AN artist from Pembrokeshire is holding a retrospective exhibition of his paintings produced over the last 50 years. Terry Johns will display his work at The Corran Resort and Spa in Laugharne, as part of the hotel's drive to support local artists.

The exhibition started with a private viewing yesterday (Thursday) and will be open to the public until Sunday, July 14. Art enthusiasts can visit the exhibition, which will include 50 of Terry's paintings, on weekdays from 11 am - 5 pm and by appointment at weekends.

Terry's connections to the area are strong and reflected in his paintings of the Pembrokeshire landscape. Born in Kilgetty, Terry attended Greenhill Grammar School and went on to obtain a degree in Fine Art at the West of England College of Art in Bristol.

In 1967, Terry had a breakthrough in his career when he entered a painting in an exhibition organised by the Welsh Arts Council. The painting called 'Constancy' was one of only 53 paintings accepted by the council out of over 550.

Following this, Terry was asked to design and make the Bardic Crown for the Carmarthen Eisteddfod in 1974, which was later won by William George, the nephew of Prime Minister Lloyd George.

In 1972, Terry and his family moved to Laugharne and lived there for 12 years. During this time, his work was inspired by the poetry of Dylan Thomas and many paintings from this era appear in the exhibition. His previous exhibitions in Laugharne have given him international recognition, with many of his paintings now part of private collections in America, Japan and South Africa.

Terry Johns commented: "It's a pleasure to display this carefully chosen selection of my work at The Corran as part of its inaugural art exhibition. My time spent in Laugharne earlier in my career greatly influenced the direction of my paintings and I have always been inspired by the Celtic mysticism of this part of West Wales. In recent times, I have taken a different approach to landscapes and based my paintings purely on the effect of light filtering through trees and plants. Many of these images are expressions of my walks around Sir Johns Hill in Laugharne, perhaps sharing Dylan Thomas's visual experiences which inspires some of his famous poetry."

Nick Evans, manager at The Corran Resort and Spa, added: "The restaurant and reception rooms at The Corran lend themselves well to displaying art and we have been searching for a talented local artist to exhibit their work here since we re-opened in February. We couldn't have hoped for a better exhibition to start us off and we are anticipating a high volume of visitors to view Terry's pieces. Not only has he lived in Laugharne, but many of Terry's paintings depict the local landscape.

"When the exhibition ends in July, we hope to invite another talented artist to use our facilities as the backdrop to their paintings. We attract visitors from all over the UK, so it's a great opportunity to gain recognition from a diverse audience."

For more information about the exhibition and to book weekend viewing appointments, please call 01994 427417.