Ö÷²¥´óÐã

Polish artist Josef Herman will forever be associated with the Welsh mining town of Ystradgynlais and his paintings of industrial Wales and the mining community.

To mark his importance on the visual arts world in Wales, the is currently holding a centenary exhibition of his work.

Paintings and drawings of Ystradgynlais are the focus of the exhibition, which have been selected by Agi Katz, the director of the Boundary Gallery in London. The centenary show also includes important works loaned by the Herman family and from the Herman Estate.

Josef Herman © Bernard Mitchell

Herman was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1911. He was educated until the age of 12, after which he became an apprentice printer and then an artist. He studied at the Warsaw School of Art between 1930 and 1932, and exhibited for the first time in Warsaw in 1932.

In 1938 he fled his homeland to Belgium due to the mounting anti-Semitism, in advance of the Germany invasion and outbreak of World War Two. Though he managed to flee, he lost his entire family in the Holocaust.

Herman moved to France and then the UK, arriving in Scotland and settling in Glasgow in 1940, where he stayed for four years. He visited Ystradgynlais for a two week holiday in 1944, but ended up making the mining community his home for the next 11 years.

He later moved on to Suffolk and then London, but towards the end of his life commented, "only Ystradgynlais changed my life and my work… When I left I took it with me."

The Josef Herman Centenary exhibition runs at the School of Art Gallery at Aberystwyth University until Friday 29 July, open each Monday to Friday, 10am-5pm. to find out about this and other exhibitions at the university.

Welsh actor Richard Burton is to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, it has been announced.

A fundraising drive was led by Professor Dylan Jones-Evans, director of enterprise at the University of Wales. He was informed on Wednesday that the application for a star had been successful.

"I learnt of the announcement that the decision had been made via Twitter but didn't realise our application had been granted until I checked my email.

"Normally these stars are paid for by film companies or studios hoping to promote their movie but I think it's important for Wales that we raise the money ourselves.

"It's what Richard Burton would have liked, for us to do this ourselves is important and shows national appreciation for his talent and standing."

Each year new members for the Eisteddfod Druidic Order are chosen who have made a contribution to Welsh culture or society. They are honoured by being part of the procession and wearing the prestigious long white robes.

Ìý

Welsh Poet Gillian Clarke

With this year's National Eisteddfod in Wrexham fast approaching, the Gorsedd have announced their select inductees. Among the honoured few are National Poet for Wales Gillian Clarke and international rugby referee Nigel Owens.

Clarke, this year's winner of the Queen's Gold Medal for poetry, told the that the day holds particular importance as her Mother, originally from Coedpoeth near Wrexham, was born 100 years to the day.

Other inductees include former Wales rugby star Non Evans, broadcaster Lyn Ebenezer and Radio Cymru and S4C commentator Nic Parry.

To learn more about the Eisteddfod visit our Guides section on our Eisteddfod site.

The takes place in Cardiff this Saturday, with hundreds of eager snappers descending on the capital city for the annual photo competition.

Photomarathon is a photography competition with a twist: running over the course of 12 hours, it challenges its participants to take 12 images on 12 given topics across the day.

Last year's event in Cardiff was the first to move from film to the format of digital photography. The overall winner in 2010 was Nigel Leach for his 12 shots of and in the city, while each of the categories each had their own winner.

Nigel Leach's 2010 Photomarathon topic one photo: My Entry Number

Photomarathon events take place regularly throughout Europe and events have also been held further afield in Canada and Australia.

An exhibition of all the photographs taken on Saturday will be held in the first floor exhibition space at the , in the Old Library on The Hayes in July/August - dates to be confirmed.

Read about last year's event in a previous blog article, and visit the for more info on this year's event in Cardiff.

Paul Emmanuel has scooped the 2011 Welsh Artist of the Year award for his unusual and striking fleece paintings.

Welsh Artist of the Year Paul Emmanuel collecting his prize

The artist, who lives and works on a farm in Penycau in the Swansea valleys, paints on sheep fleece rather than conventional canvas. He grooms and backcombs the wool with oil paint using hairdressing accessories such as combs and hairbrushes instead of art brushes to apply the paint.

Emmanuel's vibrant green fleece painting Penrhiwllythau, named after the farm which gave him the fleece, beat 400 other pieces of work to win the title and the £2,000 prize.

