Raised in the small mining town of Brynamman, Gary Hamer Rees’s work is greatly influenced by his upbringing in a small mining community on the side of the Black Mountain. Using oil and charcoal, he depicts the effects of the waning coal mining industry on the working and social lives of the people of the South Wales coalfield. Gary Hamer Rees studied art at Carmarthen College of Art and Birmingham School of Art, he has exhibited across Wales and the UK, including Mimosa Gallery in Llandeilo, The Albany Gallery in Cardiff and the Mall Galleries in London.