The Open Art is an annual exhibition open to artists and students aged 16 and over who live or work in Wales. To celebrate Storiel turning ten years old in 2026 the exhibition is held in the main gallery this year, with a prize of £1000 for the winner of the Selector’s Prize. The Guest Selector was artist Kim Atkinson, who selected together with Jeremy Yates.
Remember to vote for the winner of the ‘People’s Choice Prize’, the winner will receive a cheque for £150, kindly presented by Storiel Friends.
- Selector Prize: £1000
- People’s Choice Prize: £150 (Presented by the Friends of Storiel)
- Exhibition dates: 17.01.2026 – 21.03.2026
The winner of this year’s selector prize is Paul Williams with his work ‘Echoes of Room No. 9’.
“I am a third-year Fine Art BA student at Parc Menai, Bangor, with a practice centred on portraiture, mark making, and grid-based techniques. I am passionate about capturing people, especially through drawing and painting, and I often work on large, hand-built surfaces that allow me to explore detail and emotion in depth. Over the past few years my work has focused on using grids and repeated marks to slowly reconstruct images, balancing precision with intuition.
My drawing Echoes of Room No. 9 reflects this approach. Created in pencil, it captures a quiet, intimate moment of my wife making a cup of tea in a hotel room. Using the grid method, I built the image block by block, allowing the ordinary scene to unfold with softness and emotional clarity. The piece highlights my interest in how small, everyday gestures can carry deep personal significance.”
Paul Williams
2025:
The 2025 Selector’s Choice prize is awarded toElla Owen for her film photography pieces‘Drift’ & ‘Facade’.
The 2025 People’s Choice prize, which is donated by Cyfeillion Storiel, has been won by Vasilis Politis for his work, ‘Penrhyn Quarry’.
2024:
The 2024 Selector’s Choice prize is awarded to Morgan Griffith for mixed media piece ‘A Descent into the Maelström‘
Morgan Griffith:
“You have had a good look at the whirl now,” said the old man, “and if you will creep round this crag, so as to get in its lee, and deaden the roar of the water, I will tell you a story that will convince you I ought to know something of the Moskoe-ström.”
Edgar Allen Poe 1841
This new body of work, which was started last September, 2023, may resemble a fresh start to those who are acquainted with my art practice.
To me the transition is a trail back to the beginning. To paint. To my roots as a painter.
Collage is, and will be an important part of my practice as an Artist.
For the years after I graduated in 2003, I have transitioned between collage and painting, often merging both within the works.
Painting over certain areas, or scratching away at others to reveal old surfaces created over time and incorporating these hidden marks into new work.
A Descent into the Maelstrom, along with other pieces of work in this series represents a new vigour in my process and indeed my mood, after years of dealing with my mental health.
Tunnels, portals and voids represent a way out, a salvation. A way back from the brink.
“Collage is the noble conquest of the irrational, the coupling of two realities, irreconcilable in appearance, upon a plane which apparently does not suit them.”
Max Ernst
2023:
The 2023 Selector’s Choice prize is awarded to Toria Collins for her textile piece ‘Cynefin Coll / Lost Belonging’.
In addition five other artists have also been Commended.
Toria Collins takes inspiration from the scenery of north Wales. Exploring ancient techniques of joining cloth, hand painting, airbrush application and utilising modern equipment Toria uses her professional skills to bring fabric to life. Her work aims to capture the gentle rhythms and harmonies found in the Welsh landscape.
Don’t forget, when you visit the exhibition at Storiel, you can vote for your favourite artwork that could then become eligible for the People’s Choice prize, donated by Cyfeillion Storiel.
2022:
Congratulations JONATHAN RETALLICK, Winner of the STORIEL Open 2022 Selectors’ Prize!
With a very big thank you to Lisa Eurgain Taylor for being on our panel as this year’s guest Selector.
