AN HISTORIC Welsh sporting moment has been immortalised in art – thanks to a local star.

Nathan Wyburn, from Ebbw Vale, has become well-known around the UK for his eye-catching artworks depicting current events out of unusual tools, including food.

South Wales Argus:

Nathan Wyburn

He got to work on a piece to commemorate Markham darts player and former Crosskeys rugby hooker Gerwyn Price’s World Darts Championship win, and becoming world number one.

On Sunday, January 3, Price became the first Welsh player to win the world championship.

Mr Wyburn said he began a commemorative artwork the next morning.

“When he won the championship, I decided to do it," he said. "Over the past few years, I’ve celebrated the iconic moments in Welsh news and all over the world, but as a proud Welshman, highlighting the Welsh moments is all the nicer.”

South Wales Argus:

The Gerwyn Price artwork

The portrait of Gerwyn Price was done with acrylic paints - more conventional than the tools Mr Wyburn usually uses - but this time it was the canvas that was different. “What better thing to do it on than an old dartboard I had lying around?" he said. "It was tricky as it was a different type of canvas as I was using black and white acrylic paint and the majority of the board was black and white, so I had to make sure I was putting the colours on the opposite background.”

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Despite the challenge of an unfamiliar canvas, it only took Mr Wyburn a mere three hours to complete. “People are always shocked when I say that. I work quick.”

The art has already been sold – to a friend of Mr Price’s. “I don’t know if he has seen it yet,” said Mr Wyburn on his art. “But I put it up for sale and a friend of his messaged me and he’s going to have it and is going to show him it and maybe get him to have a picture with it. Which would be great as it would add to the collection. Before lockdowns and the coronavirus pandemic, I had Catherine Zeta Jones and Dame Shirley Bassey pose with some of my work.”

He has also been busy with highlighting Welsh successes, completing a piece today about North Walean actor Taron Egerton – star of Kingsman: The Secret Service, Sing and Rocketman, who won a Golden Globe for best performance by an actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy for his role as Elton John in Rocketman. For the piece, he used the herb tarragon in a play on words for the actor’s name.

South Wales Argus: Nathan Wyburn's art of Taron Egerton

The Taron Egerton piece.