Wil Jones (born William Richard Jones; 1960–2020) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

portrait A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this r ...

artist, guitarist, and teacher. His portrait work has been exhibited around the United Kingdom, notably portraits of

Eric Sykes Eric Sykes (4 May 1923 – 4 July 2012) was an English radio, stage, television and film writer, comedian, actor, and director whose performing career spanned more than 50 years. He frequently wrote for and performed with many other leading com ...

and

Norman Wisdom Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom, (4 February 1915 – 4 October 2010) was an English actor, comedian, musician and singer best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring a hapless onscreen character often called Norman ...

, and a collection of Welsh literary portraits on display at the National Library of Wales.

Career

Having graduated in graphic design from

Liverpool Polytechnic , mottoeng = Fortune favours the bold , established = 1823 – Liverpool Mechanics' School of Arts1992 – Liverpool John Moores University , type = Public , endowment = , coor ...

and undergone teacher training, Jones became the head of art at

Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle is a bilingual secondary school for pupils aged between 11 and 18 years. It is situated in Pen-y-groes in Gwynedd, north Wales. The school serves the village of Pen-y-groes and the surrounding rural area. As of 2022, t ...

secondary school in 1984 and later became head of art at

Ysgol Friars Friars School is a school in Bangor, Gwynedd, and one of the oldest schools in Wales. History 1557 Establishment The school was founded by Geoffrey Glyn who had been brought up in Anglesey and had followed a career in law in London. A friary ...

where he was a pupil himself. He was a member of the band 'Y Cynghorwyr' (''The Councillors''), playing guitar on a number of releases on '' Crai'' in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He worked on a mural at

Glynllifon Glynllifon is the name of the old estate which belonged to the Barons Newborough, near the village of Llandwrog on the main A499 road between Pwllheli and Caernarfon in Gwynedd, Wales. The original mansion was until recently a privately owned ...

in 1993 as part of the ''Gwerin Y Graith'' collection of artworks highlighting the lives of slate miners. He focused on portrait work as an artist and has four paintings of Welsh writers and performers Wil Sam, Elis Gwyn Jones,

Meredydd Evans Meredydd Evans (9 December 1919 – 21 February 2015), known colloquially as Merêd, was a collector, editor, historian and performer of folk music of Wales. A major figure in Welsh media for over half a century, Evans has been described as influe ...

, and Richard Hughes in the National Library of Wales portraits collection. He painted live portraits with English comedians

and

which are on display at

Gallery Oldham Gallery Oldham is a free-to-view public museum and art gallery in the Cultural Quarter of central Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. Design Designed by architects Pringle Richards Sharratt, Gallery Oldham was completed in its original for ...

and the

Manx Museum The Manx Museum (Thie Tashtee Vannin) in Douglas, Isle of Man is the national museum of the Isle of Man. It is run by Manx National Heritage. In general, the museum covers 10,000 years the history of the Isle of Man from the Stone Age to the mode ...

respectively. He also made notable portraits of

Rhys Ifans Rhys Ifans (; born Rhys Owain Evans; 22 July 1967) is a Welsh actor and musician. He was the frontman of Welsh rock music bands the Peth and Super Furry Animals. As an actor, he is best known for his roles in ''Notting Hill'' (1999), ''Kevin & ...

Bryn Terfel Sir Bryn Terfel Jones, (; born 9 November 1965) (known professionally as Bryn Terfel) is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly '' Figaro'', '' Leporello'' and '' ...

Tom Courtenay Sir Thomas Daniel Courtenay (; born 25 February 1937) is an English actor. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Courtenay achieved prominence in the 1960s with a series of acclaimed film roles, including ''The Loneliness of ...

, and

Kyffin Williams Sir John Kyffin Williams, (9 May 1918 – 1 September 2006) was a Welsh landscape painter who lived at Pwllfanogl, Llanfairpwll, on the Island of Anglesey. Williams is widely regarded as the defining artist of Wales during the 20th century. Pe ...

. His work was exhibited at a number of galleries and art prizes including ''The Best of British Illustration'' at the

Mall Galleries Mall commonly refers to a: * Shopping mall * Strip mall * Pedestrian street * Esplanade Mall or MALL may also refer to: Places Shopping complexes * The Mall (Sofia) (Tsarigradsko Mall), Sofia, Bulgaria * The Mall, Patna, Patna, Bihar, India * ...

in 1980, the National Eisteddfod of Wales in 1989, and

Garrick/Milne Prize The Garrick/Milne Prize was a biennial art prize which served to revive the art of theatrical painting and portraiture. The prize was set up by the Garrick Club in memory of A. A. Milne, a past member. Originally £20,000, the prize was last held ...

exhibition in 2003, where his portrait of Tom Courtenay was chosen for exhibition at Christie's. Described as an "unorthodox" teacher, he was struck off the teaching register in 2014 for unacceptable professional behaviour, including swearing in the classroom.

Personal life and death

Jones had four children with his wife Tracey, they lived in both

Talysarn Tal-y-sarn () is a village in the slate quarrying Nantlle Valley in Gwynedd, Wales, next to Penygroes. It is part of the community of Llanllyfni and includes some of Llandwrog. The ward had a population of 1,930 at the 2011 census, the built ...

and

Felinheli Y Felinheli (), formerly known in English as Port Dinorwic, is a village and community beside the Menai Strait ( cy, Y Fenai or ''Afon Menai'') between Bangor and Caernarfon in Gwynedd, northwest Wales. History Toponymy Etymologically, its ...

. He was a board member of the Welsh third tier football team Y Felinheli F.C., as well as being a local councillor and

chairperson The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of the community council in Felinheli. Known by many in the community as 'Wil Art', he died in August 2020 in Felinheli where he grew up.

Legacy

Jones taught

Wales national football team ) , Association = Football Association of Wales (FAW) , Confederation = UEFA (Europe) , Coach = Rob Page , Captain = Gareth Bale , Most caps = Gareth Bale (111) , Top scorer = Gareth ...

player and artist

Owain Fôn Williams Owain Fôn Williams (; born 17 March 1987) is a Welsh professional football coach and former professional footballer who is currently the goalkeeping coach for EFL League One side Fleetwood Town. Williams played as a goalkeeper making 271 appe ...

secondary school. Jones was mentioned in Williams' autobiography as a great teacher that gave him a lot of support and encouraged him to take up art at

A level The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational au ...

and university before he was offered a contract at

Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of ...

. Williams has had his artwork exhibited at the National Library of Wales and Oriel Ynys Mon.

External links

Gallery of Portraits by Wil Jones
*Obituary, '' Daily Post'', August 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Wil 1960 births 2020 deaths 20th-century Welsh painters 20th-century Welsh male artists 21st-century Welsh painters 21st-century Welsh male artists Welsh male painters People educated at Friars School, Bangor