Brush With the Fairies - By Debbie James

Pembrokeshire County Living article, Early Summer 2008

 A blanket of low cloud descends on Amber Griffiths’ cottage on the Preseli Hills as she settles down with her sketchbook. These craggy hills are shrouded in legend and mythology so it is appropriate that the character that takes shape on the page is a fairy.

This particular fairy is riding a winged horse and has been commissioned by a mother for her pony-mad daughter.

The attention to detail is exceptional and is the reason why each piece takes hours to produce from the initial idea stage to the moment when Amber pens her signature to it.

Like many a little girl, Amber had been enchanted by the magic and mystery of fairies. Her fascination with them deepened when the Preseli Hills, an area steeped in fable became her back garden. Fairies are now a trademark of her work.

Amber’s talent as an artist revealed itself when she was a young girl and it would have been very easy for her to tread the path from school to art college. But she felt stifled by the constraints of the classroom.

“I studied art as an A level but I really didn’t like being told what to draw; art has to come from within a person,’’ she reckons. “My art teacher would tell me to paint a bowl of fruit or something similar but I always wanted to draw something else. If I had gone to art college I think I would have found it very difficult to develop my individuality.’’

Instead, she studied childcare but there were still opportunities to express herself as an artist. She supplied illustrations for children’s books and many of her assignments had an artistic element.

Amber’s son, Jacub, was born soon after she left college so she put her idea to launch a business on hold. But she continued painting by designing greetings cards to send to family and friends. Through their encouragement, she realised she could make a living from art so she set up a business, Gem Artwork, supplying original pieces of art created specifically for individual customers.

Her portfolio shows a diversity of drawings including fairies with a child’s favourite teddy bear or a family pet, dragons windsurfing and others riding quad bikes over the Preseli Hills.

Amber begins the process of creating a drawing by discussing an initial idea with her clients. If it is intended as a gift she will gather information about the recipient – favourite colour, interests, special toys if it is for a child, and their likes and dislikes.“My mind works overtime during the planning stage. I always avoid going for the obvious, instead I like to take a concept and twist it by putting a funky and fantasy spin on it,’’ she says.

When the final illustration is clear in her mind she sits down with a sketch book and brings it to life, quite often sketching outside by the stream running through her garden or at the nearby Gorsefawr stone circle.

“It is very inspirational being in such a beautiful place that is so peaceful. If I lived in a city with cars rushing by I don’t think I could be as creative,’’ she says.

When the sketch is finished, it’s back to the studio where Amber gets to work on the original. Detail is important in her work and a magnifier helps her capture the intricacy.

Amber likes to work through the medium of drawing ink because it is fast drying and it means she can work on a picture for hours without having to wait for parts of it to dry. She also likes the effect it gives.

As well as producing drawings for the gift market she has also been commissioned by companies to produce logos and to produce Christmas and other greeting cards.

Amber can be contacted at enquiries@gemartwork.co.uk or her website can be viewed at www.gemartwork.co.uk.