The natural unpredictability of the sea in all its glory has inspired well-known artist Jane Boswell to create a collection of paintings called Wild Swimming.

Her exhibition of bold coloured works depicting the sea and rugged coast can be seen throughout August at the Joanna Field Gallery at the Torch Theatre during Box Office opening hours..

Jane, who graduated from Loughborough College of Art and Design with a B.A (Hons) in Fine Art Painting, is a member of The Pembrokeshire Craft Makers and the South Wales Potters. She has exhibited extensively throughout Wales.

A self-employed artist and ceramicist, her creative responses to place and time are deeply affected by the seasons and the annual cycle is a very instinctive part of her work.

“Reflections on summer, bright blues, strong shadows, bold contrasts of dark and light can lose their impetus when in the depths of winter where the palette becomes a more subdued affair. A change of season is part of that coastal journey in both time and place. A bright colour against a dark shape, a moon over water, waves crashing on the shore, and again a peaceful still ocean, a house, rocks and high cliffs, boats and harbours, all become stored in my memory along with the other senses of taste, smell and sound.”

Jane’s paintings are semi-abstract in style and are painted on wooden panels, canvas or paper using acrylics, mixed media, and recently, watercolour. These artworks express the joy, and deep connection she feels with the coast.

Wild swimming throughout the year, no matter the weather, has gone global, having started here in Pembrokeshire with the Bluetits. Jane is one of those swimmers who has been inspired by what the sea has to offer, and this comes through in her paintings.

“My love of wild swimming has had a profound effect on my work in recent times, where I have explored the sensations of going into cold water, through application of paint, and through my choice of gestural marks and layers of colour.”