Myfyrwyr Celf Coleg Menai yn ennill dwy wobr mewn Cystadleuaeth Gelf Genedlaethol

Cadarnhawyd ansawdd adrannau Celf Grŵp Llandrillo Menai ymhellach yn ddiweddar, ar ôl y ddau enillydd cystadleuaeth myfyrwyr ‘Gwobr Arlunio Syr Kyffin Williams’ – a enillodd ddwsinau o geisiadauo bob rhan o Gymru, Lloegr a thramor – fod y ddau yn fyfyrwyr Coleg Menai Bangor!

Dyfarnwyd y wobr i Zack Robinson, 20 oed, ac Orestas Norkus, 19 oed, y dau yn byw yng Nghaernarfon gan ennill ddwy wobr genedlaethol a £1,000 yr un. Mae gan Zack arddangosfa ymlaen yn y Galeri yn Gaernarfon ar hyn o bryd hefyd.

Cynhelir y gystadleuaeth arlunio fawreddog pob tair blynedd gyda £3,000 o wobr i ennillydd y gystadleuaeth agored a £1,000 yn cael ei gyflwyno i enillwyr gwobrau myfyrwyr.

Nod y gystadleuaeth yw hyrwyddo a gwobrwyo rhagoriaeth a dawn mewn ymarfer lluniadu yng Nghymru. Eleni aeth y wobr y gystadleuaeth agored i’r artist enwog Eleri Mills, am ei llun inc o’r enw ‘In the Valley – Towards the Bridge’. Sefydlwyd Gwobr Arlunio Syr Kyffin Williams gan Ymddiriedolaeth Syr Kyffin Williams ac Oriel Môn, yn partneriaeth gyda Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru ac Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Cymru, er cof am Artist mwyaf toreithiog a mwyaf poblogaidd Cymru a fu farw yn anffodus yn 2006.

Gwaith celf buddugol Eleri Mills, Zack Robinson ac Orestas Norkus, ynghyd â'r darnau a gynhyrchwyd gan artistiaid eraill a gyrhaeddodd y rhestr fer, a gymerodd ran ganolog yn Arddangosfa Gwobr Arlunio Kyffin Williams yn Oriel Môn yn Llangefni yn ddiweddar.

Mae Zack Robinson yn astudio ar gyfer ei radd BA (Anrh) Celfyddyd Gain ar safle Parc Menai, Coleg Menai ym Mangor. Roedd gofyn iddo greu gwaith wedi’i ysbrydoli gan artist a oedd yn bwysig iddo gan ei diwtor fel rhan o’i waith cwrs. Roedd rhaid iddo fod mewn du a gwyn, ond dal i ddal y dyfnder yn y llun. Y paentiad y dewisodd ei efelychu oedd un o baentiadau enwocaf y meistr Iseldiraidd Van Gogh: ‘Wheat Field with Cypresses’.

Dywedodd Zack, aeth i Ysgol Uwchradd Brynrefail yn Llanrug: “Doeddwn i wir ddim yn meddwl y byddwn i’n ennill. Mae’n deimlad mor anhygoel gallu ennill cystadleuaeth mor bwysig, sydd wedi’i sefydlu er cof am hoff artist Cymru.”

Mae Orestas Norkus yn astudio ar y cwrs Celf Sylfaen: Diploma mewn Astudiaethau Sylfaen. Mae’r darn buddugol gan Orestas yn ddarlun pensaernïol o’r enw ‘Des Attentes Elevees’ (High Expectations).

Eglurodd Orestas fwy: “Dechreuodd fy niddordeb mewn pensaernïaeth a strwythur gwahanol adeiladau wrth i mi dyfu i fyny yn Lithuania. Mae fy nghelf wedi’i hysbrydoli gan fy astudiaethau i wahanol strwythurau o amgylch y byd a sut mae siapiau a ffurfiau llinol yn creu argraff ar y gwyliwr.”

