A Pembrokeshire artist has exhibited 100 paintings to celebrate her one hundredth birthday.
Madge Johns spent her childhood in Pembroke Dock and Swansea and remembers the burning of the oil tanks in Pembroke Dock and the three-night blitz in Swansea during the Second World War.
Her interest in art began in her childhood, but was put on the back burner as not being a career a working- class woman could contemplate.
Madge left school without any qualifications at about 15 and worked in a variety of jobs.
(Image: Sandy Johns) Her interest in art developed initially into craft work- fair isle knitting , embroidery and weaving and she married Gordon Reid Johns- an RAF radio operator for Bomber Command, undertaking Special Missions flights over Germany during the war.
The couple had one child, a daughter named Sandy.
It was only when Sandy went away to medical school that Madge started to fulfil her passion for art, setting up a small studio in a spare bedroom.
Madge undertook part-time classes at Swansea Art College and joined Swansea Art Society and the Association of Artists and Designers in Wales.
(Image: Sandy Johns) She regularly sat- in at the Swansea Workshop Gallery and began to explore a wide range of media.
She went on to have one person shows in a variety of locations including the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery and Pembroke Dock library and also exhibited single works at a wide range of sites.
Madge’s husband died in 2009 after a long illness and in 2011 she moved into a small Pembrokeshire cottage in the village of Hook.
Her passion for art remained and she made a small studio in one of the bedrooms.
Madge works in a variety of media, particularly oils. The main themes of her work are her external landscapes and her own internal magical landscape , made up of myths, dreams and personal memories.
In expressing these themes she has always been greatly influenced by her love of colour and life. In addition to her adult work she also enjoys creating joyful pictures for children.
(Image: Sandy Johns) Further illness has prevented her being as productive as in Swansea, but she is very happy living in Hook, back in her beloved Pembrokeshire.
Her love of Pembrokeshire has found its way into her work, with Madge saying that some of her Pembrokeshire work, brings back memories of her father’s laughter.
Madge was absolutely thrilled to hold an exhibition in Mount Zion Chapel Hall celebrating 100 of her works, now she has reached the age of 100.
Her daughter Sandy thanked everyone who attended the event as well as all those who helped to make it possible.
“It was absolutely amazing,” said Sandy. “It was lovely and there was a lot of laughter. It was lovely to see the community there.
“The local school came and the history society and art group.
“You should have seen my mum’s eyes shining.”