Green Pomegranate Canvas Print

Oil painting by Dai Wynn of a pomegranate fruit from a beautiful, gnarled tree in the back garden of our former home. The century-old mature garden and Edwardian home gone in an instant to be replaced by a McMansion, fence to fence and front to back - a monument to a frail ego.

Some of my friends wonder why I have changed my name from David to Dai. The short answer is that I haven’t. My parents, sisters and immediate family always used Dai (but pronounced “day”) as a short form of David — a nickname if you like. However, it appears that the Welsh adopted the name "Dai” (pronounced “die”) as a short form of Dafydd (pronounced “Dahveth”) the patron saint of Wales and also known as St David just across Offa’s Dyke. Why Wales? Well the name “Wynn” means fair-skinned or white in the Welsh language and my ancestors were certainly from around those parts (others were from Ireland and Cornwall, but paid full fare to sail to Australia. None was transported in chains I might add). Dafydd, being the Welsh version of...