Art and design students on an access to higher education course at Coleg Sir Gâr’s Carmarthen School of Art recently exhibited their work at the college’s Thomas Henry Gallery at Job’s Well campus.

Some are moving on to study at UK universities and some have decided to remain and progress their art studies at Carmarthen School of Art and one student is to become an art resident. 

The one-year course, which is the equivalent of three A-levels, is designed for those who either want to go on to university level courses or for those seeking a creative change of direction. 

Jenny Watts-Jones, who is currently taking a break from nursing, together with her partner Paul Hughes, decided to embark on the course last year and have been travelling to Carmarthen from Swansea to undertake the three-day a week course.

She told us about her final major project, her inspirations, being a mature student and the thought processes behind her exhibition work.

The Gaza war has had an emotive impact on Jenny with its continuing and shocking brutality and this is reflected in her piece, entitled Erasure.

Influenced by the work of ceramicist Lucie Rie, who was a Jewish refugee making clay buttons for the fashion industry during the second world war, Jenny has made 80 children’s shoes to mark the 80th anniversary of the Holocaust. “I saw an image of a child’s shoe without the child,” said Jenny. “At the time, there was an initiative that saw children’s shoes at Auschwitz being renovated. I then had a dream of a child’s jelly sandal and to my surprise, saw what seemed like the same shoes but in a pair, in a charity shop the following day.”

This emotional connection led Jenny to create the shoes which she has linked to poetic references in a monoprint book, with each shoe labelled with a number that connects to a line of a poem written by Emily Dickinson and Wilfred Owens.

Both poets write about mortality, suffering, and the human condition and Jenny has dedicated the book to Dr Alaa al-Najjar, a Palestinian paediatrician working in the south of Gaza who lost nine children to an Israeli airstrike. 

Inspired by German ceramic artist Hans Coper, the vase Jenny created symbolises a tallboy bomb, which she has painted black. The decaying sunflowers within it are inspired by German artist Anselm Kiefer, who used decaying sunflowers to portray the inhumanity of the Holocaust and her national shame.

The largest piece in Jenny’s exhibition, created with charcoal, is a reflective piece of work inspired by Venetian painter Giorgione. Her project involves many of the areas within the arts school that she used to create her project such as historical studies, photography, ceramics, print, and life drawing.

Jenny Watts-Jones said: “All the departments have been amazing; they will help you create what you want, giving you support but allowing you do things your own way.

“When I took a break from nursing, Paul and myself felt that we needed to do something together.

“We’d both done the life drawing class at the college previously to this course but my nursing shifts didn’t allow me to commit to any regular attendance and as Paul wanted to reconnect with his art, we decided to take the plunge.

“I feel like I’ve really achieved something and almost needed this course as a form of therapy even though it was very intense.

“The art school is a unique place where you can walk around and mingle with other art students and I feel lucky as we get to use equipment that is designed for all the degree programmes. 

“I think that all my anger and disbelief at this war has gone into my project but it has created something positive to reflect on.”

Paul Hughes added: “I feel like I’ve connected to an arts community again, it’s been very cathartic and the different age groups have worked as we all work together in an ‘ageless’ environment.”

Both Paul and Jenny have decided to stay at the college to sign-up to study a foundation art and design course.