Yesterday I took a trip to the Lower Swansea valley, amongst other places, with Adam Sillman and Richard James Jones. The three of us were scouting out locations for an upcoming project, and Rich had suggested going to the site of the former Hafod Copperworks – 12-acres of land on the banks of the River Tawe which was once home to the largest copperworks in the world.

Although some might suggest that Swansea is better known for its record-breaking 180% rise in heroin use than its former position as the epicentre of the world's copper industry, 'Copperopolis' has enjoyed more newspaper space in recent years – especially since the 200th anniversary of the production of the first ingot was celebrated in 2011. 

Thanks to a partnership between the city's university and council, the Grade II-listed buildings that remain on the former works site are currently in the middle of a massive renovation project, with rotten timbers being removed, loose brickwork being reconstructed and overgrown vegetation being cleared. I hadn't been to that area of the Hafod for a number of years, and the difference was astounding.

​And then, almost as quickly as it had appeared, Swansea was gone.

I now have a shop on Society6, and until Sunday 9th March there's $5 (about £3) off everything with FREE worldwide shipping! You can visit my shop by going here: http://society6.com/rhys_owain 

Society6 is a place where artists can upload their work to sell (which, in my case, consists of some pretty run-of-the-mill photographs). Products include everything from prints and canvases, to cushions and iPhone cases. I'm pretty pleased with how these clocks turned out:

 There's also plenty of real artists on Society6 that you should take a look at, if you have time.