Cardiff gallery presents exhibition of paintings by artist Annie Morgan Suganami

A series of portraits featuring older Welsh women by esteemed painter Annie Morgan Suganami has opened at Gallery Ten.

Known for both portraits and still life work, ‘Olion Bywyd • Life Lines’ is a bold exhibition of Annie’s portraits only – one that gives a platform to subjects that are rarely portrayed.

‘Olion Bywyd • Life Lines’ is a collection of 28 portraits of old Welsh women – matriarchs in deep wrinkles and full arthritic glory. The faces are imagined – elements are borrowed and forged together – but nevertheless familiar, and they without a doubt bring to mind memories of family members whether mother, grandmother or a chapel Aunty.

All works have been created by Annie Morgan Suganami, a Welsh artist currently living and working in Machynlleth, Wales.

Her teenage intention of becoming a visual artist changed course in order to study the flute at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Having worked as a musician for 45 years she studied at the Cardiff School of Art and Design, graduating in 2015

Suganami’s work has been predominantly figurative, including portraiture. Recent portraits include Jan Morris, Menna Elfyn and Georgia Ruth – and in 2022 her portraits of Catrin Finch, Cerys Hafana and a self-portrait were acquired by the National Library of Wales for the nation’s public and permanent collection.

She has exhibited in numerous group and solo shows in Wales and England, and has been selected for various art competitions in the UK including the National Eisteddfod of Wales

No hiding

All of the subjects are placed at the centre of the painting, as is customary in classical portraiture, where the sitter is in the spotlight to be painted and recorded – and remembered.

There are a few hints of traditional dress, the shawl, a striped cloth or an apron, but the fine detail of the painting is in the skin, with the faces and hands in laps drawing attention.

There is no hiding here, no unnecessary beautification, no botox and its like. What we see is the real, honest and natural attitude of the body. We see history and experience of life in the skin with its marks and wrinkles – evidence of a lifetime of love and grief, of worry and laughter, of carrying, caring and doing. These are women who have lived, with the privilege of long years sealed in the soft skin.

Skilful lines

Suganami’s rich, flowing paintings demonstrate the confident skill of her brush. The paint is reworked again and again, with layers built up, rubbed back and rebuilt again, before being accented with strong outlines and neon flashes.

With one skilful line of the brush, the shoulder of a blouse, a sleeve fold and a heavy bosom come into view. The ease with which Suganami uses her medium means that her subjects are not stiff and formal but rather lively and dynamic.

The combination of fine detail alongside loose and immediate markings within one painting offers various points of interest for the eye. As the use of this combination varies from one painting to another, it further highlights the different personalities of the sitters.

One of the successess of this body of work is the tremendous tenderness, humour and love shown to the sitters – as if representing all the elderly women who made a quiet impact on the generations who followed.

Those matriarchs – central to family life, overlooked by society – rightfully embodied in paint.

All artworks are available to view and purchase online at www.gallery-ten.co.uk or in person at Gallery Ten, 43 Donald Street, CF24 4TP

Olion Bywyd • Life Lines runs until 7 June 2025.

This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content