How goalie captured Euro joy on canvas
LIKE many fans, one cult member of Wales’ heroic Euro 2016 squad felt the blues after returning home from the tournament.
Wales’ run to the semi-finals was beyond the wildest dreams of all but the most optimistic supporters.
But returning home – to everyday life, to the day job – was something of a comedown, not only for those in the terraces but also for the idols they were cheering on.
Fortunately for goalkeeper Owain Fôn Williams, his talents are not confined to the pitch and he was able to produce this brilliant painting celebrating one of the tournament’s most iconic scenes.
Williams, a renowned artist who has depicted the slate quarrying heritage of his home, Dyffryn Nantlle in Gwynedd, admitted the artwork has helped him get over those post-Euros blues.
“I really didn’t want to paint anything from the Euros, even though some of the boys – Wayne Hennessey, Joe Ledley – were asking me to,” remembered the gloveman, who plies his club trade for Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Scottish Premiership.
“Coming back, I thought ‘You know what? Wales have created history by being in France, getting as far as the semi-finals and being knocked out by the winners, Portugal.’ I was sitting at home and thought I would paint that moment, capture that piece of history, as a painting.
“It’s something that means an awful lot to me because I did have the blues coming back from France. It was just such a fantastic time.”
The 29-year-old, from Penygroes, near Caernarfon, who is also a dab hand on the guitar and who serenaded other members of the squad during their time off, says his aim was to record in paint a concept which has united a nation – Together Stronger. And that was an allencompassing slogan which was adopted not only by those who starred in red but all other parts of the Wales setup, from manager Chris Coleman to psychologist Ian Mitchell, kitman Dai Griffiths, head of international affairs Mark Evans and a host of others.
Williams says he aimed to record on canvas the sheer joy felt by players and staff at the brilliant run to the last four in Europe as well as the perspective of millions of Welsh fans.
He will present the main canvas to the National Library in Aberystwyth in March, where it will be on display for a year. Prints will be sold off to raise money for good causes. He plans to raise money on behalf of Ysbyty Gwynedd, where, as a young boy who fell seriously ill, he was treated before being transferred to Liverpool’s Alder Hey.
He will also produce prints for all the squad and members of staff who want one, a further indication of how close-knit the entire Wales setup is.
Williams did not play during the tournament and has a single Wales cap to his name, despite having been part of international squads for more than seven years.
But he gives the sense, as a fiercely proud Welshman and a football fan, of being simply happy to have been a part of a historic moment for sport in Wales.
“It was amazing,” he added. “And it’s nice to be able to put it down on canvas and try to recreate that feeling of togetherness we had out in France.”