ON Monday, March 16, the arts graduate intern at Art Central Gallery, Josephine Sowden gave a talk to members of Art Central FRIENDS.

Josephine has been employed by the Vale of Glamorgan for the past couple of years aiding Tracey Harding the arts development officer.

As well as working, Josephine has been continuing her development as an artist, producing photographic and video presentations based on different aspects of her view of the ego and how it impacts on the human state interacting with the effect of man on the environment.

She called her presentation ‘Journey’ and it comprised of a PowerPoint presentation of her photographs and videos going back as far as her sixth form experience.

She was intent on studying Fine Art until she did a photographic rotation in her first year at university, which consequently changed the course of her degree.

Crossing the Severn to study in Wales, she studied photography in Newport. One of her first videos called ‘The Lilies of the Fields’ has gone on to win acclaim and several awards, the most prestigious of which was the Gold Medal in Art at the National Eisteddfod in 2013.

Josephine explained how and where she gets her inspiration; she reads widely and to increase her awareness of self has been to Buddhist retreats, where meditation and working in silence has increased her sense of spirituality.

Much of her work is photographed or filmed in the countryside, where becoming part of the environment plays a part in her message.

As the current exhibition in the gallery is staged by the Women’s Art Association as part of International Women’s week, one of Josephine’s videos demonstrated her take on the subjugation of women over the centuries – it was a delicate, moving but very soul searching exposition.

Many of those in the audience asked quite searching questions, which Josephine ably answered and they all agreed that it was a very uplifting and enjoyable presentation and Josephine was thanked by the chairwoman of Art Central FRIENDS on behalf of those assembled.