The card: My originally planned picture didn't work, so I hurriedly threw this together. Growing up in Wales, St Illtyd's (Brnythel) was a very short and steep walk up from our house. In my childhood it was locked away and unloved, but I have an early memory of my father taking me in when it was open (sometime in the late 60s or early 70s). The location feels very welcoming and special, and although the church is old, I always thought they built it there because of how special the place was. Has a round church yard, which makes it Norman, but as a place of worship before they came I reckon and allegedly has Roman connections. Once I left home the local community among others, agitated slightly and a much needed restoration was finally completed and if you get the chance to get in one afternoon when it's open, you won't be disappointed. Its plain and simple and during my family history reseach I discovered relatives who were married there, and they would probably find it very recognisable.
One day as a teenager, for some mysterious reason, I climbed the short hill in the snow and cold to visit. I didn't stay long, it was bitter, but it was the only time I have ever seen the Milky Way and the painting comes from that memory. Obviously couldn't capture the memory well, the stars are dense and multi-coloured: a memory I return too often in mediation.
