Throughout 2025, the artists of the New Betws-y-Coed Outdoor Painters Group have been unveiling their finest work in a captivating series of monthly exhibitions, now August then brings a grand Summer showcase drawing together the group’s most evocative pieces.
Featured Artists
Debbie Baxter
Award Winning artist Debbie Baxter moved to the Lledr Valley in 2022, she has been engrossed in painting it’s waterways andabundant woodland and tree life. Debbie studied under Daniel Samuels, an international artist who painted exceptional Greek mythological pieces and morerecently the artist Christiane Kubrick, widow of film director, Stanley.
Debbie has a particular interest in trees and is fascinated bytheir majesty of shape and design. She lived for eight years in Indonesia where colour is striking and vivid, which taught her to never be afraid of the wide variety of hues nature has to offer. Debbie has exhibited across the UK and has worked on commission pieces for many European clients. “Woodlands and forests have always been my fascination; forme these are places of magic and wonder, a natural andrestorative environment to enjoy and connect back to my own need to feel calm and get back into balance again.”
Jax Whincup
Trained at the Putney School of Art, Jax was fortunate to be taught by two exceptional masters of watercolour and pastel: Rod Munro and R.A. William Mason. In the 1990s, Jax had the privilege of joining them to paint in the South of France—a formative chapter in her artistic journey. Jax won her first painting prize at the age of eight, the piece still hangs in her hometown of Bedford at the Town Hall.
Jax first came to paint in Betws-y-Coed in 1996. Jax’s path took a different turn when her son, Tryfan, was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. Much of her time and creative energy shifted to fundraising—using art as a way to raise awareness and support for access to new, life-changing treatments. As a result, painting often took a back seat, but it remained a personal sanctuary—an outlet for mental health and a source of healing. Although in 2008, Jax did release a small series of prints.
Jax has recently returned to painting with no agenda other than self-fulfilment and a passion to create.
https://www.instagram.com/jaxwhincup
Lorraine Seren Caterall
Lorraine is a North Wales artist with a lifelong love of drawing & a preference for painting in oils. Fascinated by the effects of light on different forms, Lorraine is primarily a studio painter but also enjoys getting out and experiencing Plein Air as part of the Betws Outdoor Painters Group.
Lorraine studied Fine Art at Bangor University between 2003 & 2006, a department at the timeheaded up by award winning landscape artist, Mike Knowles from Ynys Môn. Lorraine has since pursued her art practice privately& chose not to exhibit until 2024 when she joined the New Betws-y-Coed Outdoor Painters Group collective. Her motive for painting is to attempt to capture the beauty of light, the one source that allows us to see our incredible world.
www.lorraineseren.myportfolio.com
Wendy T Eardley
Drawing inspiration from the stunning landscapes and the world around her, Wendy creates loose,impressionistic work in oil.
Influenced by early Symbolist painters and Impressionists, Wendy believes that visual metaphors and symbols surround us, offering a deeper understanding of our experiences. Her art celebrates the beauty of cherished moments, places, and emotions, crafted to evoke personal meaning and connection. With a strong foundation in art and design, Wendy holds a B.Ed. (Hons) in Art, Textiles, Design, and Education from Bangor. She later expanded her expertise by training in Graphic Design and designed cards under the brand Wendy House Publishing.
Now working almost entirley in oils from her studio in Colwyn Bay Wendy loves exploring Eryri with her sketchbook and paints plein air whenever the weather allows!
Brett Duncalf
Brett’s artwork is inspired from the natural world and everyday moments. Using found objects collected during walks, hikes, and outings with his dog, each piece reflects a deep connection to the environment and a sensitivity to the unexpected beauty in ordinary encounters.
Occasionally sparked by casual conversations or spontaneous observations in nature, the Brett’s work aims to inspire, uplift, and enrich the lives of others. You can see more of Brett’s work at his North Wales studio in Penmachno.
Gwyneth Couchman
Gwyneth is north Wales based artist inspired by the native landscapes. Her work is not a pictorial image of a location but rather comes from a spontaneous reaction to the environment through an often unplanned process, as the work develops and reveals itself.
“As an artist I am lucky enough to live in the beautiful Machno valley and its ever-evolving landscape . Since moving there in 1982 it continues to feed my inspiration, my muse as it were .
My art was until 2020 was purely representational both in landscape and portrait, although abstract art always fascinated me. During lockdown I took an online abstract art course and this ignited the art journey I am now committed to .
My paintings are of special places to me and based on photographs or plein air pieces. My goal is to achieve a degree of abstraction by working intuitively, usually beginning with no plan or intention in mind, other than having chosen a colour palette. I suspect these colours reflect my mood at the time. I like to add layer upon layer, sometimes removing as much paint as I add, until something emerges that resonates with my thinking brain. Sometimes what emerges pleases me; sometimes it doesn’t – in which case, I start over!
Why I paint ? I paint because painting enables me to access and to express a part of myself that feels inaccessible and inexpressible through other means of communication. While I’m sometimes unsure about what a particular painting might be ‘saying’ (and am happy to leave interpretation to others), I do have a sense that painting is a way for me to connect my inner world with the outer world.”
Chris Cornwell
As a geologist by profession, Chris has always maintained a deep interest in landscape and the natural world. Now retired and residing amidst the splendour of North Wales, Chris has embraced the opportunity to paint its majestic mountains, serene woodlands, and dramatic coastline. Each work is an ongoing challenge to capture the region’s unique beauty, shifting light, and evocative atmosphere.
Watercolour remains Chris’ preferred medium, cherished for its fluidity and transparency. The delicate balance required to control a wash on damp paper—walking the fine line between triumph and disaster—brings a sense of exhilaration. More recently, Chris has also explored acrylics and oils, relishing the distinct challenges and possibilities each medium presents.
Chris has exhibited extensivley in Noth Wales notably at Oriel Ynys Môn and the Royal Cambrian Academy Open.
Caroline Schofield
Caroline is an artist, eco-psychology practitioner and eco-therapist. Her freelance work stems from a deep love of the natural world, fuelled by passion, purpose and a desire to be of service to life, people and planet.
Caroline has over 20 years’ experience working in the mental health sector, as an arts facilitator and within education. Her personal art practice involves working with natural pigments from plants and minerals found in the local landscape.
“Processing pigment is a slow almost meditative practice, somewhat like the process of personal healing, this can’t be hurried, it is counter to the cultural norms of productivity and efficiency, there ritualistic feeling about this process. Often, I work with what is there and available rather than specifically seeking things out but being with a place over a long period of time, returning and forming a relationship with a place ad its inhabitants, human and more than human.”
Simon Renshaw
Host of the Painting Insights Podcast – Simon is an artist, draughtsman, and film maker based in North Wales
Alongside interviewing other artists and makers on his Painting Insights Podcast, Simon’s other videos explore his approach to drawing and painting by sharing thought process about conception and composition, as well as examining the trodden mistakes artists make when exploring new media. Simon’s work can be viewed on his Instagram page.
Join US
Are you an artist inspired by the landscapes of Snowdonia? For more information on how to get involved and join the New Betws y Coed Outdoor Painters Group contact Debbie Baxter or send us an email & we’ll link you up!
