Arvon Wellen is a painter, printmaker, film maker and maker of artist’s books. His interest in the world of today but this is constantly informed by a variety of sources including mythology. He is interested both in modern technology and history. He is inspired by the vitality of human relationships, which may be observed through traces, marks and artefacts, which includes photographic images. Images of these artefacts are often included among the layers that make up both his prints and paintings.

He was born in the UK and studied at Bournemouth & Poole College of Art, Leicester Polytechnic (now de Montfort University), London University and the Royal College of Art. He has taught in London at Chelsea School of Art, at Maidstone College of Art and Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge. Where he specilaised in both printmaking and the artist's book.
His formative years were influenced by visits to the Pitt Rivers ethnological collection where he was influenced by African art. Later he developed a passion for manuscript and printed books in the British Library and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Visits to Italy extended his interest in Italian mediaeval and early Renaissance art. In Spain he developed an interest in Catalan Romanesque painting.
More recently photography as well as his work with dancers and his interest in the theatre has inspired many of his prints and paintings. He has also made several heritage films.

He has a studio in Cadaqués as well as in the UK and exhibits his work regularly.

biography: newspaper and magazine articles
The Times, London (September 1971)
Sur (España) 6th May 1988
El Punt (España) 26th June 1997
El Punt (España) 11 September 1998
Diari de Girona, (España) 11th September 1998
Emporda (España) 8 th September 1998
Hora Nova (España) 15th September 1998
Hora Nova (España) 29th August 2000
Emporda (España) 29th August 2000
Diari de Girona (España) 2nd September 2000
El Punt (España) 25th August 2000
Emporda August 2013
Hora Nova (España) 2013
Bon Art: 2013

Awards
Royal College of Art Travel Award
Silver medal España 88 (1988)
Mini Print Internacional de Cadaqués award 1997

Exhibitions - selected mixed and group - col.lective

1987 - 2014 Mini Print de Cadaqués
1988 Hunting Group, Mall Gallery, London (4 paintings)
1989 Hunting Group, Mall Gallery, London
1989 "The US - UK Print Connection", the Barbican, London
1994 Musée Roy Adzak, Paris
1995/96/98/2000/01 the National Print Exhibition, the Mall Gallery, London
1995 ArCade Digital Imaging; Brighton University, touring exhibition
1998 ‘Digital Art and Music’, Cambridge University Music Department
2000 Ateneu de Cadaqués, 20th Anniversary exhibition of Galería Taller Fort
2002 Ateneu de Cadaqués, 10th Anniversary show
2009 l'étangd'art; Bages, France
2009 Fundació Tharrats d'Art Gràfic; Pineda de Mar, Barcelona, Spain
2011 Arts Centre, Washington, Tyne & Wear, UK
2011 School of Arts & Media Teesside University, Middlesbrough
2011 Derbyshire Literary Festival
2012 Artist's book; Bristol University
2012 Pyramid Book Arts Fair, USA
2012 Creative Cohesion Sunderland
2012 Sunderland Museum
2012 McGuiness Gallery, Bishop Aukland
2013 Octavo Finka "Narrative" at the Ocean Terminal, Edinburgh, Scotland
2013 Els artistes amb l'educació; Casino, Cadaqués
2014 Els artistes amb l'educació; Casino, Cadaqués
2014 Bede's Bakehouse Gallery, Sunderland

Solo exhibitions - individual
1994 Aoyama Minto-Ku Gallery, Tokyo
1997 Galería Taller Fort, Cadaqués, España
1998 Ateneu de Cadaqués, España
1999 Whitford Fine Art, Duke Street, London
2000 ‘Encounters not Relationships’ Coningsby Gallery, London W1
2000 ART2000 Exhibiting Artist - represented by Whitford Fine Art, London
2000 ‘Encounters’ Salon l’Amistat Cadaqués, España
2001 ‘From Ramon Llull to Bill Gates’, Palma de Mallorca
2002 Beau Monde, London
2007 Ely Cathedral, the Lady Chapel: "Etheldreda in the Fen"
2009 Derby Festival
2013 "Fragments i Ombres"; L'Amistat, Cadaqués

publications

2001 Childrens' Books in English: contributor; Cambridge University Press,
2011 Bede and the Shipbuilder's wife, Arago
2012 From Hetton to Sunderland, Arago

films / peliculas

2005 The Littleport Riots: Field Theatre Group / ADeC
2006 A View from the Clocktower; one hour documentary film; ADeC
2007 from Fenland to dry land ADeC
2008 The Stone Flower; Lantern Dance Theatre Company
2008 6 films for Youth Dance England: National Youth Dance Festival; the Peacock Theatre; London / Purcell Room, South Bank, London
2008 Spiritus IV; Lantern Dance Theatre Company
2009 Spiritus V; Lantern Dance Theatre Company
2009 U Dance; performance for Youth Dance England; the Mermaid Theatre
2009 Young Creatives 2009; Youth Dance England; Covent Garden, London.