Wrexham.
I owe a debt of thanks to Wrexham AFC, its staff, players and fans for providing the energy and belief that inspired these four pastel paintings/ drawings.
The original artwork for these 4 pastel paintings have now been purchased by the Football Museum of Wales for their collection. Together they represent the second half of a season, that I witnessed in which Wrexham AFC won a long awaited promotion out of the National League into the English Division 2. This ensures that all four pieces will be kept together and can be seen by the public.
Open edition A3 prints are available at ianjonesartist.etsy.com Please see my links page.
1. The Evening Kick Off. Pastels.
It was the second half of the season, when everybody, including myself, started to believe that Wrexham AFC, a Welsh team who were rampantly collecting points, were finally about to be promoted out of the National League into the English Second Division.
Early in the new year I decided that I wanted to paint the Racecourse Ground under floodlights and so before the Tuesday evening kick off against Bromley on the 10th January I took some photos on my mobile for reference. I loved the warming glow cast by the floodlights and street lights on the stadium and supporters on a cold January night. I wanted to capture the tones and shadows cast by the lights. A few weeks later it was finished and the response that it received on social media prompted me to paint the next one.
Wrexham won the game 2-1.
2. The Teatime Kick Off. Pastels.
It was the Fourth Round of the FA cup and a 16.30pm home game against Sheffield UTD. I gathered more reference. I loved the way supporters that were to make up a sell out crowd were busily making their way to their respective turnstiles, some stopping for a burger or a pint, and some to buy merchandise.
This game ended in a draw and we lost the replay at Bramall Lane.
3. Champions. Pastels.
As the season was drawing to a close, everybody, including myself went to each match nervously anticipating another 3 points and a step closer to being promoted as champions thus avoiding the dreaded playoffs. The match against Boreham Wood on 22/04/23 was one of these games. I had thought out how, when Wrexham had secured the points that gain them promotion, I was going to illustrate this. I knew i had to ' hit the ground running' and use the passion and adrenalin that I had witnessed that afternoon from the 10,000 or so fans to create this work. I wanted to capture the elation, the emotion and relief that echoed through the Cae Ras at the final whistle, that spilled onto the pitch with a sea of supporters, and elevated the players and staff to superstardom.
Wrexham won the game 3-1.
4. The Victory Parade. Pastels.
I thought I knew what was coming but I was wrong. It was much better. I had underestimated the atmosphere created by the passion of the crowd. The sky was red with smoke, the noise deafening and the adulation towards the heroes on the buses was unbelievable. The buses moved slowly to allow everybody the chance to see and applaud their team. The City of Wrexham on the evening of 2nd May, now belonged to Wrexham AFC and its fans. People of all ages, from young to old, came out in their thousands to line the streets and pay homage. This was the inspiration for number 4 . I had everything that I needed, the colours, the noise, the smells and the overwhelming feeling of pride, relief, and of belonging to something very special.
A photograph as reference is never ' the be all and end all '. In the early stages of a painting, when I am working on the composition, I tend to use multiple reference sheets, and so it starts out like a mismatched jigsaw, and my task would be fitting it together. A lot of the characters are real people and a lot are made up by me and placed in to help balance and correct the composition.
Ian B. Jones.
The original artwork for these 4 pastel paintings have now been purchased by the Football Museum of Wales for their collection. Together they represent the second half of a season, that I witnessed in which Wrexham AFC won a long awaited promotion out of the National League into the English Division 2. This ensures that all four pieces will be kept together and can be seen by the public.
Open edition A3 prints are available at ianjonesartist.etsy.com Please see my links page.
1. The Evening Kick Off. Pastels.
It was the second half of the season, when everybody, including myself, started to believe that Wrexham AFC, a Welsh team who were rampantly collecting points, were finally about to be promoted out of the National League into the English Second Division.
Early in the new year I decided that I wanted to paint the Racecourse Ground under floodlights and so before the Tuesday evening kick off against Bromley on the 10th January I took some photos on my mobile for reference. I loved the warming glow cast by the floodlights and street lights on the stadium and supporters on a cold January night. I wanted to capture the tones and shadows cast by the lights. A few weeks later it was finished and the response that it received on social media prompted me to paint the next one.
Wrexham won the game 2-1.
2. The Teatime Kick Off. Pastels.
It was the Fourth Round of the FA cup and a 16.30pm home game against Sheffield UTD. I gathered more reference. I loved the way supporters that were to make up a sell out crowd were busily making their way to their respective turnstiles, some stopping for a burger or a pint, and some to buy merchandise.
This game ended in a draw and we lost the replay at Bramall Lane.
3. Champions. Pastels.
As the season was drawing to a close, everybody, including myself went to each match nervously anticipating another 3 points and a step closer to being promoted as champions thus avoiding the dreaded playoffs. The match against Boreham Wood on 22/04/23 was one of these games. I had thought out how, when Wrexham had secured the points that gain them promotion, I was going to illustrate this. I knew i had to ' hit the ground running' and use the passion and adrenalin that I had witnessed that afternoon from the 10,000 or so fans to create this work. I wanted to capture the elation, the emotion and relief that echoed through the Cae Ras at the final whistle, that spilled onto the pitch with a sea of supporters, and elevated the players and staff to superstardom.
Wrexham won the game 3-1.
4. The Victory Parade. Pastels.
I thought I knew what was coming but I was wrong. It was much better. I had underestimated the atmosphere created by the passion of the crowd. The sky was red with smoke, the noise deafening and the adulation towards the heroes on the buses was unbelievable. The buses moved slowly to allow everybody the chance to see and applaud their team. The City of Wrexham on the evening of 2nd May, now belonged to Wrexham AFC and its fans. People of all ages, from young to old, came out in their thousands to line the streets and pay homage. This was the inspiration for number 4 . I had everything that I needed, the colours, the noise, the smells and the overwhelming feeling of pride, relief, and of belonging to something very special.
A photograph as reference is never ' the be all and end all '. In the early stages of a painting, when I am working on the composition, I tend to use multiple reference sheets, and so it starts out like a mismatched jigsaw, and my task would be fitting it together. A lot of the characters are real people and a lot are made up by me and placed in to help balance and correct the composition.
Ian B. Jones.
