Catrin Jones

Name: Catrin Jones

Artistic medium: Glass

You work through the medium of glass, what is it about glass that inspires you?

I have worked with decorated glass for 40 years. It is a medium that continues to develop, keeping abreast of contemporary technologies whilst maintaining its long association with traditional techniques. Glass has the unique ability to affect interior spaces through the transmission of coloured light and shadow, which can help to begin the healing process through colour.

Here in The Leri, it is the first welcome at the threshold, a signal that this is a place of significance. In medieval glass, a story carried through divine light is particularly significant, and this is something that I continue in my work, where narrative is as important as colour and design. In this case, I wanted to provide an inspiring and dynamic entrance, referencing the action of water, and the places where water meets earth. The work is a multi-layered combination of water theme, and the beech tree, queen of the forest and consort to the oak king, and symbolic of strength, resilience and endurance.

Where did you get your inspiration from for the murals?

I see the murals as a continuation of the visual language employed in the glasswork at the entrance. I am in essence using the same design narrative, collaging photographs of real landscapes with hand-painted renderings of imagined and constructed landscapes. These are combined with flattened graphic shapes, such as the statuesque oak tree standing strong and so much a part of the locale.

Can you describe the process you go through when designing and creating these large-scale glass murals?

When beginning a project like this one, I think it important to listen to those closest to it - its users, the staff and patients. I also spend quite a bit of time thinking, imagining, sketching, walking, taking pictures and generally collecting as much reference material about the place as I can. This is eventually distilled down, and a narrative will emerge. I use this to determine the design parameters for the work which, in their turn, will maintain a sense of unity, and help to create a journey throughout the centre itself. 

How do you hope your artwork will impact the patients, staff, and visitors at the Leri Cancer unit?

It is always my wish that people enjoy the space, which has been so carefully and intensely considered during the consultation and design period. The landscapes serve to create the illusion of an opening out, of looking out, of being outside, of being well, of breathing deeply, of enjoying that sense of restoration we, as humans, receive from our natural surroundings. The colours are intended to bring a sense of space and light into the rooms but, also, a welcoming and warming calmness. Most importantly, I hope that users of The Leri will feel that their own needs have been considered and that, as soon as they enter, a feeling of wellbeing is nurtured here.