Interview with Paul Pigram by Diane Lawton

Hello Paul Pigram of Bodnant Art School, Founder of ART North Wales and the Conwy Arts Festival.

When did you move to North Wales and why?

I moved here with my wife Kate in the summer of 2015.

In previous years I was a partner in an advertising agency in Mold and most of my clients were based in the North Wales region. I always said that I would move here permanently... so here we are. It is truly "Heaven on Earth!"

Paul, you have a book published called Beginning Pastel. How did that happen?

That happened out of the blue just a year after moving here, in the autumn of 2016.

A leading art publisher in the USA called Walter Foster, part of the worldwide Quarto Group, asked me to produce the book. It took over six months to complete 128 pages with 300 images. Kate did all of the photography in our kitchen! It is still available and selling well across the world. 

In 2017 you opened Bodnant Art School in Tal y Cafn?

Yes! I always wanted to create an Art School where I could teach pastel painting. In January 2017 I opened my new studio and in the April I hosted a book launch for Beginning Pastel. I held many successful pastel workshops throughout the following seven years and invited other professional artists to teach in other mediums, such as oil, watercolour, acrylic, lino printing and others. 

We now specialise in pastel painting workshops held throughout the year from the River Room at Bodnant Welsh Food Centre. 

I understand you were responsible for developing and curating an impressive art gallery at Bodnant Craft Centre?

Yes we did. I put forward an idea to convert the first floor of Bodnant Craft Centre into a dedicated Art Gallery, featuring some of the best professional artists from across North Wales. We had six weeks to complete the task and launched Bodnant Art Gallery in September 2018. Over 100 people attended the Preview.

Tell me why you and Kate founded ART North Wales?

Following on from creating Bodnant Art Gallery, we had the idea in 2019 to bring together all the artists under one strong brand. So, in 2020 ART North Wales was born! It was designed to showcase the artistic talent that we have here in North Wales. This year we are celebrating our 5th birthday and we now have over fifty professional artists in our collective.

You and Kate founded Conwy Arts Festival in 2024.

What are the plans for this year?

2024 was a resounding success! We want to build on that success going forward. 

We are developing collaborations with as many like minded people as possible to make CAF25 bigger and better than last year. This year we will be including an exciting new event "The Affordable Art Fair" which will be held in the newly refurbished Neuadd Ni Church Hall, Rose Hill Street, Conwy. Opposite the Conwy Castle Car Park.

Our aim is to create an Arts Festival that suits such a world famous and historically important town. We believe in "Supporting the Arts and Businesses in the Local Conwy Community".

And finally, tell me about Paul the artist.

Do you ever find time to paint?

I try to paint as much as I can!

Living literally on the edge of the National Trust's world renowned Bodnant Garden gives me endless inspiration for my landscapes. 

In addition, I aim to create something new every year. I launched a series of Punch and Judy paintings last year to celebrate the history of Punch and Judy in North Wales. 

I'm now working on something completely different which will be revealed very soon!

Thank you Paul