Ers cychwyn y gystadleuaeth, mae nifer o’r artistiaid sy'n ymgeisio wedi cynyddu'n sylweddol, gydag ymgeiswyr yn dod i mewn o bob rhan o Gymru a Lloegr, yn ogystal ag o dramor. Mae eleni wedi bod yn arbennig o heriol gyda’r pandemig yn gorfodi orielau ac amgueddfeydd i gau dros dro. Fodd bynnag, er gwaethaf dau gyfnod clo, roedd y wobr yn dal i allu denu dros 150 o ymgeiswyr gyda 63 o'r lluniadau gorau wedi'u dewis ar gyfer yr arddangosfa.

Dywedodd David Meredith, cadeirydd Ymddiriedolaeth Syr Kyffin Williams, “Mae wedi rhoi pleser mawr i Ymddiriedolaeth Kyffin Williams i weithio mewn partneriaeth ag Oriel Môn i drefnu’r Wobr Arlunio eto eleni.

“Yr hyn sy’n ein hysbrydoli ni i gyd yw egwyddorion creadigol sylfaenol Syr Kyffin, a’i bwyslais ar bwysigrwydd y sgil o arlunio. Cyhyd ag y gallwn, bydd yr Ymddiriedolaeth yn parhau i ymestyn bendith cyfoethogi bywyd creadigrwydd artistig.”

Panel beirniaid ‘Gwobr Arlunio Kyffin Williams’ eleni oedd: Lisa Taylor, Owein Prendergast, Gareth Parry a John Smith, ac fe’i cadeiriwyd gan David Meredith.

www.gllm.ac.uk

20-year-old Zack Robinson and 19-year-old Orestas Norkus – who both live in Caernarfon – were awarded the two national prizes and £1,000 each. Zack currently has an exhibition at the Galeri in Caernarfon too.

The prestigious drawing competition is held every three years with £3,000 awarded to the open prize winner and £1,000 awarded to each of the student prize winners. Its aim is to promote and reward excellence and talent in drawing practice in Wales. This year the prize for the open competition went to renowned artist Eleri Mills, for her ink drawing entitled ‘In the Valley – Towards the Bridge’.

The Sir Kyffin Williams Drawing Prize was established by the Sir Kyffin Williams Trust and Oriel Môn, in partnership with The National Library of Wales and the The National Museum of Wales, in memory of Wales’s most prolific and best-loved artist who sadly passed away in 2006.

The winning art work of Eleri Mills, Zack Robinson and Orestas Norkus, along with the pieces produced by other shortlisted artists, took centre stage at the recent Kyffin Williams Drawing Prize Exhibition at Oriel Môn in Llangefni.

Zack Robinson is studying for his BA (Hons) Fine Art degree at the college’s Parc Menai facility. He was asked to create artist-inspired work that was important to him by his tutor as part of his coursework. It had to be in black and white, but still capture the depth in the picture. The painting he chose to imitate was one of most famous paintings by Dutch master Van Gogh: 'Wheat Field with Cypresses'.

Zack, who went to Brynrefail High School in Llanrug, said: “I really didn't think I would win. It's such an amazing feeling to be able to win a competition so important, established in memory of Wales's best-loved artist.”

Orestas Norkus is studying on the Art Foundation: Diploma in Foundation Studies course. The winning piece by Orestas is an architectural drawing called ‘Des Attentes Elevees’ (High Expectations).

Orestas explained more: “My interest in architecture and the structure of different buildings started as I grew up in Lithuania. My art is inspired by my studies into different structures around the world and how shapes and linear forms create an impression on the spectator.”

Since the outset of the prize, the number of artists applying has increased considerably, with candidates entering from all over Wales and England, as well as from abroad. This year has been particularly challenging with the pandemic forcing galleries and museums to temporarily close. However, despite two lockdowns, the prize was still able to attract over 150 applicants with 63 of the best drawings chosen for the exhibition.

David Meredith, chairman of the Sir Kyffin Williams Trust said, “It has given the Kyffin Williams Trust great pleasure to work in partnership with Oriel Môn to organise the Drawing Prize again this year.

“What inspires us all are Sir Kyffin’s basic creative principles, and his emphasis on the importance of the skill of drawing. As long as we can, the Trust will continue to extend the life enriching blessing of artistic creativity.”

This year’s ’Kyffin Williams Drawing Prize’ judging panel were: Lisa Taylor, Owein Prendergast, Gareth Parry and John Smith, and it was chaired by David Meredith.

www.gllm.ac.uk