Gigi Jones

Gigi Jones is a famous landscape artist who grew up in various places across Europe but now resides in Caerphilly. Gigi is based in South Wales, but spends part of her time in her studio in France. She regularly exhibiits her work in Art Fairs locally and internationally around the world. Her work aims to connect nature and emotional experiences and the feeling of actually being "there" is her muse. Her art is a state of mind. She works mainly in oils and enjoys exploring a variety of ways to use it.

Mae Gigi Jones yn arlunydd tirluniau enwog a gafodd ei magu mewn mannau amrywiol ar draws Ewrop ond sydd bellach yn byw yng Nghaerffili. Mae Gigi wedi’i lleoli yn Ne Cymru, ond yn treulio rhan o’i hamser yn ei stiwdio yn Ffrainc. Mae hi'n arddangos ei gwaith yn rheolaidd mewn Ffeiriau Celf yn lleol ac yn rhyngwladol ledled y byd. Nod ei gwaith yw cysylltu natur a phrofiadau emosiynol a'r teimlad o fod "yno" yw ei hawen. Mae ei chelfyddyd yn gyflwr meddwl. Mae hi'n gweithio'n bennaf mewn olewau ac yn mwynhau archwilio amrywiaeth o ffyrdd i'w ddefnyddio.

As a Visual Arts graduate of UCW Aberystwyth, specializing in painting and set design, she was awarded the Sir Ben Bowen Thomas Prize, and then went on to qualify as a teacher of Art & Design.

For many years she combined teaching and her freelance work, but more recently, the focus has been on artist-initiated projects. Her work has taken her into a variety of visual arts contexts; ranging from private commissions for paintings, murals and other artwork, to set and costume design for large-scale musical productions involving both professionals and amateurs. Many of these have showcased new music and have involved working with large numbers of school children.

She has worked as a researcher for BBC Radio Wales’ arts series Inspired, (a series linking well-known artists, writers and musicians with locations in Wales), and as art director on the BBC TV Coalhouse series. 

Her work exhibits beautiful nature scenes, which are majestic and captivating and really do make you feel like you are experiencing it for yourself!

Here are some photos of year 2/3 exploring Gigi's artwork and using it as inspiration for their own natural landscapes

Our class had some interview questions to ask Gigi. Here are the questions we had and Gigi's answers below...

Where in Caerphilly did you grow up and what memories do you have of the growing up in the area?

I didn’t grow up in Caerphilly - not even in the UK! I grew up in various places in Europe (France, Germany and Cyprus) because my father was in the army. I came to Wales to go to Aberystwyth University and I moved to the Caerphilly area because I met and married a boy from Bargoed. My most striking memory of coming to this area for the first time (when I was 20) was the totally black landscape of Dowlais Top and places like Penallta before it was re-landscaped. It felt like being on the moon!

When did you know you wanted to pursue a career in art? 

My absolute favourite things to do as a child was drawing, painting and making things, and that’s how I spent a lot of my time growing up. I don’t think I ever wanted to do anything else, so ended up doing a degree in Painting and Theatre Design.

What would you say is your greatest inspiration for your work?

Nature. I spent a lot of my childhood playing outside, making dens etc, and I lived on a boat for a while too. As a family we never stayed anywhere for very long because of my Dad’s job, so my brothers, sister and I got to explore new places quite often, and the best places were always natural landscapes where you could let your imagination go wild. Because we moved so much, we didn’t have much 'stuff’ like toys, so we’d make our own with whatever we could find around us.

What to date has been your proudest achievement in your work? 

It is very difficult to choose one, because each time you make something new, you want it to be the best thing you made. If you're happy with how it turned out, then that’s a proud moment, but you’re always looking for the next creative challenge to get that good feeling from.

Have you faced any challenges in your career and how did you overcome them?

Each creative ‘brief’ is a challenge whether you’ve set it for yourself or it’s a job for someone else, mainly because you rarely do the same things twice and what is needed is always different. So making designs, costumes and a set for a show on a very low budget in a short space of time with very few resources can seem like an impossible challenge, but brings huge satisfaction when you come up with ways to make and deliver what’s needed. Equally, painting a picture that turns out to be exactly how you think it should look and feel is also a big personal creative challenge. Balancing making a living and having time to develop as an artist is also a practical challenge because we all need to earn a living. Trusting my instincts, perseverance, being inventive and reminding myself how lucky I am to be doing what I love doing are my ways of dealing with the challenges.

What are your plans for the future? Do you see yourself residing in Wales? 

To continue focusing mainly on my painting practice both where I live in Wales and my studio in France. I would like to travel more because this gives me inspiration for my work. For example, I really fancy using my camper van as a mobile studio around the entire coast of Wales!

What advice do you have for young art enthusiasts who wish to pursue their interests in art? 

Keep doing what brings you joy artistically  - the more you do, the better it gets. Even if you don’t make it your job, it can always be part of your life. Ignore anyone who thinks they know what’s good art or not. Making Art is nothing to do with being better or worse than someone else - it's just a way of being you. It’s your voice. The doing of it is the best bit - not putting it on a wall, but if you like it why not do that too!