Ian H Watkins

Working primarily in acrylic, with layers of pastel, charcoal, and gold leaf, Watkins paints with instinct and speed. He often works on location, gathering sand or soil to grind into the surface of some of his canvases, making these paintings a literal extension of the land itself. The result is a raw and tactile aesthetic that echoes the rugged beauty of cliffs, coastlines, and valleys while also offering profound emotional resonance.
Painting the soul of the Welsh landscape. His practice places him within the rich tradition of Welsh landscape painting shaped by artists such as Kyffin Williams, and he is inspired by contemporary figures like Elfyn Lewis. Yet Watkins’s voice is unmistakably his own: emotive, instinctive, and deeply authentic.
Watkins has exhibited at solo shows across the UK and counts numerous well-known faces amongst his collectors. He has been a selector for both the ING Discerning Eye and the Welsh Contemporary Art Exhibition and is a regular contributor to BBC’s The One Show, where his art has been profiled to a national audience.
Through his paintings, Watkins invites viewers to feel the raw beauty of Wales - its shifting light, its textures, its moods - and to share in the ‘hiraeth’ that lies at the heart of his art.