family and friends who posed for portraits, Bonnie has created a series of meticulous pencil drawings that share an intimate insight into both her life and Dylan Thomas’ work.

 “Under Milk Wood crosses the boundaries of country and culture to speak to the heart of many people. We can all see reflections of ourselves in its pages. When I first heard Under Milk Wood, I felt an instant affinity with it because the text echoed my own life and relationships. I could see a little bit of each character – no matter how outlandish they might appear in the play – in a real person I knew.” 

Jo Mattox

Jo Mattox, Artist in Residence at Mid Wales Arts,  has embraced the Under Milk Wood challenge to produce characters from Dylan Thomas's play. 
Jo strives to show caring, relationship, and stories within the characters, whilst touching on different aspects of individual personalities.

Link to article on Jo Mattox by Dr Terence Davies

Hilary Cowley Greer

"When I was asked to participate in this exhibition of works inspired by Dylan Thomas’s iconic Under Milk Wood I was delighted as I have always loved the work and find Dylan’s descriptive writing evokes clear mental images of the scenes and characters.

I deliberately avoided watching any of the portrayals of the work in film or by other artists in order to stay true to my own visions of them."