Architecture has great power and there is one place in the UK that never fails to inspire me. Portmeirion. The Village. This little Welsh nook was made iconic by the cult TV series The Prisoner in the 1960s and to this day it retains its quirky charm and is a popular tourist attraction.
Created by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, Portmeirion was built in the style of Italian villages and is infused with a Mediterranean feel. Colours, textures and interesting juxtaposition of styles clash and combine to produce a result that is unique. Where else would you find a mermaid and Buddha overlooking a giant chessboard?
To me, Portmeirion embodies fantasy, possibility and inspiration. It gives exactly the impression that I would wish my own work to be rich with. It really is “almost like a world on its own” as described by The Prisoner’s infinite Number 2. Real life pauses upon arrival.
Stepping through archways and tiptoeing across curved cobblestones, sailing a stone boat and walking winding pathways through sculptures, never fails to instil a sense of magic in me. From the moment I arrive until long after I leave I harbour a desire, a need to create. My muse possibly does reside there in the form of Neptune, immortalised in brick paint.
Elloise Hopkins.
The Prisoner. Great show. :)
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