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“The sense of power and the great surge of energy that this earth provides is all I want my paintings to share”
For as long as he can remember, Neyland-born Bob Reeves has shared a close and all-embracing relationship with the natural world around him.
As a child, he’d hunt tadpoles, gather cockles, dive for tallies made from broken pieces of china and follow the flight of the seabirds that nested around the Cleddau. The images he observed were then captured by his little hands using watercolours which his mother had bought him from the local shop.
“Painting or drawing the things that I saw was something that I’ve always had to do,” he tells The Pembrokeshire Herald.
“I didn’t know whether I was any good at art, and to be perfectly honest, I still don’t. But I’ve always had to reach out for a pencil, a pen, paints or some charcoal to try and capture all those things I’ve felt.”
And this is what possibly makes Reeves one of Pembroekshire’s most powerful and enigmatic artists. He doesn’t simply paint an image, but uses it to convey the overwhelming emotion that the image originally prompted.
“People are always telling me how wonderful it must be to shut myself away in my studio and paint. ‘What a lovely, relaxing hobby it must be,’ they say. But my God, it’s intense, and it’s that intensity that invariably makes me feel bad tempered.
“I’m conscious of the earth as a living thing and it’s this sense of power, this great surge of energy which I then want to transfer onto my paintings.”
Anyone who has viewed Reeves’ work will know just how intensely he captures the all-embracing natural energy that the earth contains.
“I suppose it’s probably an advantage that I never went to art college and haven’t had a single art lesson since I was a 14-year-old pupil at Pembroke Grammar School.
“I’m a free spirit and this means that I break a lot of rules when I work.”
Bob’s first broken rule came as a three-year-old toddler growing up at the family home in Kensington Road, Neyland.
“I decided to draw a teddy bear on my bedroom wall using a red crayon, and when my mother saw it, she didn’t know whether to give me a row or praise me. But it must have looked pretty good because the next thing she did was go out to the shop and buy me a little tin of watercolours.”
As a schoolboy, Bob used watercolours to paint all his technical biology drawings and he was renowned by his teachers and fellow students alike for the caricature drawings and portraits he drew of them using a pen. And it goes without saying that his sense of humour often ignited his teachers’ ire.
After leaving school, he spent a short time working for the Civil Service before joining the police force as a constable. But then, on October 21, 1966, Bob was involved in one of the most catastrophic tragedies ever to hit Wales. The Aberfan disaster.
“I was there within eight hours of it happening, and I stayed there for the following eight days,” he said.
“The things I saw and the grief that I could feel all around me, has played hell with me ever since.
“I was 22 at the time, I was a young father, and I have to say that this wasn’t a happy time in my life. Yes, I’ve always had the ability to paint and to draw, but this shut it all down. Aberfan stretched my emotions to something which I didn’t think it was possible to feel.”
Listening to Bob speak about Aberfan, it soon becomes clear that the trauma he encountered remains with him to this day.
“It wasn’t until I left the police force and started working at the oil refinery [in Milford Haven], that I started painting again,” he continues. “And I suppose that this was when my work began to evolve more into what it has become today. Whatever that raw emotion may be whenever I see a landscape or some other natural thing that makes me feel its power, then this is the raw emotion that I want to get across in my work.”
His paintings display an acute empathy of colour and an intense sense of movement and they have been sold to buyers in the United States of America, Peru, Canada, Australia and throughout the UK including one which is currently displayed in Whitehall, London.
“I’ve yet to go and see it,” he says. “Yes, it’s nice that a part of Pembrokeshire has been taken to Whitehall, but I’m not particularly bothered about going to see it. That’s not what I’m about.
“I’m here to feel the power around me and try to convey it through my paints.”
This month a collection of Bob Reeves’ work can be viewed at a Christmas exhibition that takes place at the Waterfront Gallery, Milford Haven. The exhibition opens on November 23 and will continue until Christmas.
Crime
Mother admits to killing seven-year-old son in Haverfordwest
A mother has admitted to the manslaughter of her seven-year-old son at their home in Haverfordwest, citing diminished responsibility.
Papaipit Linse, 43, appeared at Swansea Crown Court on Friday (Nov 22), where she denied murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter in connection with the death of her son, Louis Linse. Prosecutor Caroline Rees KC confirmed the manslaughter plea would be accepted, stating it “did not come as a surprise” to the prosecution.
The incident occurred on 10 January when police were called to a property on Upper Market Street. Louis was rushed to Withybush General Hospital but tragically died shortly afterwards.
During the hearing, Linse, who spoke only to confirm her name and enter her pleas, was informed that she would be sentenced on 13 December. Judge Paul Thomas KC described the case as “clearly a very sensitive as well as a very tragic case.”
The court was told that Linse is currently receiving treatment at the Caswell Clinic, a mental health facility in Bridgend. Psychiatric evidence is expected to be presented during the sentencing hearing to provide further insight into the circumstances surrounding the case.
Community
Council warns of icy conditions as temperatures drop
ROAD users in Pembrokeshire are being urged to exercise caution tonight as temperatures are forecast to dip below freezing.
Pembrokeshire County Council has announced that road surface temperatures could reach as low as -2°C, with the possibility of sleet or snow on higher ground. In response, precautionary salting of the county’s primary routes will be carried out this evening and overnight.
A spokesperson for the council said: “Road users are advised to take care if travelling on untreated roads.”
Motorists are reminded to plan ahead and drive carefully, particularly in areas that may not have been treated.
Stay tuned to The Herald for updates on road conditions and weather warnings.
Community
Stallholders wanted for Milford Haven Christmas Market
MILFORD HAVEN BUSINESS CIRCLE is calling for stallholders to join the town’s festive Christmas Market, set to bring holiday cheer on Friday, December 6, and Saturday, December 7, 2024.
The market will take place at the Lower Charles Street Car Park, promising a vibrant mix of stalls and attractions. Organizers are seeking a variety of vendors, including those offering gifts, children’s toys and games, food, cakes, flowers, and more.
There’s also an open invitation for someone with small children’s rides to add to the festive fun. A highlight of the event will be the Grinch’s Grotto, offering an entertaining twist to this year’s celebrations.
If you’re interested in having a stall, contact the Milford Haven Business Circle via email at [email protected] for more information.
Mark your calendars and join the excitement as Milford Haven celebrates the season in style!
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