Artist's gory huntsman painting removed from exhibit

The full picture can be viewed below - but it's certainly one for strong stomachs.

Joanne Oddie, from Llanafan Fawr, near Builth Wells, says she felt awful when her painting was first taken down from the gallery at Llanwrtyd & District Heritage and Arts Centre earlier this month, but has since declared she is glad it was removed as it has gained the painter publicity and even requests from customers for commissioned work.

When she was asked by the heritage centre’s committee to submit a piece of work for the open exhibit, taking place throughout July, Jo knew which piece she wanted to enter.

She was already working on the painting – which depicts a red-coated huntsman being dismembered by a gigantic werewolf while a family of foxes look on – which took her around three weeks to complete.

She titled it ‘Karma’ and it was accepted by the centre, and hung in the gallery for two weeks, before being pulled and placed in a storage room after a complaint that was posted in the centre’s visitor book.

“I felt dreadful, I couldn’t believe it,” said the 56-year-old.

“It was up for two weeks then I had a message saying the heritage centre were under a lot of pressure, it had been brought to their attention by a comment in the visitor’s book that the painting was out of place in the heritage centre. It was taken down and put it in the store cupboard.

“I felt it was me that had been stuffed in the store cupboard. Every comment I’ve had on my Facebook page was positive or, if not, they thought it was a massive injustice.

The full picture

“Clearly, it’s contentious. ‘This one’s a bit dark’, people are saying that to me. But I don’t think’s it’s dark. It’s not as if no-one has ever not done a painting with blood in it before.

“I don’t know the person who left the comment but I believe their comment was used as a scapegoat. I believe they felt uncomfortable because of the subject matter and it being in rural Wales.

“Some committee members said ‘what if children see it?’, but come on, there’s always been battle scenes, blood and gore, in paintings throughout history.

“It’s a very professional gallery and lovely place to exhibit your work. But being an artist is about freedom, it’s part of expressing yourself.”

Jo revealed she named the marvellously intricate werewolf in the painting ‘Thundermadden’. “He’s terrifying,” she added. “I’m really chuffed with it. It turned out exactly how I wanted it to.”

A friend suggested that Jo should take advantage of the limelight, and that’s exactly what she’s done – getting ‘Karma’ t-shirts printed featuring the bloody image.

Jo, who has been painting for two decades, says she usually works to commission so it’s very rare she finds time to express herself subjectively as an artist. And, upon reflection, she believes the controversy caused by her brush is the best thing that could have happened to her.

“Taking it down has actually done me the world of good,” she said.

“Half a dozen people maybe would have seen that painting in the centre, but now everyone has seen it. I’m glad they took it down.

“A few years ago I was asked to paint the town crest in Llanwrtyd. I did this enormous painting, for peanuts. Everything then was wonderful. That was OK. But then, when you express yourself as a real artist, this happens.”

Jo says the painting will feature as the final piece in a series under the ‘Karma’ theme.

“The werewolf one is the last in the series,” she said. “The others will be tongue in cheek, I don’t need to use blood and gore.

“It’s inspired me because it’s obviously worked. I’m going to paint from the heart because that’s how I feel.”

The heritage centre has been contacted for a comment. To check out Thundermadden or any of Jo’s other work, visit her Jo Oddie Artist Facebook page.