An oil painting of Cader Idris, Snowdonia

Cader Idris in Four Parts

The legendary Welsh mountain of Cader Idris is a powerful source of inspiration for me. Cader’s steep flanks exact a cost on the legs and lungs, but the shape of the massif, it’s cliffs, curves and views inspire the mind and enrich the soul, as thoroughly as they tire the body.

Cader Idris is located close to the southern edge of the Snowdonia National ParkThe mountain probably takes its name from the Welsh prince Idris ap Gwyddn, Idris Gawr, who won victory in battle on the mountain.  In Welsh, Cader Idris means Chair of Idris. Idris’s Chair is formed from the bowl in which the lake of Llyn Cae sits. Contemporary lore holds that if you sleep overnight on the mountain you wake up either mad or a poet. 

 

Cader Idris in winter

A lone walker approaches the summit of Cader Idris in winter, looking westward from Mynydd Moel.

A story telling chair on Cader Idris
View from story telling chair on Cader Idris
View from story telling chair on Cader Idris

 

I feel for the intrepid band of who carried this heavy oak story telling chair up Cader Idris. The thing must have weighed more than 100lbs, a heroic effort. Ultimately, the noble effort was in vain as the National Park asked that the chair be removed, but not before Clive (a spaniel) got to try it out one windy day, long ago. The chair was subsequently gifted to the Eden Project, Cornwall.

 

...and now for some paintings

An oil painting of the Welsh mountain of Cader Idris,
Cader Idris, Oil on Canvas, 100 x 50 cm

Cader Idris from Mynydd Moel, 100 x 50cm, oil on canvas. The brooding sky is quite stylized in this painting, though the rendering of the mountain is literal. The skyscape proved a big draw and I had several enquiries for this painting but I was pleased to be able to send it to a member of the Welsh diaspora, a Corris lad who had gone out into the world but for whom Cader Idris remains an anchor.

An oil painting of Cader Idris, Snowdonia
Cader Idris, Oil on Canvas, 100 x 50 cm

Cader Idris from Mynydd Moel, 100 x 50cm, oil on canvas. The same view as the preceding painting, but with a lighter summery feel. I’ve given the painting a field of clouds on a horizontal plane that mimic the shape of the mountain. This painting reads horizontally and the depth is stacked, but a pleasing curve originating in the lower left draws the eyes along the whisper of a path to the summit and on up the left flank of the tall cloud. 

An oil painting of the Welsh mountain of Cader Idris,

Cader Idris from Mynydd Moel, 100 x 50cm, oil on canvas. A tighter composition that emphasises the flanks and cliffs of Cader Idris, rather than the broad sweep of the massif. The cloud looms over the mountain as the mountain looms over the observer. I was very pleased by the cloud in this image, and the precision of the rockwork in the cliffs and flanks of the mountain.  

Cader Idris from Mynydd Moel, 122 x 61cm, oil on canvas. This painting is another variation on the theme of the summit of Cader Idris from Mynydd Moel, but this time I’ve ignored the cliffs above Llyn Cae, taking in the area to the north of Cader Idris as it drops towards Barmouth and showing the south side of the Mawdach Estuary. I’ve also made a point of focusing on the foreground rocks, and used the clouds both as objects of interest and pointers to draw the eye to the left. There is a long line from the foreground rocks on the right that curves down and then up to the summit. The void in the mid-left emphasises scale.

A few words on visiting Cader Idris

I live a few miles from the south side of Cader Idris, and have enjoyed many hours on and about the mountain in pretty much all weathers. You can summit the mountain and return to the base in four or five hours with a reasonable level of fitness and without pushing too hard. All the same, you would do well to treat the mountain with respect. Ascending in bright sunshine and lowland warmth, you may find the summit windy, wet, and cold, so do take additional clothing, water, and food. You are going to have a pretty miserable time if you find yourself near the top in a t-shirt and shorts, holding only an empty half litre water-bottle, when the rain sweeps in. Ideally you would have a map and compass, and know how to use them. If the weather draws in you might find yourself disorientated with limited visibility and being able to know which direction to go will stop you discovering a cliff edge or precipitous slope you didn’t think was supposed to be there. The mountain is rocky and strewn with boulders and one misstep could sprain an ankle, so wear a good pair of boots that offer ankle support. Be sure to take reasonable care and to enjoy yourself.

Please tell me what you think.