“We are pleased to have local artist Non Gallagher’s work exhibiting here in the Joanna Field Gallery for the month of April,” say the staff at Pembrokeshire’s Torch Theatre, in Milford Haven.
Non began as a printmaker and painter, an immersive creator, interior decorator; she also trained in metal work and blacksmithing. Moving into general illustration, and developing a style in children’s illustration, Non sidestepped to stencils, working in the Bansky monochrome style.
Non said:“Art is not my job, it's how I breathe.
“Art was always part of my life, I saw art everywhere growing up in London. I met Maggie Hambling when she was the Artist in residence at the National Gallery, she inspired me to make a mess.
“The bright neon colours of Punk, with rough graphics, the enormous free sculptures of Mutoid Waste, the birth of true street art, graffiti and music posters, covered the hoardings on my way to school.
“Then I made my home in Pembrokeshire, painting little land and seascapes.”
Non says that social media opened her world, and Banksy had changed it. Collages of graffiti and posters were allowed in galleries, and Non’s love for messy art began to take shape.
ViBE takes influence from LS Lowry, Matt Smith, and rave music.
“I have always loved the minimalism of Lowry and particularly figure drawing. Using swift brushstrokes, I feel the image emerge from the background. I also use ink to draw outlines, and I listen to trance, house and techno as I paint. Each work is named from the song I listen to.”
Why not go along and see Non’s work? Admission to the exhibition on the Torch Theatre’s Oriel Joanna Field is free, and Non’s work is on display from April 3 to 28.