Artist of the Month: Sara Wheeler
Dr Sara Louise Wheeler is a freelance poet, littérateur, and artist. She writes the column ‘O’r Gororau’ (‘From the borders’) for Barddas Welsh poetry magazine, where she explores topics relating to marginal experiences, including disabilities; she also writes a bi-monthly column for Golwg360. Sara undertakes consultancy work on accessibility and is a member of numerous committees and networks relating to equality and diversity; she is also Vice-Chair of the central literature committee for the National Eisteddfod of Wales, is a member of the Executive committee for PEN Wales, and also the Board of Governors for Ysgol Morgan Llwyd. Sara works in and around North-East Wales, providing workshops relating to creativity and wellbeing. Sara won the DAC ‘Creative Word’ (Welsh medium) competition 2022 with her poem ‘Ablaeth Rhemp y Crachach’, which she subsequently translated and published in her bilingual pamphlet of poetry ‘Trawiad/ Seizure’. Her artwork ‘The sands of hearing time’ is featured in the DAC Arts Prize exhibition ‘Aildanio’ and is currently on display in Tŷ Pawb, Wrecsam. Sara is currently preparing a children’s book called ‘The Silver Princess’, based on the story and artwork she recently published in ‘Cylchgrawn CIP’; she will publish Welsh and English versions of the study, with original artwork.
Socials: @serensiwenna (Twitter ag Instagram) Saralouisewheelerneeedwards ar Facebook.
Telyn yn y storfa/ Harp in the storeroom
Drawing on paper in colouring pencils.
A fullsize pedal-harp, of wooden appearance with black and red strings and a yellow soundboard, stands in a long narrow room, with a grey floor and ceiling and cream coloured wall on the right. Along the left wall are four wide wooden shelves running the whole length of the wall, at even intervals and covering the whole wall. The top shelf is full of books and boxfiles. The next shelf down has a green lamp and a silver fan on it. The next shelf down has an assortment of objects on it, including blue trainers (which are not sitting side by side) a red fizzy drinks can, and a black stopwatch. The final shelf has the following objects on it: a red netball bib with WA on it; a green netball bib with GD on it; a pencil, a protractor, a silver whistle with a purple string attached, and a mathematics compass. Under the shelf at the back of the room are three netballs (two yellow, one orange) held together by a black mesh bag. The overall image portrays a harp stored in a store cupboard.
Gwenyn/ Bumble bee
Drawing on paper in colouring pencils.
A simple drawing of a bumble bee, resting on a green plant with purple tinged tips. This drawing was an illustration for a children’s ‘Winter of wellbeing’ project book.
Y dywysoges arian/ The silver princess
This is a self-portrait, in cartoon form, showing me accepting my new persona, surrounded by symbols of my condition Waardenburg Syndrome Type 1. I am depicted with my naturally depigmented eyes, hair, and skin, contrasted by my still dark eyebrows and eyelashes. I am dressed in bright turquoise and a range of the cold spectrum, which is also the wider palette for the whole drawing. There is a bee, a bottle of fizzy pop, and an explosion, all of which represent the sounds I associate with tinnitus, which in turn is a consequence of progressive, sensorineural hearing loss. Above me are storm clouds of hearing loss and hyperacusis. I am surrounded by chromosomes in green, with 1 gene highlighted in silver; this is the PAX3 gene, which is responsible for causing Waardenburg Syndrome Type 1. I created this image to accompany the poem ‘Y Dywysoges Arian/ The Silver Princess’, in which I contemplate my condition, including the rather alarming developments in the field of genetics, including CRISPR technology. This poem and drawing were the inspiration for a theatre project funded by Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru over the last 2 years.
Y llyfr llesiant/ The wellbeing book
Photograph showing a bilingual book with the title ‘Y llyfr llesiant/ The Wellbeing book’, resting on a silver birch tree background. The book has a white, shiny cover, with two illustrations on it: one is of some pink and orange flowers, the other is of a bumble bee on a green plant with purple tinged tips. The illustrations have thin white borders, designed to make them look like two polaroid photos side by side. The remainder of the text on the cover reads: 2022 Gan/ By Isabelle Piggott, Indigo Evans, Rousseau Evans, Emily Ashworth a Sara Louise Wheeler, Llyfrgelloedd Wrecsam/ Wrexham Libraries; there is then some blue bubble writing which reads: Gaeaf llawn lles Winter of Wellbeing and there is a heart symbol next to this writing.