Collection: Gareth Owen

Bydd arddangosfa adolygol sy'n dathlu gyfra Gareth Owen fel artist ac athro celf, gan nodi ei ben-blwydd yn 80 oed, i'w gweld ym Mhlas Glyn-y-Weddw o Fawrth 22ain tan Mai 6ed, 2026.

Cafodd Gareth Owen ei fagu yn Llanuwchllyn gan fynychu Ysgol O.M.Edwards lle roedd ei dad Ifor Owen yn brif athro. Oddi yno aeth i Ysgol Tŷ Dan Domen Y Bala. Derbyniodd ei hyfforddiant celf yng Ngholeg Celf Caerdydd. Ei swydd gyntaf wedi gadael coleg oedd fel athro celf yn Ysgol Gyfun Rhydfelen. Yna, dychwelodd i fro ei febyd fel athro celf i Ysgol y Berwyn lle bu’n gydweithiwr â’r artist ar addysgwr Glyn Baines. Treuliodd gweddill ei yrfa dysgu fel penaeth adran celf a chyfadran dylunio a thechnoleg yn Ysgol y Creuddyn Bae Penrhyn. Daeth yn athro ymgynghorol i ‘Cynnal’ yr asiantaeth oedd yn  cefnogi a chynnal ysgolion Gwynedd a Môn yn bennaf. Wedi ymddeol o ddysgu cafodd ei apwyntio yn Swyddog Celf a Dylunio yn Adran Plant, Addysg a Dysgu Gydol Oes a Sgiliau Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru. Yn ystod y cyfnod hwn mewn ymgynghoriad ag athrawon celf datbygodd y Cwricwlwm Celf Newydd 2000 a’r llyfr Celf a dylunio, Canllawiau ar gyfer Cyfnodau Allweddol 2 a 3.

Trwy ei yrfa bu’n canol bwyntio ar ‘addysg trwy gelf ‘ ac ystyriai dysgu fel gweithgaredd greadigol ynddo ei hun. Dim ond wedi ymddeol y daeth i ganolbwyntio ar ei waith ei hun
Ymysg ei ddiddordebau mae byd y ddrama. Bu’n aelod o gwmni Drama Glan Conwy yn actio, scriptio, cynyrchu a chynllunio setiau. Ei gariad cyntaf ym myd y ddrama yw yr agwedd weledol o gynllunio setiau a bu’n gynllunydd i sioeau cerdd Cwmni Theatr Maldwyn, yn cynnwys Y Mab Darogan, Y Cylch, Llew a’r Ddraig, Pum Diwrnod o Ryddid a Heledd.

Diddordeb arall sydd gan Gareth Owen yw gweithio englynion ac yn aml eu hintegreiddi i’w waith celf. Oherwydd natur gysyniadol llawer o’i waith gall uniaethu a barddoniaeth yn gyffredinol ac yn 2024 fe enillodd gadair Eisteddfod Gadeiriol Llanuwchllyn yn ôl ym mro ei febyd. 

Mae wedi cyhoeddi dau lyfr –‘Rhyw LUN o Hunangofiant’ a ‘Sŵn y Gwynt sy’n Chwythu.’ Yn ‘Rhyw LUN o Hunangofiant’ mae’n defnyddio ei waith celf ei hun i adlewyrchu ei gefndir diwylliannol Cymreig ac i adrodd ei hanes. Mae ‘Sŵn y Gwynt sy’n Chwythu’ yn ymateb gweledol i’r gerdd hynod gan Kitchener Davies ‘Sŵn y Gwynt sy’n Chwythu’. 

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A retrospective exhibition celebrating Gareth Owen's career as both an artist and an art teacher, marking his 80th birthday, will be at Plas Glyn-y-Weddw from March 22nd until May 6th, 2026.

Gareth Owen was brought up in Llanuwchllyn and attended Ysgol O.M.Edwards where his father Ifor Owen was headmaster. From there he went to Ysgol Tŷ Dan Domen Y Bala. He received his art education at Cardiff College of Art. His first post was as art teacher at Ysgol Gyfun Rhydfelen. He then returned to his roots as art teacher at Ysgol y Berwyn Y Bala and became a colleague of Glyn Baines the artist and educator. The rest of his teaching career was spent as head of the art and the faculty of design and technology at Ysgol y Creuddyn Bae Penrhyn.

He then became art teacher adviser for ‘Cynnal’ the agency that supported schools mainly in Gwynedd and Môn. After retiring from teaching he became the Art and Design Officer in the Department of Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills Welsh Assembly Government.

During this period, in consultation with art teachers, he developed the new 2000 art curriculum and the Art and design book, ‘Guidance for Key Stages 2 a3’
Throughout his career he concentrated on ‘education through art’ and regarded teaching as a creative act in itself. It is only after retirement that he began to concentrate on his own work.  One of his interests is the world of drama. He was a member of ‘Cwmni Drama Glanconwy,’ scripting, directing, and designing sets. His first love in the world of drama is the visual aspect of stage design and he was the set designer for 5 shows of ‘Cwmni Theatr Maldwyn’, including ‘Y Mab Darogan’, ‘Y Cylch’, ‘Llew a’r Ddraig’, ‘Pum Diwrnod o Ryddid’ a ‘Heledd’. Another of Gareth Owen’s interests is to create ‘Englynion’ and integrate them into his work. Because of the conceptual nature of his work, he can relate to poetry and in 2024 he won the chair of ‘Eisteddfod Gadeiriol Llanuwchllyn’, his childhood home.

He has published 2 books – ‘Rhyw LUN o Hunangofiant’ and ‘Sŵn y Gwynt sy’n Chwythu’. In ‘Rhyw LUN o Hunangofiant’ he uses his own work to reflect on his Welsh cultural background and to tell his story.

‘Sŵn y Gwynt sy’n Chwythu’ is a visual response to a remarkable poem by Kitchener Davies ‘Sŵn y Gwynt sy’n Chwythu’.