Pensychnant conserves and celebrates nature within our cultural landscape – past, present and future. 150 acres of outstanding natural beauty at the top of Sychnant Pass, above Conwy, North Wales is managed as a nature reserve for the benefit of its wildlife and for the peaceful appreciation of nature. It is also a working sheep farm, aiming to show that nature and farming can go hand-in-hand, as they must, if we are to have a sustainable World. The quirky Victorian Arts & Crafts house, built in 1873 by the Stotts of Oldham, is used as a community venue for wildlife events, celebrating nature and promoting its conservation.
PENSYCHNANT’S OPEN ART EXHIBITION 2026
NATURE, ENVIRONMENT & CONSERVATION
Saturday 4th July - Sunday 27th September 2026
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Since 1992 Pensychnant has hosted exhibitions of wildlife art. We are pleased to announce details of this year’s Open fundraising exhibition following the success of our 'Opens' of '24 & '25.
The theme for the Pensychnant Open 2026 will again be Nature, Environment and Conservation. We welcome 2 and 3 dimensional artworks, in any medium or style, which in some way showcase the beauty and diversity of the natural world and/or provoke contemplation of environmental issues such as biodiversity loss, the climate crisis, sustainability, and the importance of nature to the present and future well-being of humankind.
All proceeds from the exhibition will go to the upkeep and development of Pensychnant, and the conservation of its habitats and wildlife.
For more information and details of how to enter
click here ARTOPPS
‘Once There Were Natterjacks’
Lydia imagines a time when Natterjack Toads no longer exist and children can only learn about them through virtual reality spectacles. It conveys much of what is wrong with society and our fears for the future.
Weekends (+bank holidays)
4th April - 17th May, 11am-5pm
‘Reconnect’- An Exhibition by Lydia Fernandez-Arias
Lydia was the deserved winner of last year’s ‘Open’ Wildlife Art Exhibition with her embroidery and patchwork Natterjack Toad. Over the course of just a few generations humanity has lost so much of the sacred knowledge of the natural world that has been gathered and passed down over millennia. We are lost. Is it too late to find our way home?
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Weekends (+bank holidays)
4th April - 17th May, 11am-5pm
‘At The Still Point’- An Exhibition by Elfin Bow & Tracy Ann Green
Drawing on their shared experience in art, music, therapy, and education, Tracey Anne Green and Elfin Bow explore the intimate connection between our embodied selves and the living natural world; what it means to live from a place of centredness in an increasingly fragmented and disconnected world. The exhibition is inspired by their forthcoming book, The Power of Centredness.
Artists in Residence: Elfin Bow and Tracey Anne Green will be at Pensychnant on Saturday 4th April & Saturday 9th May to talk about their work and the inspiration behind it.
“My art is influenced by my deep personal connection to nature as my teacher and healer. I have learned to slow down, to observe, and to reconnect with a deeper sense of presence. My paintings grow from this relationship — layered, textured and intuitive, and guided as much by feeling as by form. Having originally trained in graphic design and illustration, my work as an occupational therapist has enhanced my view of the unique relationship between our wellbeing, emotional states, sensory experiences and natural environments. My work is an invitation to pause, breathe and reflect”
Tracey-Anne Green
This is an exhibition that quietly connects story, place, memory and creativity — a dialogue between past and present within the walls of Pensychnant.
A return to a place woven into story and history
We are delighted to welcome an exhibition by artist, musician and educator Elfin Bow to Pensychnant Conservation Centre.
This is a deeply personal homecoming for the artist — the house itself was built by her ancestor, Abraham Henthorn Stott, and carries a family lineage rooted in creativity and gathering.
The exhibition will be held in the Billiard Room — a space full of character and memory, where Elfin’s great grandmother, Mary, once dressed up and performed family plays during lively gatherings in the house.
To now see new work created and installed in this same room brings a remarkable sense of continuity between past and present.
Elfin’s creative practice spans fine art, education, illustration and music. Following her studies at Liverpool John Moores University, where she was awarded the Stuart Sutcliffe Fellowship, she has built a diverse career exploring expression, imagination and connection through multiple disciplines.
Her work for At the Still Point reflects on stillness, nature, and the importance of finding a centred place within ourselves — ideas that also connect to her current collaboration with artist Tracey-Anne Green as they develop The School of Centredness.
Exhibition opening
Saturday 4th April | 11–5pm
Intimate live performance in the Billiard Room
Saturday 18th April | 7–10pm
This is an exhibition that quietly connects story, place, memory and creativity — a dialogue between past and present within the walls of Pensychnant.
We look forward to welcoming you.
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Weekends (+bank holidays)
4th April - 10th May, 11am-5pm
‘Wild Eryri’- Paintings by Rob Cordingley
Internationally recognised artist Robert Cordingley is delighted to be exhibiting at Penyschynant Conservation Centre this Spring.
Rob grew up in Devon in close proximity to the wild south and north coasts and the rugged moorlands of both Dartmoor and Exmoor. He first exhibited artwork at thirteen years of age at Paignton Zoo where he won the under 18s wildlife artist of the Year.
An interest in representational art followed and he gained a merit in his Art Diploma at Falmouth College of Arts.
Following time learning to watercolour paint with David McEwen in southern France Rob was awarded a BA (Hons) in Fine Art art Surrey Institute of Art and Design, Farnham.
He has exhibited widely including The Watts Gallery, the Millenium Dome and the Commonwealth Institute, Windsor Art Fair and at the National Geographic Society.
After spending several years in Guernsey, Rob has now settled with his family in Eryri (Snowdonia) in North Wales. As a fully qualified mountain leader fuelled by his love for the outdoors and wildlife he spreads his time equally between art and mountaineering.