Well done, Jason, right first time, these are N. Wales—Gogledd Cymru.
We used to drive through the night from university to go climbing in the pouring rain on the ‘slabs’ shown in the second painting, so we made a trip down memory lane to hike there a few years ago, preCOVID, for old time’s sake.
I am deliberately not naming the places in the hopes someone will actually recognize both spots—the first being near the parking lot.
Ah, thinking about it, here is the starting point…
Looks like Tryfan and Dyffryn Ogwen to me 
As today is ‘Sul y Blodau’, I thought I would post ‘Flower Riot’, an abstract iPad painting (more of a doodle) I did back in 2017. I don’t know whether this link to YouTube will work here, but if it does, the short video clip shows the painting emerging in quick time, stroke by stroke.
That’s really vibrant 
and fascinating (mesmerising even!) watching it coming together.
Did you have an idea of the finished composition and colours while you were doing it or did it happen more organically as you went along?
I remember doing at in one two-hour session on a late Friday evening as a spontaneous, free-wheeling doodle for fun and relaxation at the end of a hard week. It more or less painted itself. Since you ask, in 2018 I won the ‘SAA Digital Artist of the Year’ competition with this. I only submitted it because two entries were allowed without incurring an additional entry fee. My main entry, the ‘real’ one, which I had slaved to ‘perfect’ over the course of many days, sank without trace. They stupidly, I thought at the time, chose the wrong painting! What the experience taught me is that art competitions, appraisals and other people’s opinions don’t really matter. What’s ‘good’ or ‘bad’, ‘beautiful’ or ‘ugly’ is in the eye of the beholder, principally the creator’s. The important thing is to enjoy the painting and creative process itself and for one’s own enjoyment. Anything else is a bonus.
I completely agree and can totally relate - it’s pretty much what I took from failing A-level art!
Although, it does make me curious as to what the “main entry, the ‘real’ one” was now!
I was afraid you were going to ask that! It was this deadly ‘serious’ drawing of St Paul’s Cathedral. This great white wedding cake of a building hits you right in the eyes when you cross over the Thames on the wobbly Millennium Bridge from the Tate Modern. It’s drawn with an Apple Pencil on an iPad, rather than with lead / charcoal / chalk pencils on coloured paper, but the technique is exactly the same as the traditional method of using different densities and patterns of fine cross-hatching with two colours (in this case black and white on blue paper) to recreate light and shadow. You really need to zoom in to see the individual pencil lines and squiggles. Took me hours and hours. And hours. Nearly ruined my eyesight. Mind you, the sky didn’t take long!
Wow! I can see how that would have taken so long, it’s amazing that that is drawn rather than photographed. However (and I hope this doesn’t go down the wrong way), I can kind of see why the judges chose the way they did - despite the amount of work in the St Paul’s one, the creativity in the flowers one certainly shines through.
I’ve found that some sculptures I’ve taken a while to plan have not come out as well as some that I did in a rush simply to use up left over putty that I’d already mixed - it often seems ‘less is more’ as far as conscious effort goes, and we should trust our subconscious creative instincts more often!
Yes, you’re quite right. And so were the judges. Spontaneity and creativity win over conscientious effort every time. 
Full marks Siaron. Llongyfarchiadau–congratulations!
This sounds absolutely amazing! Can i read the article…?
It doesn’t technically belong to me any more (the rights lie with the education provider I wrote it for), but I’ll see if I can find a copy anywhere to share with you directly. It was a long time ago!!
Ffrindiau,
Mae’s ddrwg ‘da fi, ond mae Wythnos Sanctaidd ‘full on’ i fi.
However, during one of the COVID lockdowns, I did a quick painting for each day of Holy Week, and the events we were commemorating. The ongoing war in Ukraine and horrific conflicts elsewhere, prompt me to share my version of the ‘Deposition from the Cross’…
PASG HAPUS: Learning how to ‘make’ (i.e. digitally sculpt and paint) all sorts of 3D things on my iPad came in very useful last year for creating this Easter card which I sent to my cousin in Cardiff. She likes solving visual puzzles, so I sent her two versions with an invitation to spot the differences. She correctly spotted all five. If you can too, well done! As a reward, feel free to help yourself to one of the chocolates. In fact, you can digitally scoff the lot, if you want to. No need to feel guilty - zero calories!
Chocolate = siocled
Egg = wy
Well done = da iawn!
Reward / prize = gwobr
Bunny = cwningen
Guilty = euog
Consider the puzzle solved and all the virtual choccies scoffed! But look - there’s still plenty for everyone else! 
Well done, Siaron. Yes, the chocolates that keep on giving! 
I see it 
Excellent Jason.
Now these are not clever, just egg shells in food colour,
Actually, it just takes a few drops of food colour in some hot water and vinegar.
I make loads during Lent and give them to everyone I meet on Easter Day—with mini chocolates inside.
What a great idea! I bet the lucky recipients remember your individually crafted eggs long after they’ve forgotten any shop-bought confectionery they might also have received.
Bless you Jason, thank you.
TBH, just to see the surprise and delight on people’s faces is worth it. So many organizations and churches organize egg-hunts for kids, but what about those of us who never quite grow up when it comes to Easter Eggs—chocolate ones, at least? Me for one…
So must be off for the next round of the marathon of services, so I leave others to translate or correct:
TBH—i fod yn onest
Egg-hunt—
