Description
‘Nant yr Afanc’
Beaver Brook
Framed Print
Collect from gallery £370
Including UK delivery £…
Image H 30 x W 70 cm
Including frame H 40 x W 80 cm
Featuring in our Spring Exhibition 2026
‘Song of the Earth’
‘Nant yr Afanc’ (Beaver Brook) Before the mid-sixteenth century, the valley was also home to Eurasian beavers, whose dams created wetlands and slowed the flow of water. After their extinction, the river ran freely for hundreds of years. In the twentyfirst century, as beavers began returning to Welsh waterways, the valley’s hydrology shifted once more. The river beside the cottage gradually thinned, then dried for much of the year, leaving only a stony channel where water had once run.
Joy is a professional landscape artist whose work captures the quiet charm of cottages and remote villages. Working predominantly with a palette knife, she applies acrylic paint with precision and control, building finely detailed passages while maintaining a clean, restrained aesthetic.
By deliberately limiting her colour palette and intuitively selecting and omitting elements from each scene, Joy distils her subject matter to its essence. The result is an unfussy yet deeply atmospheric interpretation of the Welsh landscape.
Texture plays a vital role in her process. Through layered applications and contrasting sweeps of thinner paint, she introduces subtle depth and movement across the surface. Carefully placed fine brush outlines then define focal points with bold delicacy, guiding the viewer’s eye without overwhelming the composition.
Joy’s distinctive style invites contemplation, encouraging viewers to reconnect with their own memories and emotional ties to the landscapes of Wales.
In 2024, she had the privilege of being invited by the Ardent Gallery in Brecon to take part in the Welsh National Contemporary Artists Exhibition—one of the highlights in her artistic journey so far.
