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Kathy Gittins artist, publisher, mother of four, is now introducing her eclectic vision of life to an international audience. |
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| Born on a farm near Pontrobert, Meifod, Kathy's painting career began at the age of 15 when she won a national painting competition. With the encouragement of a new Art teacher at Llanfair Caereinion High School she embarked on a three year Graphic Design course at Leeds Polytechnic, graduating with a degree in Illustration. Rather than pursuing a metropolitan career, Kathy was drawn back to Wales. Whilst raising her children, she found few precious hours a week to hide herself away and pursue her freelance work, accepting commissions from a broad spectrum of clients, including The National Trust, The Welsh Tourist Board, Sain Records and publishers of children's and cookery books. Once her children were older, working day and night when the school calendar allowed, she completed a collection of 70 watercolours inspired by her rural surroundings, evoking the tranquillity of a bygone age. Kathy launched her first exhibition on Friday 13th June 1997 - a date indelibly etched on her memory. The outstanding success of this debut exhibition gave her a broader vision - as well as exhibiting originals, she would supply limited edition prints and greetings cards, in bilingual form, making her work more accessible to the local community. Kathy, showing the self-belief and entrepreneurial flair that characterised her business from the start, published her own work - a bold and unusual move for an artist. |
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| It is now marketed to over 200 outlets nationally, including John Lewis Partnership, The National Trust, David Morgan's of Cardiff and the National Botanic Garden of Wales.
Building on this success in 1998 Kathy, without grant-aid and solely financed by a very supportive bank manager, bought a 1780 stone cottage in her local village of Meifod and converted it into a gallery. The exquisite three storey building encapsulates the essence of Kathy's work, with a wealth of natural materials and meticulous attention to detail creating a modern, rustic, yet quirky setting, a perfect foil to her paintings. The ground floor gallery warmly welcomes you and leads up a winding staircase to a further exhibition area on the first floor. On view alongside Kathy's watercolours, prints and cards are carefully selected artefacts and affordable giftware. Kathy is a natural self-publicist and her remarkable success has been achieved through a dedicated programme of exhibitions,trade and consumer fairs, backed up by several Television and Radio interviews, numerous press editorials, national magazine articles and prestigious awards; the jewel in her crown was winning the overall Welsh Language Board Business Awards 1999 at the National Eisteddfod in Anglesey. In 2000 she was named New Exporter of the Year by the Mid Wales Export Association and was a finalist in the Welsh Woman of the Year Awards. During 2000 she set her sights on the international potential of her business, attending exhibitions and trade missions in North America and Japan. These resulted in export orders, distributorship and licensing agreements, channelled through her website. The delicacy and detail of Kathy's floral still-life's appeal strongly to the Japanese market and the uniquely Welsh character gives them a distinctive quality which is also gaining growing recognition in the USA. |
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| To consolidate this success, Kathy will be revisiting her Japanese clients in the Autumn and will also visit Argentina, Chile and Brazil in June of this year. Whilst there she is going to explore the very Welsh enclave of Patagonia, where she hopes to draw inspiration from the cultural resonances that find echoes in her own work.
Corner House Gallery is open seven days a week. Groups, clubs and other organisations are very welcome to visit by arrangement outside normal hours, when Kathy will be pleased to be on hand to welcome and entertain you. During the year the gallery will also be hosting exhibitions by invited artists and Christmas late night opening this year will be on Thursday’s for the six weeks trading up to the festive period. Further information on these events will be available from the gallery and will be sent out to Friends of Corner House Gallery in a bi-annual newsletter. |
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From Shrewsbury,Welshpool and Oswestry on the A495, drive into the village of Meifod. Corner House Gallery is on the first corner past the church, on the left hand side.Parking is available in the Car Park directly opposite the Gallery. |
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Open 10.00am - 5.30pm Monday - Saturday. |
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