DAFYDD DAVIS MBE
On the Rocks of Meirion / Ar Greigau Meirion
1 July 2023 - 5 August 2023
Paintings and Poetry
Dafydd is more commonly known for his outdoor work as a climber, runner and mountain biker. He is a renowned trail designer involved with ground breaking work on trail planning, design and construction. He has worked extensively all over the world and was awarded an MBE for his work in the UK. He is well known locally for designing the trail at Coed-y-Brenin.
Not all things go to plan and Dafydd discovered painting when he was a long terms patient at a mental health hospital. These paintings are his attempts to reconnect to the landscape where he grew up, ran, climbed and walked, with a focus on rock, light and weather. Painting has had a powerful therapeutic effect on him helping him live a better life with a serious mental illness (bipolar disorder with psychosis) as well as Aspergers Syndrome.
He is inspired by the strong sense of place that he feels in the landscape around him and in particular the way that rocks shape the landscape. Primarily though it is his love of the landscape of his home, his ‘cynefin’, that drives him to want to share it with others.
Dafydd is a true inspiration to us all and we are proud to showcase his work in the gallery.
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Mae Dafydd yn fwy adnabyddus am ei waith awyr agored fel dringwr, rhedwr a beiciwr mynydd. Mae'n ddylunydd llwybrau enwog sy'n ymwneud â gwaith arloesol ar gynllunio llwybrau, dylunio ac adeiladu. Mae wedi gweithio’n helaeth ar draws y byd a derbyniodd MBE am ei waith yn y DU. Mae’n adnabyddus yn lleol am ddylunio llwybrau yng Nghoed-y-Brenin.
Nid yw popeth yn mynd yn ôl y disgwyl a darganfu Dafydd beintio pan oedd ynglaf hirdymor mewn ysbyty iechyd meddwl. Y paentiadau hyn yw ei ymdrechion i ailgysylltu â'r dirwedd lle cafodd ei fagu, rhedeg, dringo a cherdded, gan ganolbwyntio ar graig, golau a'r tywydd. Mae paentio wedi cael effaith therapiwtig bwerus arno gan ei helpu i fyw bywyd gwell gydag afiechyd meddwl difrifol (anhwylder deubegwn gyda seicosis) yn ogystal â Syndrom Asperger.
Mae wedi’i ysbrydoli gan yr ymdeimlad cryf o le y mae’n ei deimlo yn y dirwedd o’i gwmpas ac yn arbennig y ffordd y mae creigiau’n llunio’r dirwedd. Yn bennaf er mai ei gariad at dirlun ei gartref, ei ‘gynefin’, sy’n ei ysgogi i fod eisiau ei rannu ag eraill.
Mae Dafydd yn wir ysbrydoliaeth i ni gyd ac rydym yn falch o arddangos ei waith yn yr oriel.
