Justine Montford United Kingdom
Justine is a multidisiplinary artist with 25 years experience working in the arts, originally from Scotland now living in North Wales and Central Portugal. She set up her studio Pitch Black Paradise in 2017 situated in the grounds of Glynllifon Country Park. The studio has grown over the years into a wonderful place to work, sell her art, and run workshops.
After travelling and living extensively throughout Asia and Europe for many years, working as a jeweller I moved back home to Scotland to study. I graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in 2005 with a First Class Honours Degree in Time Based Art, and followed on to complete a Masters with Distinction in Sound Art. I then embarked on a career working as a filmmaker and editor in the performing arts, working with organisations such as The National Theatre of Scotland and the Liverpool Philharmonic, filming and editing live productions. I also worked with a lot of theatre companies as a video designer.
In 2013 I had the wonderful opportunity to go and do an MA in screenplay writing and film production at Bangor University, graduating with a Merit. This is when I fell in love with North Wales and decided to stay and set up Pitch Black Paradise studios in 2017 at Glynllifon Park. The studio has grown over the years into a wonderful place to work, sell my art and run workshops. I teach analogue photography, cyanotype printing and also provide facilities and space for artists to create new bodies of work. I also make and sell mixed media cyanotype prints at festivals and print fairs. I have exhibited my work in group shows around Wales. Since 2021 have been involved in a lot of Community Art Projects, collaborating with CARN and Syrcus Cimera as a lead artist and assistant artist and running creative workshops. Goleuo Gwynedd was a project designed to bring grassroots arts organisations and artists together to develop and deliver creative opportunities and engagement for freelance artists, emerging artists and communities along the coastal areas of the Menai Straight, Caernarfon Bay and Pen Llyn, through a series of outdoor celebratory arts events.
In 2024 I was awarded a Seed Funding Grant from Cyngor Council which enabled me to finish building the new Analogue Photography Darkroom, deliver creative workshops and to train a young local welsh artist in assisting me with the Analogue photography workshops.
Im still full of wanderlust and I travel every year looking for new inspiration. I feel travelling is fruit for my soul and creativity and I love to create new bodies of work whilst on the road inspired by the culture and local people I meet along the way.
