WHEN he’s not belting out pop anthems as part of Steps, singer Ian H Watkins can be found engrossed in a very different passion project.
The singer, 46, has reconnected with his paint brushes now that his twins – Macsen and Cybi Ryder-Watkins, seven – are a bit older and Steps are off the road.
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Talented Ian proudly displays his moody acrylic landscapes on an Instagram account dedicated to his art.
And his website bio says: “All of Ian’s works are drawn from the experience of escaping into the landscape, and being consumed by it.
“Following a number of sold out exhibitions, Ian took a break from painting to start a family.
”With his children now in school, Ian has found the time to be creative once again and has recently been signed by multiple galleries.”
One such gallery is Cloud Gallery, which operates in various locations on the south coast.
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Ian’s works there are all valued around the £1,000 mark and seem to have had no trouble in finding buyers.
While his Hiraeth collection at the Adamo Gallery in Cardiff are for sale for up to £2,550.
The gallery’s site says of the collection: “Hiraeth can be used to describe the yearning and love for Wales and Welsh culture. This theme is evident in Ian’s work with his sprawling landscapes, rich earthy colours, and primitive and authentic form.
“Wistful and nostalgic, Ian’s landscapes remind you of wet and windy mountains to rugged valleys filled with coal and slate. All of Ian’s pieces are focused on being consumed in the moment of the landscape.”
With his children now in school, Ian certainly has a lot more free time on his hands to work on his art.
In an interview with us last year, he said of having twins: “The one thing I will say, which I can see from my friends that have children, is that mine are at the same developmental stage, physically mentally, socially. It’s a constant battle. There are constant arguments. It’s a constant power struggle.
“Whereas with siblings, where one is older than the other, that dynamic is very different. For me, I have to police 95 percent of everything they do because everything ends in a squabble. I’m just painting it as it is [laughs].”
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