Wildlife artist David Cowdry prepares for new show

Llandeilo wildlife artist David Cowdry is getting ready for another major exhibition at Aberglasney House and Gardens in the Tywi Valley. 

The 41-year-old has been steadily building up a ‘fan club’ of followers at Aberglasney with exhibitions at the mansion house over each of the last five years.
“It’s become a bit of a base camp and it’s a place I really enjoy visiting to show off my latest works,” said David.
Aberglasney is a long way from David’s native Kent, but it’s very much a home from home for the artist.
“I first moved down to Wales from Kent more than 20 years ago to study wildlife illustration at the old Carmarthen College of Art.
“Believe it or not, but I was a failure,” chuckled David.
“I did some, but not all of the course as there was too much attention paid to bookwork and classroom activity.
“I couldn’t believe that we could be stuck indoors in an area which boasts some of the finest countryside around. I couldn’t wait to get out into the light and the air.”
Today, David probably ranks as one of the old art school’s most successful failures, with his works frequently selling at some speed at exhibitions.
“Building a reputation took some time,” David said. “And for a while I had to support myself with part-time jobs, but I have worked at it and I am now a full-time artist.
“Initially, I had some good breaks with works being exhibited at Fountain Fine Art in Llandeilo and Newton House on the National Trust’s Dinefwr Estate.
“I’d like to think that today people know what they are getting when they see a David Cowdry painting. I put my heart into things and I think that comes through in my paintings.
“You may ask why I don’t do commissions? Well, the reason is they are sometimes too formal and restrictive. I like to soak up the atmosphere when I am painting. I like to revel in the surroundings – and that goes for landscapes and wildlife paintings.
“I just love this area. I want to show the rest of the world how beautiful this country and its wildlife is. There is, sometimes, much complaining about the weather, but it is the weather that I find makes this land so magical.
“I have no interest in making any artistic statements or forwarding any particular artistic movement. In its simplest form, I paint wildlife and landscape to the best of my ability and I thoroughly enjoy doing so.
“If I can bring some of the pleasure that I get from painting to other people then it is ‘job done’!
“I absolutely love it here in West Wales. There are so many different habitats within easy reach and the wealth of flora and fauna is extraordinary.
“My interest in the natural world is reaching new levels combined with my painting. There is no mystery to what or how I paint. I paint what I see and as I see it. 

“Light and atmosphere and a sense of ‘being there’ are very important to me. I want people to look at the paintings I do and hopefully to feel connected in the same way to what they are seeing.”
David added: “Some people may think I am more well-known for my wildlife paintings than anything else, but I do also enjoy landscapes. The wildlife paintings can be anything from domestic animals to cattle and sheep. I enjoy the fact that I paint what I like and try to make the most of the wonderful light we have here.
“I am also lucky in that I have occasional exhibitions in North Norfolk and at Nick Holly’s studio in Swansea. But, I guess, that my name is more closely associated with Aberglasney than with anywhere else. I am, of course, greatly appreciative to the staff and the management at Aberglasney for the help and support they provide when I stage an exhibition.”
Aberglasney exhibition dates: Friday, March 30 to Thursday, April 5
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