Inside the Cardigan Arts Winter Exhibition — A Studio Journal Reflection
The Cardigan Arts Winter Exhibition brings together a community of artists whose work reflects the landscape, rhythm, and quiet creativity of West Wales. Hosted annually at The Guildhall in Cardigan, the exhibition offers a moment to pause and experience the breadth of artistic practice in the region.
This year, I’m pleased to share that a selection of my botanical work will be exhibited — including two A2 giclée prints, Sunflowers and Carnaby Iris, alongside a curated collection of mounted A3 prints and greeting cards. Each piece has been created with the same focus on detail, colour, and archival quality that defines The Botanical Collection.
This journal entry offers a closer look at the exhibition, the work included, and the quiet preparations behind the scenes.
About the Exhibition
Held in the historic Guildhall in Cardigan, the Winter Exhibition is an annual event presented by Cardigan Arts society. Bringing together the work of local makers, it highlights both established and emerging artists across a range of disciplines.
Exhibition Details:
Location: The Guildhall, Cardigan
Dates: 24–29 November 2025
Opening Times: 10.00am – 5.00pm daily
The historic Guildhall in Cardigan, home to the annual Cardigan Arts Winter Exhibition
Featured Botanical Prints
Two fine art prints form the centrepiece of my display this year: Sunflowers and Carnaby Iris, both presented at A2 scale.
Shown together, these pieces bring a complementary balance — one warm and uplifting, the other structured with layered colour and depth. Printed as conservation-quality giclée reproductions, each artwork is matched with care to ensure clarity, texture, and longevity.
Preparing the Sunflowers and Carnaby Iris A2 giclée prints ahead of their installation at the Guildhall
Materials & Craft — A Closer Look at Paper and Print
The A2 artworks are printed on Ilford Cotton Textured 310gsm, a highly textured giclée paper with a white, uncoated base. Its pronounced texture catches the light beautifully, holding ink with depth and allowing darker tones to remain clean and rich. Robust and tactile, it produces a fine-art reproduction feel — ideal for detailed botanical work and perfectly suited to conservation framing.
The A3 mounted prints are produced on Marrutt 230gsm Archival Matt, a bright-white, smooth-surface photographic paper trusted by studios and galleries for its clarity and tonal depth. Its generous colour gamut and high D-Max create crisp detail and soft gradients, resulting in pieces that mount cleanly and hold presence on the wall or as gifts.
A Curated Selection of Mounted A3 Prints
Alongside the larger works, a selection of mounted A3 prints from The Botanical Collection will also be available — each one highlighting the diversity of botanical form, from calm whites to vivid summer tones.
This year’s selection includes:
Mounted in soft white conservation board, these pieces are finished with the same refined simplicity found throughout the collection.
A curated set of A3 mounted botanical prints prepared for the exhibition
Greeting Cards and Smaller Works
A small series of botanical greeting cards will accompany the prints. Each card is a reproductions of the original artworks — created for moments of thoughtfulness, connection, or as keepsakes.
A selection of botanical greeting cards arranged for exhibition display
Preparing for Installation
Preparing for an exhibition is a calm and deliberate process — one that moves between craft and composition. Prints are matched to frames, mounted pieces are checked and cleaned, and each work is paired with the right balance of space and scale.
Framing and preparing prints ahead of installation at the Guildhall
Exhibition Display at The Guildhall
Once installed, the display allows the pieces to speak across the space — the warm golden tones of Sunflowers beside the layered structure of Carnaby Iris, complemented by the softer palette of the mounted works.
Styling is kept simple: natural wood frames, soft whites, and clean lines to allow the botanical forms to hold presence without distraction.
The Sunflowers and Carnaby Iris fine art prints displayed together at the Cardigan Arts Winter Exhibition
Reflections from the Studio
Taking part in the Cardigan Arts Winter Exhibition is a meaningful way to share work within the local creative community. Exhibitions offer the chance to see artwork away from the studio — placed into real spaces, shaped by natural light and the quiet atmosphere of the Guildhall.
It’s also an opportunity to meet visitors, talk about process, and connect with those who feel drawn to botanical art and the calm it brings.
Whether you’re familiar with The Botanical Collection or encountering it for the first time, I hope the pieces offer a moment of colour, stillness, and quiet presence.
Closing Note
Thank you for reading this journal entry. The exhibition has opened, I’ll share further photographs and reflections from the week.
To view the full collection online, you can visit:
The Botanical Collection
