Ein Treftadaeth/Our Heritage
We were fortunate to be able to supply photographs for a new heritage tourism website and, connected exhibitions in Penmaenmawr and Llandudno Museums. The Ein Treftadaeth project led by Cadw, aims to inspire and inform heritage tourism across Gwynedd, Conwy and the Snowdonia National Park through the exploration of themes such as "Origins & Prehistory" and ''Princes of Gwynedd". As well as supplying photos from our library, we also took new images of the Great Orme and a variety of sites on the hills above Egryn Abbey, Ardudwy, and in the Conwy valley.
Photo of a late medieval longhouse above Egryn Hall & Morfa Dyffryn © Mick Sharp
Annual Open Art Exhibition
Jean's photograph of the footpath to Kingston Russel stone circle, Dorset was chosen for the Annual Open Art exhibition at Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery, Bangor, March 8 to 19 April, 2014. Selected images from the exhibition, including her photo, could be seen at Oriel Pendeitsh Gallery, Caernarfon from May 2 to 22 June, 2014.
Photo of Footpath to Kingston Russel Stone Circle, Dorset © Jean Williamson
New Corpus of Inscribed Stones, Nancy Edwards
A Corpus of Early Medieval inscribed Stones and Stone Sculpture in Wales, Vol 3, North Wales. Published 2013 by The University of Wales Press.
In 1998-99 Jean was asked to contribute to this volume by photographing inscribed and carved stones at 45 locations, farmyards, churches and museums, in Caernarfonshire and Anglesey. Using 5x4 black & white film, portable flash, tungsten lights and a polaroid back to check exposures and lighting angle all sounds very old tech. these days, but the results were great.
Catching the Light
Mick has written a series of three illustrated articles on his approach to photographing ancient monuments, covering the topics of Black & White, Colour and the use of Available & Artificial light sources. They have been published in British Archaeology magazine (the Voice of Archaeology in Britain and Beyond). "Catching the Light: Black & White" September/October 2013 issue, "Colour" November/December 2013, "Available & Artificial" January/February 2014. British Archaeology is published by the Council for British Archaeology (CBA); check out their website at www.archaeologyUK.org
Ivories From Nimrud VII, Georgina Herrmann & Stuart Laidlaw
Ivories From Rooms SW11/12 & T10 Fort Shalmaneser, published 2013 by The British Institute for the Study of Iraq (Gertrude Bell Memorial)
This two-volume set completes the publication of the early first millennium BC ivories excavated from Fort Shalmaneser & the NW Palace of the Assyrian city of Nimrud, Iraq - a mammoth task of scholarship carried out under very difficult circumstances. Mick was fortunate to work with Georgina in the 1980s, taking new photographs of ivories at the Institute of Archaeology, London, and in museum collections in England and Iraq (during the Iran/Iraq war). He also spent a long time in the darkroom making black & white prints for the catalogues from a wide variety of new and existing negatives. Max Mallowan led the excavations at Nimrud, helped by his wife Agatha Christie whose straw hats were still hanging on the door of the specially built dig-house.
Photo of cloisonné winged human-headed sphinx striding over a prostrate youth © Mick Sharp
Earth Stone Sky Exhibition Update
Mick’s photos are now up at the Caban. With the help of our two friends Alex and Sue - who helped out in January when I only had one leg to stand on! - we got the pictures up without incident, and then settled down to enjoy the view over cups of tea, cocoa and coffee in the early morning peace and quiet. The framed photos really sing out in the reflected autumn sunshine. They will be there until 13th December. Don’t forget to check the mounted prints in the browser opposite the till.
Earth Stone Sky Exhibition
It's my (MS) turn to have an exhibition of photographs at the Caban in Brynrefail from 2 November to 13 December 2012: a chance for people to have a look at some of my old photos of even older monuments and landscapes. I’ve mounted and had framed the last of my genuine hand-printed-in-the-darkroom-on-chloro-bromide-warm-tone-paper black & white display prints in the (faint) hope of selling them through the Caban and our website. I’ve recently got the pix back from Oriel Cwm in Cwm y Glo and they do look rather smart in their chrome frames. There is also a selection of just window-mounted prints for those who wish to choose the frames themselves. See our new Earth Stone Sky gallery for the full selection. Print sales will go live on this site (prints & cards), 5 November 2012, after the launch of the exhibition at the Caban. Fingers crossed.
Photo of Easter Aquhorthies recumbent stone circle, Aberdeenshire © Mick Sharp
Earth Stone Sky Cards
To coincide with the exhibition we have added four images that feature in Mick’s exhibition to our card range - Llech Idris, Brodgar, Gavrinis, and this one of Tarr Steps which is proving very popular.
Photo of Tarr Steps, Somerset © Mick Sharp
Reflections on the Past: Essays in honour of Frances Lynch, eds William Britnell & Robert Silvester
Jean and I attended a most enjoyable event in the Terrace Bar of Bangor University last Monday (9 July 2012) evening where a festschrift was presented to Frances Lynch in acknowledgement of her outstanding contribution to archaeology and education in Wales, Ireland and the west of Britain. Over 30 distinguished archaeologists and academics (and me) contributed articles on a wide range of topics related to Frances's work and interests. My offering, titled 'Living with the Dead', is a photo essay on prehistoric ritual and funerary monuments in NW Wales, picking up on some of Frances's excavations and research topics. The project, masterminded by Bill Britnell, Bob Silvester and the Cambrians, went on in secret for a couple of years; they are to be congratulated for initiating the festschrift and producing such a handsome and interesting volume. Frances is a star, and it was good to have an opportunity for us all to express our gratitude and admiration for her excellent work and tireless commitment to archaeology and history.
Published by The Cambrian Archaeological Association, ISBN 978-0-947846-08-4, £20-00. Contact www.cambrians.org.uk for details.
Cover photo of Cors y Gedol burial chamber © Mick Sharp
'Heartland' at Kyffin Café Deli, Bangor
A selection from my Heartland exhibition will be upstairs at Jo Pott's Kyffin Café Deli from 4th February until 3rd March 2012. Located at 129 High Street, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 1NT. Go through the café to the back, pass through the screen, turn left and up the stairs.
Follow me on: 
Jean Williamson.