Why St David’s artist is painting from a broad canvas
Andy Davies
Home Affairs Correspondent
In what is being hailed as an invaluable social history of his area, artist Grahame Hurd-Wood is in the middle of a daunting project: to paint every inhabitant of the Welsh city of St David’s.
Grahame Hurd-Wood has embarked upon a hugely ambitious project: to paint every man, woman and child in his city.
The city may be Britain’s smallest, St. David’s, on the south western tip of Wales, but that still means approximately 1,600 oil portraits to be completed. He’s on number 113 at the moment. There’s a long way to go.
“The original idea was to paint around 100 and put them together as one piece. As the project has gone on, I just thought I’ve reached 100 now. If I can reach 100, I can reach 1,000. Therefore, I must be painting the city of St David’s.”
And so it goes. Day after day, portrait after portrait. Grahame Hurd-Wood, a product of the Royal Academy, came to St David’s in Pembrokeshire 28 years ago and fell in love with the scenery. He has specialised in landscape painting largely, but this idiosynchratic project has been evolving over the last decade.
It hasn’t been commissioned by any council or patron. He’s not getting paid for it (“People say shall I pay you? And I say no – I should be paying you!”). It is a labour of love and a quirky, affectionate tribute to his city.
“As I meet different people from the community, I just realise the diversity of the people here. What I’ve become mostly aware of is, there’s no class structure, there’s no hierarchical system here. The community work together – there are a lot of social connections.”
Mr Hurd-Wood talks of this project as a “social landscape”, plotting a moment in time in the history of St David’s. Those who’ve had their portraits painted by him enthuse about the experience. Canon Dorrien Davies considers it a “great honour” to have been painted.
Others in the town appear charmed by the whole project, though one woman told us she thought it rather “vain” if she accepted his offer to be painted.
“I’m aiming to paint people,” says Grahame Hurd-Wood, “who have an affinity with St David’s as well, people who come down a lot.
“So it’s not just people on the electoral roll, although the vast majority will be. Anybody who approaches me, I’ll say yes – I’l paint you!”
How long will it take him? 10 years, he replies. That’s roughly three portraits a week. He’ll earn the gratitude of a city for many years after that if he succeeds.