It was a crystal day in autumn when a team of four of us took on the pleasurable duty of collecting the paintings from Kyffin’s studio at Pwllfanogl. All the works in his studio had been left to the National Library and it was our responsibility to secure and transport them safely to Aberystwyth.
All day long we moved, cleaned, packed and documented the pictures. We handled oil paintings, watercolours and prints of various sizes, works by Kyffin and many other artists. But to this day I’ll never forget how beautiful the setting was in Pwllfanogl, looking over the Menai Straits towards the Snowdonia mountains. How lucky Kyffin was to have lived here, and how lucky were we to have been left this amazing collection by the kind and gentle artist who was always supportive of our work and collection at the National Library.
With all works packed carefully in bubble wrap and loaded onto the van, I locked the studio door, feeling both sad and proud at the same time. It was our turn to look after the collection now.
Lona Mason