Art School graduates selected for King Street Gallery exhibition

Graduates from Coleg Sir Gâr’s Carmarthen School of Art have been invited to exhibit their work at King Street Gallery.

Every year, gallery members, who are practising artists, visit the art school to view the annual graduate exhibition, where students display their final major projects.

Seven graduates were selected to exhibit their work which is now showing at the gallery until October 22.

The exhibit, entitled Graduate Show 2025, features a diverse range of work; from dramatic jewellery constructed with natural forms to photography and ceramics.

Chelsea Reilly (work pictured above), one of the graduates selected to exhibit, had previous spent some weeks at a London university but moved back because she said that she really benefitted from a more local arts education that focusses on small numbers of students. “At Job’s Well, we’re a big family but a small campus where everyone knows each other,” she said. “My original career plans were more scienced based and didn’t involve art at all but now I think that if you enjoy it, you’ll find work and there’s no point doing anything unless you enjoy doing it.”

Chelsea is currently a resident graduate at Carmarthen School of Art and looking ahead, she is looking to study a master’s degree in fine art.  

Her work focusses around fragile forms of identity and uses porcelain because of its fragility mirrored with its ability to be strong, solid and protective. 

Jewellery graduate Deryn May (work pictured above), from Pembrokeshire, is exhibiting her work from her degree course which is about materials and place. 

She uses materials such as seaweed, wool and moss in her work where she immersed herself in experimentation and stitch. 

Deryn came from a background working in hospitality and decided to follow her passion and take the plunge into an arts education when the pandemic put the brakes on the hospitality industry. 

She is now working on a commission for Span arts which uses art for social change in rural Wales.

Deryn May said: “I’m thrilled to be chosen to exhibit my work and it’s such a joy to be exhibiting with this lovely group of people and it really shows the variety of work coming out of the college.

“It’s lovely to get the recognition from King Street Gallery and the excitability about my work. 

“When I exhibited my final degree work at college, I was nervous but pleased that the experience helped me to overcome my fear and that’s helped me in this exhibition. 

“We do an enterprise module in our final year and that’s helped me learn about photographing and promoting my work and being a professional artist outside of the walls of college. 

“I loved my time at Carmarthen School of Art, it’s just one big, creative family and being surrounded by people who are constantly creating really keeps you focussed with a real emphasis on being who you are as an artist and encouraging constant experimentation.”

Lesley Morris of King Street Gallery, which is an artist-led gallery, added: “We are delighted to support new graduates at the very start of their journey.

“We feel that supporting emerging artists and highlighting local talent is an important part of our work.” 

The Graduate Show 2025 is currently on show at King Street Gallery in Carmarthen town centre and is available to view until October 22. King Street Gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday, from 10am to 4.30pm.

Graduate exhibitors include Amanda Savinelli (@savinelli_studio), Joy Franklin (joyfranklindesigns.org), Chelsea Reilly (chels_sculpture), Elinor Wyn Jones (@elinor_wyn), Deryn May (@derynrosecreative), Angela James @angelacaseyjames) and Jasmine Ogilvie (@jasmineogilvie.photo)