Osi Rhys Osmond (born Donald Malcolm Osmond; 28 June 1942 – 6 March 2015) was a Welsh painter and an occasional television and radio presenter.

Biography

Osmond was born in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

to Welsh parents from

Wattsville Wattsville is a small village in the Sirhowy Valley, eight miles north west of Newport, built in the 20th century for accommodation for mine workers. Amenities Modern Wattsville consists of two villages, Wattsville and Brynawel. It consists of o ...

, Sirhowy, Caerphilly, where his family were miners."Artist's tribute to landscape and childhood"
southwalesargus.co.uk, 9 April 2012; accessed 8 March 2015. Air raids during the Second World War caused his family to move back to Wales when he was an infant. He later adopted the name Rhys from his second wife, Hilary Rhys, great granddaughter of the acclaimed musician John Thomas Rees. He was educated in Newport Art College and Cardiff Art College. He was fascinated with colour throughout his career. "Colour is the basis of my craft – I talk through colour, I speak through colour, I use colour to express myself and convey my ideas", he told the Western Mail in 2009.'Life in colour; visual arts Artist Osi Rhys Osmond is exploring the meaning of colour in a new TV series'
''Western Mail'', 27 March 2009; retrieved 8 March 2015. In 2006, Osmond presented the Welsh-language television series, ''Byd o Liw'', on S4C.Byd o Liw
S4C.co.uk, retrieved 8 March 2015. He also presented features on BBC Radio 3. In March 2012, Osmond was profiled on BBC 2's ''

The Culture Show ''The Culture Show'' is a British magazine programme about books, art, film, architecture, music, visual fashion and the performing arts. The show was broadcast weekly on BBC Two between 2004 and 2015. Early history Launched in November 2004, t ...

''. In June 2012 Osmond was co-presenter and mentor on the BBC Wales television series, ''The Exhibitionists'', where participants compete to become art experts. He wrote on the visual representation of South Wales in periodicals such as ''Planet'', ''New Welsh Review'', ''Tu Chwith'' and ''Barn'' and ''Golwg''. In 2006 he published ''Carboniferous Collisions'', on the painter Josef Herman. In April 2012 Osmond returned to the area of his youth to hold an exhibition of his paintings, in tribute to his family and the local community. Osmond lived in

Llansteffan Llansteffan, is a village and a community situated on the south coast of Carmarthenshire, Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Tywi, south of Carmarthen. Description The community includes Llanybri and is bordered by the communities of: ...

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...

for 30 years.Huw Thomas (21 September 2015
"Artist Osi Rhys Osmond's last work for Maggie's cancer centre"
''BBC News''. Retrieved 28 November 2017. He became a member of the Gorsedd at the National Eisteddfod in Swansea in 2006, and was made an honorary fellow of the

University of Wales, Trinity Saint David , image = Crest of TSD.png , image_size = 200px , caption = Coat of armsUniversity of Wales Trinity Saint David , established = 2010 (Saint David's College, Lampeter founded 1822 and opened 1827; royal charter 1828) , ...

in July 2013. He was a lecturer at Swansea Metropolitan University"New BBC Cymru Wales arts series The Exhibitionists"
BBC Wales, 7 June 2012; retrieved 8 March 2015. and a member of the Arts Council of Wales.

Death

Osmond died on 6 March 2015, aged 71, after a long battle with cancer in

. He was survived by his second wife, Hilary, two sons Luke and Che from his first marriage to Linda Prime, and Hilary's daughter Sara.Notice of death of Osi Rhys Osmond
carmarthenjournal.co.uk; accessed 9 March 2015. At the time of his death he was completing a final painting, with the process recorded in a documentary. The painting was due to go on display in 2017 in Cardiff's new

Maggie's centre Maggie's centres are a network of drop-in centres across the United Kingdom and Hong Kong, which aim to help anyone who has been affected by cancer. They are not intended as a replacement for conventional cancer therapy, but as a caring enviro ...

at the

Velindre Cancer Centre The Velindre Cancer Centre ( cy, Canolfan Ganser Felindre) is a specialist facility caring for cancer patients in Whitchurch, Cardiff, Wales. It is managed by the Velindre University NHS Trust. History The facility was established as Velindre H ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Osmond, Osi Rhys 1942 births 2015 deaths Artists from Bristol Deaths from cancer in Wales 20th-century Welsh painters 20th-century Welsh male artists 21st-century Welsh painters 21st-century Welsh male artists Welsh television presenters People from Caerphilly People associated with Swansea Metropolitan University Welsh male painters