Osi Rhys Osmond (born Donald Malcolm Osmond; 28 June 1942 – 6 March 2015) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

painter and an occasional television and radio presenter.

Biography

Osmond was born in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

to Welsh parents from

Wattsville Wattsville is a small village in the Sirhowy Valley, eight miles north west of Newport, built in the 20th century for accommodation for mine workers. Amenities Modern Wattsville consists of two villages, Wattsville and Brynawel. It consists of ...

, Sirhowy, Caerphilly, where his family were miners."Artist's tribute to landscape and childhood"
southwalesargus.co.uk, 9 April 2012; accessed 8 March 2015. Air raids during the Second World War caused his family to move back to Wales when he was an infant. He later adopted the name Rhys from his second wife, Hilary Rhys, great granddaughter of the musician John Thomas Rees. He was educated in Newport Art College and Cardiff Art College. He was fascinated with colour throughout his career. "Colour is the basis of my craft – I talk through colour, I speak through colour, I use colour to express myself and convey my ideas", he told the Western Mail in 2009.'Life in colour; visual arts Artist Osi Rhys Osmond is exploring the meaning of colour in a new TV series'
''Western Mail'', 27 March 2009; retrieved 8 March 2015. In 2006, Osmond presented the Welsh-language television series, ''Byd o Liw'', on

S4C S4C (, ''Sianel Pedwar Cymru'', meaning ''Channel Four Wales'') is a Welsh language free-to-air public broadcast television channel. Launched on 1 November 1982, it was the first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speakin ...

.Byd o Liw
S4C.co.uk, retrieved 8 March 2015. He also presented features on

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

. In March 2012, Osmond was profiled on

BBC 2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and d ...

's ''

The Culture Show ''The Culture Show'' is a British magazine programme about books, art, film, architecture, music, visual fashion and the performing arts. The show was broadcast weekly on BBC Two between 2004 and 2015. Early history Launched in November 2004, th ...

''. In June 2012 Osmond was co-presenter and mentor on the BBC Wales television series, ''The Exhibitionists'', where participants compete to become art experts. He wrote on the visual representation of South Wales in periodicals such as ''Planet'', ''New Welsh Review'', ''Tu Chwith'' and ''Barn'' and ''Golwg''. In 2006 he published ''Carboniferous Collisions'', on the painter

Josef Herman Josef Herman (3 January 1911 – 19 February 2000), was a highly regarded Polish-British painter who influenced contemporary art, particularly in the United Kingdom. He was part of a generation of central and eastern European Jewish refuge ...

. In April 2012 Osmond returned to the area of his youth to hold an exhibition of his paintings, in tribute to his family and the local community. Osmond lived in

Llansteffan Llansteffan, is a village and community situated on the south coast of Carmarthenshire, Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Tywi, south of Carmarthen. Description The community includes Llanybri and is bordered by the communities of: ...

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...

for 30 years.Huw Thomas (21 September 2015
"Artist Osi Rhys Osmond's last work for Maggie's cancer centre"
''BBC News''. Retrieved 28 November 2017. He became a member of the Gorsedd at the National Eisteddfod in Swansea in 2006, and was made an honorary fellow of the

University of Wales, Trinity Saint David The University of Wales Trinity Saint David () is a public university with three main campuses in South West Wales, in Carmarthen, Lampeter and Swansea, a fourth campus in London, and learning centres in Cardiff, and Birmingham. The universit ...

in July 2013. He was a lecturer at

Swansea Metropolitan University Swansea Metropolitan University () is a former university based in Swansea, Wales, UK. The university merged with, and became a constituent campus of, the University of Wales Trinity Saint David on 1 August 2013. Employing more than 500 staff ...

"New BBC Cymru Wales arts series The Exhibitionists"
BBC Wales, 7 June 2012; retrieved 8 March 2015. and a member of the

Arts Council of Wales The Arts Council of Wales (ACW; ) is a Welsh Government-sponsored body, responsible for funding and developing the arts in Wales. Established within the Arts Council of Great Britain in 1946, as the Welsh Arts Council (), its English name w ...

Death

Osmond died on 6 March 2015, aged 71, of cancer in

, Carmarthenshire.Notice of death of Osi Rhys Osmond
carmarthenjournal.co.uk; accessed 9 March 2015. At the time of his death he was completing a final painting, with the process recorded in a documentary. The painting was due to go on display in 2017 in Cardiff's new

Maggie's centre Maggie's centres are a network of drop-in centres across the United Kingdom and abroad that aim to help anyone who has been affected by cancer. They are intended as welcoming and caring environments that provide support, information and practica ...

at the

Velindre Cancer Centre The Velindre Cancer Centre () is a specialist facility offering inpatient and outpatient care for cancer patients in Whitchurch, Cardiff, Wales. The site is currently managed and owned by the Velindre University NHS Trust, and was previously o ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Osmond, Osi Rhys 1942 births 2015 deaths Painters from Bristol Deaths from cancer in Wales 20th-century Welsh painters 20th-century Welsh male artists 21st-century Welsh painters 21st-century Welsh male artists Welsh television presenters People from Caerphilly People associated with Swansea Metropolitan University Welsh male painters