Ieuan Rees

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Ieuan Rees
Born1941 [1]
Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, Wales
Alma mater Royal College of Art
Occupation Stone cutter

Ieuan(pronounced "YAY-an" ) [2] Rees (born about 1941) is a veteran stone cutter, calligrapher, artist, teacher and YouTube personality from Ammanford, Wales. [3] [4]

Contents

Education and early life

Plaque commemorating Samuel Holberry, Peace Gardens, Sheffield Holberry2068.jpg
Plaque commemorating Samuel Holberry, Peace Gardens, Sheffield

Rees was born in Pontyberem, and grew up in Tumble, Carmarthenshire. [6] He was encouraged by an uncle, Hywel Harries, who was an artist and cartoonist. Rees studied at Carmarthen Art School, and then at the Royal College of Art in London. [6] In the 1960s and 70s, Rees taught lettering and calligraphy part-time at Camberwell School of Art. He then returned to Wales, and taught at Swansea College of Art and Dyfed College of Art, before retiring from teaching to focus on commission work. [7]

Rees has designed stone carvings for The Vicar of Dibley TV series, for opening titles in other UK comedies and has designed works for public buildings including the Senedd in Cardiff, Wales. [3] In 1982, he carved the memorial stone for Lewis Carroll, which was installed in Poets' Corner, Westminster Abbey. [8] His carving of a daffodil featured on the 30p E stamp issued as part of a set to mark the establishment of the Welsh Assembly in 1999. [9]

Recent fame

Rees's most recent claim to fame is via the "Best Unintentional ASMR" channel on YouTube. This YouTube video came about due to a project from "Artisan Media" in 2012. They had intended on video taping artists at work and selling the videos, however, he was "too niche" so they uploaded it to YouTube and abandoned the project, as did Rees himself. [4] It would be eventually picked up by a YouTube channel known as "Best Unintentional ASMR" where it would go on to gather more than 5.6 million views, [10] spawn a "GoFundMe" campaign, and get him interviewed by the BBC, [1] The South Wales Guardian [3] and Inside Edition. [4]

Works

Jubilee scroll - Sgrol y Jiwbili (7294582196) - Given to Queen Elizabeth on her Diamond Jubilee Jubilee scroll - Sgrol y Jiwbili (7294582196).jpg
Jubilee scroll - Sgrôl y Jiwbilî (7294582196) - Given to Queen Elizabeth on her Diamond Jubilee
The Llandybie Millennium Stone This stone from a local quarry was erected on Llandybie square in 2000. The calligraphy is by Rees Llandybie Millennium Stone - geograph.org.uk - 419125.jpg
The Llandybie Millennium Stone This stone from a local quarry was erected on Llandybie square in 2000. The calligraphy is by Rees

References

  1. 1 2 "ASMR: Stone carver Ieuan Rees is unwitting YouTube hit". BBC. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  2. ↑ amos, dan (6 April 2013). "Ieuan | Welsh Boys Name | Baby Name | Meaning, Origin & Popularity". Welsh Boys Names. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 "Ammanford stone carver becomes YouTube star". South Wales Guardian. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 "78-Year-Old Stone Carver Had No Idea He Was an ASMR Star With 2.2 Million Views". Inside Edition. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  5. ↑ "Sources for the Study of Chartism in Sheffield" (PDF). Sheffield City Council. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  6. 1 2 Young, Alan (12 June 1996). "Calligrapher wins acclaim at home and aboad [sic]. Even M.I.5 call in man of letters". Carmarthen Journal. p. 30. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  7. ↑ Williams, Arthur (27 February 1979). "When writing starts to 'sing'". Daily Post: The Paper for Wales. Wrexham, Clwyd, Wales. p. 1. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  8. ↑ Wynne Jones, Ivor (9 December 1982). "At last, a Christmas Carroll Memorial". Liverpool Daily Post. pp. 14–15. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  9. ↑ Lewis, Jeremy (16 June 1999). "Sculptors stamp mark on the mail". Carmarthen Journal. p. 21. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  10. ↑ "Unintentional ASMR 🔨 Welsh Stone Carver (Tapping Gently & Sharing Wisdom)". YouTube. 27 May 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
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