Milford Haven artist returns with Topographies exhibition

Lawrence Mathias returns to his hometown of Milford Haven for a solo exhibition titled Topographies, opening on Saturday 24 October.

The show runs at the Waterfront Gallery until 14 November, offering watercolours and mixed‑media pieces that reinterpret landscape, streets and built environments.

Mathias, who left Milford Haven for London in the early 1990s, has built a career that spans collaborative projects with councils, arts organisations, businesses and schools across the UK and Europe.

Topographies brings together works that move beyond traditional picturesque scenes, instead probing how memory, movement and personal perception shape place.

The opening afternoon, scheduled from 14:00 to 16:00, will feature live music, spoken‑word performances and refreshments for visitors.

Mathias describes the exhibition as a chance to view familiar surroundings through fresh eyes, a theme that runs through the series of paintings and installations on display.

The Waterfront Gallery, housed in the historic Old Sail Loft at Discovery Quay, has become one of Pembrokeshire’s most established visual‑arts venues.

Run largely by artist volunteers and registered as a charity, the gallery also hosts the annual Wales Contemporary competition, attracting entries from across Wales and beyond.

Positioned on the Milford Waterfront, the venue provides a striking backdrop that mirrors the changing harbour landscape that features in Mathias’s work.

Topographies will be open to the public Wednesday to Saturday, from 10.30 am until 16.00 pm, throughout its three‑week run.

The exhibition adds momentum to Pembrokeshire’s busy autumn arts programme, which includes a range of visual, performing and literary events.

Local audiences are offered a rare opportunity to engage with a body of work by an artist whose creative journey began on the same streets he now depicts.

Mathias’s watercolours capture the subtle shifts of light across the harbour, while his mixed‑media pieces incorporate found objects that echo the town’s industrial past.

One piece juxtaposes a map of Milford Haven with abstract brushwork, suggesting how personal narratives overlay geographic reality.

Another work layers photographs of the town’s historic docks with contemporary sketches, highlighting the evolution of the waterfront over recent decades.

The exhibition’s title, Topographies, reflects the artist’s interest in the layered textures of place, from natural terrain to urban fabric.

Mathias told the gallery’s volunteers that returning to Milford Haven felt “like stepping back into a childhood memory, yet seeing it with the eyes of an outsider”.

He added that the harbour’s transformation from a bustling commercial hub to a cultural precinct inspired several of the mixed‑media installations.

Visitors can also explore a series of small studies that document everyday scenes – a market stall, a narrow lane, a row of terraced houses – each rendered with meticulous detail.

The exhibition’s layout encourages a dialogue between the viewer and the work, inviting contemplation of how personal experience colours perception of space.

Waterfront Gallery director Rhys Morgan noted that Mathias’s return underscores the importance of nurturing local talent that can later contribute to the wider art world.

He highlighted the gallery’s role in providing a platform for artists with strong ties to Pembrokeshire, fostering a sense of community ownership of cultural assets.

Topographies also aligns with the gallery’s charitable mission to make contemporary art accessible to a broad audience, offering free entry during opening hours.

School groups from nearby primary and secondary schools are scheduled to visit the exhibition as part of the gallery’s educational outreach programme.

Teachers plan to use the works as a springboard for discussions on geography, history and artistic interpretation of place.

Local businesses have expressed support for the exhibition, seeing it as a boost to cultural tourism in the Milford Harbour area.

Footfall data from previous exhibitions suggest a noticeable increase in visitor numbers during the autumn months, benefitting nearby cafés and shops.

Mathias’s return marks a full circle from his early days sketching the town’s streets to now presenting a mature body of work that reflects decades of artistic development.

The exhibition will close on 14 November, after which the gallery will rotate to its next programme of contemporary visual art.

Anyone wishing to experience the exhibition is encouraged to check the Waterfront Gallery’s opening times and plan a visit before the run concludes.