THE award-winning Ffin y Parc Gallery is pleased to announce it will be hosting its first exhibition of beautifully hand-crafted woodwork by husband and wife team John and Marilyn Davies this April. Running alongside the couple’s meticulous collection of carved birds will be a much anticipated new body of work by Welsh landscape painter Malcolm Edwards RCA. This is a not-to-be-missed joint exhibition which runs from Sunday, March 31 until Wednesday, April 24 at the Conwy Valley gallery.

For John and Marilyn Davies it was back in 1974 that a process of self-education in woodcarving and painting began for them as a couple. “We produce life-size bird carvings,” explained John. “We began in the early 1970s after seeing carved birds in the USA. I do the carving with a knife keeping power tools to a minimum and Marilyn the painting. We favour shorebirds like Redshanks, Curlew and Sandpipers.”

Marilyn added: “Stains are sometimes used rather than paints because, when rubbed they provide gradations of colour. I also burn the feather barbs before painting, which can take long time!” Gallery owner Ralph Sanders added: “After working together for so long John and Marilyn have a unified vision and their work is a supremely harmonious symbiosis. “John carves birds in wood, enjoying their shape in his hand and using driftwood for perches, so living near the estuary at Prestatyn, is vital to their work as they favour shore birds.”

Welsh landscape painter Malcolm Edwards RCA is undoubtedly one of the finest watercolour artists of his generation. Born in 1934 and educated at Liverpool University, Malcolm has been exhibiting his work regularly for over thirty years and his work is represented in many public and private collections across Europe and North America. He has been a member of the RCA since 1994, and has had successful shows at Ffin y Parc Gallery since 2013.

Of his work Malcolm explained: “My paintings of Wales are inspired by the wild mountainous areas of Snowdonia. It is a brutal glory of sculpted landscape on a heroic scale.” Ralph added: “We are delighted to have Malcolm back with a collection of 70 new works called Dreams and Realities. “In these paintings Malcolm’s ability to distil the essence of North Wales’ landscapes is potent and undimmed. Malcolm creates work that combines meticulous and realistic detail with subjective, expressionistic elements.”