Welsh artist is inspired by her young sons for latest exhibition

To artist Esther Eckley they’re her very own little superheroes – the two loving and boisterous young boys who have overcome the challenges of their early years.

So it makes perfect sense that the sons she and her husband, Sion, adopted almost four years ago are now the subject of her latest exhibition.

Her first show at a London gallery will raise awareness of the children’s charity Kids Company and the work sees her moving in a new direction.

Instead of the Welsh landscapes and seascapes produced in oils for which she’s become renowned, she’s created a storyboard of paintings which show eight-year-old Brandon Teifi and six-year-old Jason Llyr dressed up in their superhero outfits.

“I dressed them in their suits and as they played in the garden I took photographs of everything they did,” says Eckley, who lives with her family in the seaside town of Aberaeron.

“There’s something quite funny about watching them playing in character and then doing something completely normal like eating an ice-cream. It took about three or four attempts to get the images I was after.”

The artist then spent time in her attic studio creating the pieces by using spray paint on the canvases, something which she’s not done before.

“I wanted to produce work which was fun, energetic and vibrant,” she says. “The individual portraits make up a comic book story but they are also individual pieces of art.”

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Eckley – who also produces limited edition screen prints, posters and bags with her friend Kelly King under the business name King Kley – was approached by Kids Company as they knew that she had adopted children.

The charity deals with vulnerable inner-city children who have suffered hardship, abuse and significant challenges in the family home.

“I feel as though I can relate to the work that Kids Company are doing and what the children have experienced.

“My sons are my inspiration because they’ve experienced more in their short lives than what some of us will experience in a lifetime. This work is not only a tribute to my sons but to children who have and will face a far from perfect start in life.

“Although the work is on one level very personal to me, it does also I hope tackle a complex issue in a dynamic, colourful and hopeful way.”

Now Eckley’s 30 paintings will go on show at the Vibe Gallery in Bermondsey, London, from December 5 to 7 to help raise awareness for the charity.

The 37-year-old says that Brandon and Jason both loved being the subjects of their mum’s latest exhibition.

“They love dressing up and posing, like most children do. They love seeing themselves in the paintings and the fact that the exhibition is a story about them.”

Eckley took up painting at the relatively late age of 28. She had always loved art and was looking for a new hobby.

Until then, she had played rugby and had even won eight caps for Wales when a knee injury put an end to her sporting days.

“I had to finish playing and was looking for something else to fill my time. I’d always loved painting so decided that it was the perfect opportunity to start doing it seriously.”

Her first exhibition was staged in Cardiff in 2007 when her paintings were snapped up by visitors who loved her striking landscapes and seascapes.

After adopting her sons, Eckley teamed up with King, with whom she had studied art at Cardiff Metropolitan University, and the pair began collaborating on developing screen prints with motivational slogans. They ended up selling their work at upmarket store Liberty’s.

As much of her work is produced in her home studio, it means she can fit her painting around her family life.

As far as adopting is concerned, she admits that she and her husband overcame many challenges during the early years but the couple and their boys are a strong team.

“It’s been hard and amazing all in one,” she says. “I have to admit that the first year we had them was tough but we got through it and things are fantastic now. The boys are developing so well and are making good progress in everything they do. They can read and write and speak fluent Welsh. It’s just wonderful to see how they’ve progressed.

“They are wonderful boys and so sweet, caring and gentle – we couldn’t have asked for better children.”