 
Castell Coch, 22in x 30in watercolour
 
Mountain Sheep - Watercolour
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Artist Norma Procter spends most of her time Painting Wales. She lives and works near Cardiff, in the conservation village of Gwaelod y Garth, at the foot of the Garth Mountain. Anyone who saw the Hugh Grant film, ‘The Man who went up a Hill and came down a Mountain’ will know the spot. It is an ideal place for Painting Wales.
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There is a strong mix of Welsh landscape and industry within a stone’s throw of the cottage where Norma Procter paints. Castell Coch, the fairy tale castle, built for the Marquess of Bute, almost too romantic to paint, can be seen from her garden in winter. The trees, which defy nature to grow on the quarry decimated Lesser Garth, the surrounding hills, the river Taff, – and the sheep that come down the mountains to forage in the gardens – all form subjects for Painting Wales.
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| Influenced by the palette of water-colourist, Arthur Miles, RI, who also lived and worked in Gwaelod y Garth, Norma Procter likes to use muted earth colours for her art. She admires the way the work of the late Cyfin Williams finds stark beauty, almost devoid of colour, in the craggy landscape of Wales and would like to move towards this starker palette. |
 
Garth Mountain in Autumn, oil on board, 35in x 23in with frame
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This painting in oils shows the Garth Mountain in Autumn. Mythology speaks of King Arthur holding council here. The Folklore on which the film ‘The Man Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain’ is based, maintains that the hill was not quite high enough to count as a Mountain… so local people banded together to drag stone to the top to increase the height.
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Primary Crusher, Taffs Well Quarry, watercolour, 20in x 16in with frame
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This water colour is of the old primary crusher at Taffs Well quarry. Once prominent on the Lesser Garth, it is now replaced. Dolomite mining at this quarry has a long history, which goes back to Roman times. Of more relevance is the working quarry now and the woodlands which surround it. This oil painting is of the old road on the Lesser Garth, now quarried out like a breakfast egg by the daily blasting. The trees in this ancient woodland hide the worst scars of the quarry.
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Lesser Garth Old Roman Road - Watercolour
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The ancient trees which grow on the Lesser Garth form part of an SSSI ( Site of Special Scientific Interest). Here the low horizon defines the old road and how the trees enhance the hillside, hiding the ravages of quarrying at the Taff Gorge, the Gateway to the Valleys.
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Bluebell woods watercolour, 20in x 17in inc. frame
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The Wenault in N Cardiff is an area where bluebells thrive. Light slants down through the trees, giving an almost surreal light to the masses of blue.
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Llandaff Cathedral, watercolour, 20in x 17in inc. frame
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Llandaff Cathedral is renowned both for the magnificent Epstein sculpture in its knave - and for the fact that it was built in a dip. Beyond the cathedral, the landscape of Wales glows in the distance. In this picture, the Cathedral is painted across Llandaff fields. |
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Pontypridd market, Oil and Acrylic on canvas, 24in x 30in
 
Pontypridd market, Oil and Acrylic on canvas, 24in x 30in
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Pontypridd market is known by everyone. It is a bustle of activity on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
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Tango, acrylic and oil on canvas, 20in x 16in
 
Tango, acrylic and oil on canvas, 20in x 16in
 
Tango, acrylic and oil on canvas, 20in x 16in
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As well as painting the landscape of Wales, Norma Procter also paints still life, flowers from her cottage garden - and tango! Many of her friends are tango enthusiasts and there is a thriving Tango class in the village of Morganstown. So, painting Tango is Painting Wales!
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Daffodils, oil on canvas 20in x16in
 
Marigolds, oil on board 24in x19in
 
Irises, watercolour 22in x 15in
 
White Flowers, oil on board 24in x 19in
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Portraits: An interest in portrait painting runs alongside the landscape work of Painting Wales. Working mainly from photographs, Norma Procter paints portraits in oils, acrylics or watercolours, usually for commissions.
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Beryl Rubens, 20in x 16in acrylic on canvas
 
Colin, 20in x 16in sepia acrylic on canvas
 
Catrin Finch, 20in x 16in acrylic on canvas
 
Harold Rubens, 20in x 16in acrylic on canvas
 
Bernice Rubens, 20in x 16in acrylic on canvas
 
Jo, 10in x8in acrylic on canvas
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Prices on application (starting at around £100 -dependent on size of painting). Commissions taken by arrangement.
Pictures on the site are examples of my work, some of which are for sale.
Norma Procter can be contacted on 02920813346 or e-mail artsale@paintingwales.co.uk
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