By: JAMES, Lesley

Acq. Number: 904

Artwork_Medium: paper, graphite, acrylic paint, LED lightbox

Purchased: 2025

Buyer: MURDOCH, Karen – CASW National Eisteddfod Purchase Prize 2025

Location: Wrexham Museum

Town: Wrexham

Content: Darn bach o’r Cefn I (A Little Piece of the Cefn) 2025 pays tribute to the high-quality terracotta bricks manufactured by JC Edwards, formerly based in Wrexham. The exceptional Eturia Marl clay dug from pits around Wrexham were used in such buildings as the Victoria Law courts in Birmingham, the Victoria building Liverpool University, the Pier Head in Cardiff, and The Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester. JC Edwards' tile and brickworks was demolished between the 1950s and 70s. Lesley explains: "I made rubbings from these major architectural buildings together with the remnants of the buildings left from the brickworks in Wrexham and incorporated them into my graphite and acrylic paper work." The lightbox work, Darn bach y'r Cefn I, attempts to repatriate this fine legacy by bringing the artistry back to its home in Wrexham. Lesley James wanted to raise the profile in the city of the people who made the tiles and bricks as well as JC Edwards' manufacturing works.

Notes: Originally from Cornwall, Lesley James lives and works in North Wales. She completed her BA (Hons) in Fine Art, specialising in photography, at Manchester Polytechnic before studying further at Falmouth School of Art and Liverpool John Moores for her MA in Fine Art. She has held numerous exhibitions and residencies since the early 2000s following her first prize in the North Wales Open in 2002. In 2022, she held a residency in Cill Rialaig, South West Ireland and in 2023, was commissioned to create new work for solo show at Galeri Caernarfon. CASW's Eisteddfod Purchase prize follows in the wake of her commission to produce work for Tales from Terracottapolis at Tŷ Pawb.