Ceri Thomas

This handsome, full colour book celebrates forty years of the work of Ken Elias, from student op art/collage to current work made in response to poetry. As an artist Elias is something of a conundrum. Born and once again based in Glynneath, he draws extensively on his locale and on his childhood in the Fifties, in particular his extended family and his frequent cinema going. Yet he is almost unique in Wales in his continuing adherence to Pop Art and collage. Taught by John Selway, Terry Setch and Ernest Zobole at Newport Art College in the 1960s collage and photomontage remain at the centre of his work, including his paintings: flattening perspectives, unexpectedly contrasting images, producing social and political commentary, assimilating a modernist urban artform into a Valleys context. Elias' is an art which blurs the edges of reality in a similar fashion to cinema. It asks the viewer to look afresh at the familiar and the domestic, and to question their own reality. The book, which accompanies a touring exhibition, includes five essays by leading commentators in the field: Hugh Adams - 'Who are you to decide what reality is?' Anne Price-Owen - 'Ken Elias and the Hidden Persuaders' David Briers - 'Ken Elias and the Art of Photomontage' Jon Gower - 'Going to the Pictures' Ceri Thomas - 'Ken Elias: An Overview'

Shaping Art in Wales tells the story of two innovative curators who were able to add a collection which forms part of the cultural memory of the city of Swansea and beyond. It gives us fascinating insight into their own tastes and ideas, and their focus on both local as well as international artists is still key today. Foreword by Karen...

Archaeologist Laura Shepherd is working late one night when she finds her colleague Ron Smith dead clutching a mysterious crystal skull. With police unable to answer key questions about his death, Laura's boss orders her to investigate the mystery. The skull leads Laura to its eccentric previous owner, an old woman whose shock revelation blows Laura's orderly world apart. When a laser test on the skull etches out the cryptic code 1221201212212012 Laura's scientist husband thinks he has stumbled upon the next generation of computer technology. Wanting to know more, he visits the old woman only to find chilling evidence she was involved in Ron's death and now has designs on Laura. Yet when Laura narrowly avoids a fatal accident she is convinced it was the old lady's words that saved her - but returns only to find the old woman dead. With no other leads to go on, Laura sets out on a dangerous mission - to an ancient Mayan temple surrounded by armed guards - determined to unlock the skull's secret, whatever the cost.

Through extensive critical analysis, this study chronicles the artistic development of iconic Welsh painter Ernest Zobole and explores what it meant, both socially and culturally, to be a practicing artist in late 20th-century Wales. Focusing on his life as well as his art, this examination reveals the influence of the changing landscapes and communities on Zobole's art and his eventual desire for new forms of expression.

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