The Dockside Art Gallery, Pembroke Dock | Oriel Gelf Dockside, Doc Penfro
Stunning, fluid sculptures made of molten aluminium will draw you to this vibrant gallery in Pembroke Dock
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The sparkling sculpture on show at the Dockside Art Gallery is almost as dazzling as artist-owner Dawny Tootes and her fabulous gallery manager, Petra Bourne. They are not only a dedicated gallery space, but they are also a place for a welcome and a warm chat for the local community and visitors alike.
Dawny began her training as an artist in Birkenhead Technical College which is part of John Moore University. She continued her fine art education at NEWI, Glandwr University, Wrexham, Wales. Having moved to North Pembrokeshire, she was introduced to the MB Fine Arts foundry in Clynderwen by her Art dealer and mentor Myles Pepper of West Wales Arts Centre, Fishguard. Having always loved sculpture, the foundry is where Dawny really found the material she was inspired by – recycled aluminium.
Dawny now creates her sculptures from her farm-based foundry studio at the foot of the Preseli Mountains. Here she keeps a custom built crucible that can melt down eight alloy car wheels, from which she makes her fluid sculptures of molten aluminium. These sculptures range from romantic hearts, to fearsome Welsh dragons, to epic wall mounted landscape compositions, large scale trees and life size free-standing works of female forms – her ‘Muses’.
Along with Dawny’s works, the gallery also mounts exhibitions by local artists, and also stocks a range of carefully curated and locally sourced crafts and postcards. Located on Pembroke Dock’s main thoroughfare Dimond Street, the gallery is a must visit when you travel through or, better still, stay in Pembroke Dock.
Mae’r cerfluniau disglair sydd i’w gweld yn Oriel Gelf Dockside bron mor ddisglair â’r perchennog o artist Dawny Tootes a rheolwr gwych yr oriel, Petra Bourne. Mae yma nid yn unig oriel bwrpasol, ond croeso a sgwrs gynnes i’r gymuned leol ac ymwelwyr fel ei gilydd.
Dechreuodd Dawny ei hyfforddiant fel artist yng Ngholeg Technegol Penbedw sy’n rhan o Brifysgol John Moore. Parhaodd â’i haddysg celfyddyd gain yn NEWI, Prifysgol Glyndŵr, Wrecsam. Ar ôl symud i ogledd Sir Benfro, cafodd ei chyflwyno i ffowndri MB Fine Arts yng Nghlunderwen gan ei deliwr celf a’i mentor Myles Pepper o Ganolfan Celfyddydau Gorllewin Cymru yn Abergwaun. Roedd Dawny bob amser yn caru cerflunwaith, ond y ffowndri yw’r fan lle daeth hi o hyd i’r deunydd oedd yn ysbrydoliaeth iddi – alwminiwm wedi’i ailgylchu.
Erbyn hyn mae Dawny’n creu ei cherfluniau yn ei stiwdio ffowndri ar fferm wrth droed Mynydd Preseli. Yma mae hi’n cadw crwsibl a gafodd ei adeiladu’n unswydd ac sy’n gallu toddi wyth olwyn car aloi, ac o’r rhain mae hi’n gwneud ei cherfluniau hylifol o alwminiwm tawdd. Mae’r cerfluniau hyn yn amrywio o galonnau rhamantus, i ddreigiau brawychus Cymru, i gyfansoddiadau tirwedd epig i’w gosod ar waliau, coed ar raddfa fawr a cherfluniau o ffurfiau benywaidd sy’n sefyll ar eu traed eu hunain – ei ‘Hawenau’.
Ynghyd â gwaith Dawny, mae’r oriel hefyd yn cynnal arddangosfeydd gan artistiaid lleol, ac mae hefyd yn cadw amrywiaeth o grefftau a chardiau post sydd wedi’u curadu’n ofalus o ffynonellau lleol. Mae’r oriel ar brif dramwyfa Doc Penfro, sef Dimond Street, ac mae’n rhaid ichi ymweld â hi pan fyddwch yn teithio drwodd, neu’n well byth, yn aros yn Noc Penfro.