Paul Emmanuel with examples of his work

Read more on the story and browse a gallery of photos of the 2011 prize winners on the Ö÷²¥´óÐã Wales News website.

Plus see the for information on the Welsh Artist of the Year Exhibition 2011. It runs until Saturday 6 August and showcases the work of all the prize winners plus more than 80 other pieces that made this year's shortlist.

Cardiff based pop-up gallery initiative opens a new gallery space this week, with an extended exhibition period and new artists added to the collective.

This time the exhibition is nearly a month long, where previous project/ten shows have been shorter in duration at around a week long.

Colour Lazy Chair by Freshwest

New artists that will be showing their artwork for the first time are west Wales based creative duo . (There's an excellent video on their website of their Lazy chair, pictured, in action.)

Alongside Freshwest, other artists exhibiting work in the show include Welsh Artist of the Year finalist Molly Rooke, Seren Jones and new products from designer Vladimir Rachev.

I asked Cat Gardiner, the curator of project/ten, a couple of questions about the latest pop-up show:

How have you found working with new members of the collective, Freshwest?

"It is brilliant to have such a well established and internationally renowned design-duo such as Freshwest on board.

"Their work is further strengthening the design aspect of the gallery, which is what makes project/ten so unique and what distinguishes us from any other commercial gallery in Wales."

Have you got a personal highlight from summer #2?

Alongside Freshwest, a personal highlight is a magnificent oil on canvas by Aberystwyth-born artist Seren Jones, entitled Gladys. Her biggest work to date will certainly command attention at our next exhibition.

Tell us the reasoning behind the extended exhibition time for summer #2.Ìý

The gallery is now in its second year and looking back to summer #1, the exhibition is certainly a sign of its progression. June also sees Cardiff become a cultural destination, with a flurry of activity happening in the city centre; what better place to pop-up for our longest show to date?

Ìý

The summer#2 exhibition runs at the Old Wardrobe, 33 High Street Arcade, Cardiff from Wednesday 8 June until Saturday 2 July, with the exhibition launch on Thursday 9 June from 6-8pm.

Like sculpture? Make sure you watch a new programme on Ö÷²¥´óÐã Two Wales tonight about Wales-based artist David Nash, one of the leading figures in sculpture in Britain.

Nash was born in Esher, Surrey in 1945. He studied at Kingston College of Art, Brighton College of Art and Chelsea School of Art, and moved to Blaenau Ffestiniog in north Wales after leaving Chelsea.

He is considered one of Britain's most important living artists and has established an international reputation. His sculptures are held in collections at major galleries and public spaces around the world.

This programme reveals how Blaenau Ffestiniog is fundamental to the artist's ideas and has been a major part of his success.

Working in wood, Nash has developed a deep understanding of his materials. Natural forces and the nature of the tree itself are integral to his art. Cut with a chainsaw and allowed to crack, warp and bend or planted on a hillside to grow into a form as a 'living sculpture', the landscape of north Wales is often the foundation of his work.

David Nash is on Ö÷²¥´óÐã Two Wales on Thursday 2 June at 7pm, and will be available to watch again on the Ö÷²¥´óÐã iPlayer for the subsequent seven days.

Welsh theatre group will take to the road this month with their new touring production, Old Hands.

Andrew Tadd as Ralph Topper in Hijinx Theatre's Old Hands

Old Hands will transport the modern day theatre audience back in time to the bygone era of a struggling 1930s theatre and music hall, Skidbury-on-Sea Little Theatre.

Yet the play promises more than a whimsical nostalgia trip as Old Hands challenges the attitudes then, and now, towards people with learning disabilities.

The cast includes Gareth Wyn Griffiths, Eloise Howe and Adam Timms, plus Andrew Tadd and Gareth Clark - two actors who both have Down's Syndrome.

It will be Andrew's first time on the road as a touring actor while it's Gareth second tour as a professional actor - his first was Hijinx's 2008 production of Full Circle.

Written by Glenys Evans and directed by James Williams with Gaynor Lougher, Old Hands begins a six week tour with a preview at Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff tomorrow - 2 June. It then tours across Wales and England until 16 July.

For more information and to see a list of tour dates take a look at the . Plus, read an interview with director James Williams on the .