Beaches are places where nature at sea meets human activity on the land, with sometimes dramatic results. Borth Beach was painted in 2007 by local artist Neil Johnson before the new rock sea defences had been installed. He lived in the village during the early to mid seventies in one of the seaward houses, before leaving for college and a career teaching art and design in Manchester.
Neil’s earlier time in Borth was an important and formative period of his life. He said: “Storms battered the houses, waves broke over the rooftops and snow could be seen on the mountains on clearer days during the winter. As the seasons changed Borth became a very different place, long walks, even longer views and many activities on the beach in the sunshine.
“The experience of ‘living on the edge’ never left me and over the years my paintings brought me closer to this remarkable place that eventually called me back again”.