A major exhibition of work by Jac Jones, artist, illustrator and author at Storiel promises to be inspiring and surprising. Jac’s images are known to thousands of families across Wales – the Jac y Jwc character he created for the Sali Mali series of books or artworks for classic children’s books by T.Llew Jones such as Lleuad yn Olau and Y Trysorfa to name but a few. Others might be surprised to see Jac’s artistic works in record covers and theatre posters. For over fifty years, Anglesey born Jac has, and continues to, create artistic work of the highest standard; whether for children’s books, record covers, theatre productions or television programmes. His work is familiar and yet this is a rare opportunity to see his artistry up-close in a gallery. On display will be sketch books, story boards, familiar characters and less well known artworks. Together, they demonstrate Jac’s talent – he could turn his hand to any style that was required that would produce the best result – a real testament to his creativity, skill and imagination.
He has worked with renowned authors such as Gwyn Thomas, T. Llew Jones, Daniel Morden, Mary Vaughan Jones, Emily Huws as well as Manon Steffan Ros with whom he shares the Tir Na Nog prize. He has won the Tir Na Nog prize four times. Recent collaborations with Manon Steffan Ros include Pobl Drws Nesaf and Dafydd a Dad. As well as collaborating with others, Jac has both authored and illustrated a number of books such as Alison and the Bully Monsters, Move Over Rover! and In Chatter Wood.
Jac’s work is included in the Premi de Catalonia, a directory of children’s illustrators of the world. He is also recipient of the Mary Vaughan Jones award for his outstanding contribution to children’s books in Wales. His work continues to inspire others, including fellow artists.
“Jac Jones is one of the important names in the art world in Wales – indeed, his work is surely better known to us as Welsh speakers than any other Welsh artist. His influence on the Welsh arts landscape is significant, and he has been a vital part of so many of our cultural successes. From Jac y Jwc to the album covers of Edward H. Dafis and Meic Stevens; from the book Lleuad yn Olau to the iconic posters of Theatr Cymru, Jac has enriched our culture is so many ways. His work continues to attract us, to please us, and to draw us into literary and artistic experiences that are always exciting, always bold, always hopeful. He is undoubtedly one of the most important artists in Wales, and I am delighted that Storiel is celebrating his work.”
Manon Steffan Ros
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“During the fairly lengthy period that I was responsible for commissioning work by artists for LP covers, Jac Jones was one of those I turned to when something really special was needed. The covers of the old LP records of course offered more possibilities to designers than cassette covers, and indeed the CD covers that came later. And Jac enjoyed creating special covers, and his great strength was his talent for varying his style as required.
He loved to create a portrait of a face to fill the cover, but if you look at his portraits of Charles Williams, Saunders Lewis and myself, you will see that his style is quite different in all three, but equally effective in each case. But with the covers of “Yn erbyn y Ffactorau” (Edward H.) and “Blodwen”, his style is completely different again, and in the case of “Blodwen”, Jac was keen – for the first time I think – to try the style of pointillism in order to convey the period of the opera’s story. Covers to treasure indeed – and it is high time we the people of Wales recognised Jac’s pioneering work in this field.”
Dafydd Iwan
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“Jac Jones’ extraordinary gift is evident in how his illustrations have become almost synonymous with the beloved stories of our childhood. His artwork has not only captured imaginations but has also woven itself into the cultural fabric of a generation of Welsh readers.
Daw gallu rhyfeddol Jac Jones i’r amlwg yn y modd y mae ei ddarluniau yn cael eu cyfuno â straeon hoffus ein plentyndod. Mae ei arlunwaith nid yn unig wedi cydio yn y dychymyg ond wedi bod yn gefnlen i genhedlaeth o ddarllenwyr Cymraeg.”
Dafydd Owain, Design Leader, Welsh Books Council
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“For me, Jac Jones is Wales’ foremost artist of all time. He first illustrated the character of Jac y Jwc, not to mention being the artist and author of a wealth of other children’s books.
He is a hero of mine and when I contacted him to ask him to contribute to the Mellten magazine, I was so happy that he agreed, and it’s been a privilege to work with and learn from him.”
Huw Aaron, artist
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A special event, Esperarto, will be on Saturday 19th October at 2pm. The event will see Jac Jones and Huw Aaron in conversation at Storiel, discussing Jac’s illustrious and industrious career to date. This is a free but ticketed event – with tickets available here;
ESPERARTO(Huw Aaron yn holi Jac Jones ) Tickets, Sat, Oct 19, 2024 at 2:00 PM | Eventbrite
