The prints displayed here at Morchella are those of artist Gordon House. Gordon, as well as being Executive Chef Ben Marks' Grandfather, was an artist, typographer and designer. Born in the steel town of Pontardawe, Wales, a place which would inspire much of his work. His art was considered independently minded and adventurous.

The works shown here form part of the 'Welsh Portfolio' of ten etchings. Gordon House wrote of this series in his catalogue 'Gordon House Editions 1982-1996': 'On leaving the valley of my origin there has always been that pull to return. To be brought up within such a valley, embraced on two sides by the walls of ragged hills, moulds the mind with such containment almost to the point of lost comfort and satisfaction. Visually the village is as was, totally enclosed, the way out hidden but known, although on leaving is restricted to the left or right, only to find yet other self-contained places. Once outside in the big cities the new world became absorbingly paramount but the memory lingers to remain. As everywhere in nostalgia a physical return proves impossible as all has vanished from childhood days. The valley is its other time and another place - what was experienced then was a period of differing needs when the black valley floor was, as most of South Wales, a manufacturing glow of metal, ingot into tinplate. Full time working peoples with their own production goals. This manual effort, with its richness of localised community, has long passed, happy as they seemed, no longer wanted and regarding the living standards of those working classes as no longer to be tolerated. The set of ten etchings embraces some personal memory interpreted in ways of routes outside that early restricted haven.'