COULD a Haverfordwest artist who recycles rubbish from beaches for his work be Wales’ only pop artist?

Richard Blacklaw-Jones collects manmade objects on the shoreline while beachcombing, including old packaging, plastic fragments, pieces of glass and even children’s toys.

He arranges the objects into groups he thinks will work well together and creates colourful collages from plastic waste which would otherwise be left in the seas.

Warhol meets St Davids by Richard Blacklaw-Jones.

Though others make art by beachcombing for seaweed, driftwood and other natural materials, Richard does not know any others using manmade materials.

“About three of four years ago I had a little bit of a moment where I realised – I am a pop artist!” he said.

Richard describes himself as a pop artist because of his use of similar ideas in each of his piece of art and believes he is the only pop artist working in Wales today.

He began making art from rubbish in 2001 after a visit to Little Haven inspired him.

Green Headache by Richard Blacklaw-Jones is made from old Carling cans.

“I was with some of my then quite small children around 2001 and we were on Little Haven around the headland.

“We were down there, it was low tide and there were mounds of rubbish at the high tide mark. I was looking at it and I just thought can we do something with it? I was thinking at the time with the kids,” he said.

Some of Richard’s latest pieces are called the Liverpool series, with each of the four being named after a Beatles song, and inspired by his upbringing in the city.

“One of my favourite beaches to go to is Crosby, north of Liverpool. It is where Liverpool’s bomb damage was taken and dumped and was also used as a municipal dump.”

Strawberry Fields, one of the Liverpool series of collages.

Richard’s use of plastic from the sea is also inspired by his upbringing and the “make do and mend” attitude his parents instilled in him.

Richard Blacklaw-Jones’ work can be seen at Spark, an arts and crafts co-operative on High Street, Haverfordwest or at St Dogmael’s Gallery/ Oriel Llandudoch.