An artist who draws inspiration from his coastal roots is exhibiting a collection of sculpture and study at the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Visitor Centre in Newport.

Wynmor Owen, who has lived in Newport for 40 years, was born and bred in nearby Llangrannog. His exhibition Llwybrau Gwyllt – Wild Paths brings together a body of work based on his love for the culture and the wildlife that has thrived on the coast for generations.

His father and grandfather were seafarers all their lives and it is from them that Wynmor inherited his passion for the coast and the wildlife and heritage that exists in the descriptive Welsh names of the headlands, coves and bays.

Wynmor said: “Being out on the coast in the wild amongst the sounds and smells of the birds and the fishing boats and the names of the places and headlands is something which is in my blood.

“I’m standing on the Coast Path and hear the cry of the chough above me. At the foot of the cliffs a white ribbon of sea crashes against the rocks and I hear the sound of a fishing boat creating a furrow of blue as it rumbles between the pots that lie in the depths of the sea. As I turn, the smell of seaweed filters through the air and fills my head.

“These feelings will remain crystal clear in my mind when I return to my quiet workshop to begin the creative process.”

Wynmor produces his original sculptures from raw materials such as old oak fence posts and recycled roof slate using only a limited number of hand tools. The exhibition includes sculptures depicting seals and seabirds such as the chough and gannet as well as drawings of a range of coastal wildlife and scenery.

He has also created a special piece celebrating the150 years since Welsh settlers set sail for Patagonia, centred on the Manx shearwater, which breeds on the Pembrokeshire Coast each year before flying across the Atlantic to South America.

To mark this important milestone he has chosen names from the area around Ramsey Island and carved them into a slate alongside names from Patagonia to represent the cultural and linguistic link between the communities which are thousands of miles apart.

The exhibition Llwybrau Gwyllt – Wild Paths by Wynmor Owen will be on display at the Newport National Park Visitor Centre until the end of May.

For more information about the Newport National Park Visitor Centre visit www.pembrokeshirecoast.org.uk.