Standing Stones and Living Echoes

As spring unfurls across West Wales, Cardigan and Oriel Canfas are preparing to celebrate the long-awaited return of the Eisteddfod- more than 850 years after it was first held at Cardigan Castle.  In the run-up to welcoming the Eisteddfod back to Cardigan later this year, Oriel Canfas Gallery, Sponsor of the 2026 Eisteddfod Gold Medal for Fine Art, presents Standing Stones and Living Echoes, two interwoven exhibitions by painter Gillian McDonald and sculptor Nicola Beattie, whose practices are deeply rooted in the landscapes of West Wales. Drawing inspiration from Pembrokeshire’s ancient stones—enduring markers of time, imagination, and belonging—the artists explore the land as both memory and material, where surface, light, and texture become languages of endurance and renewal.