From humble beginnings

In his first blog post, John Wilesmith takes a trip down memory lane, recalling the somewhat rustic first attempts at Hand Painted Heroes, to the success they are today, with a few great anecdotes along the way...

"The idea for the figures came during a holiday to Pembrokeshire - instead of an oil landscape painting for the in laws, I decided to create a hand painted montage of our three children on plywood. It was very primitive and poor quality, but we still have it!

As a rugby fan, I have amassed a collection of books and programmes and decided to try a few rugby players, starting with Wavell Wakefield, with mixed results. I still have this figure, to remind me of how far I have progressed - it wasn't very good!

In 2001, I approached both the RFU and WRU outlining my idea to create hand painted rugby legends to retail in their respective retail shops, providing samples. Not surprisingly, they showed little or no interest. I still have the rejection letters.

In 2012, RFU President Bill Beaumont came to speak at Ledbury RFC and it was suggested that I might create a figure for him as a thank you, which went down well and gave me the confidence to pick up the paintbrushes on a more regular basis.

Our youngest daughter went to New Zealand for a gap year and was treated to some awesome hospitality which she was unable to reciprocate, however I suggested that we send the various hosts their favourite All Black... The reaction was great and when I travelled to Tauranga, New Zealand, to visit my dad, in February 2016, I took two Colin Meads figures.

On arrival, I called Mr Meads at his home only to find that he was coming over to Tauranga the following week to play bowls against former All Black colleagues. After the two day competition we met up in a deserted cafe. He was great company and told some wicked stories, which is always a bonus when you meet the legends.

The collection has grown steadily over the years as word has got out about my figures, with many suggestions coming from friends and former rugby players suggesting prominent players that they know.... Ledbury Garden Machinery Proprietor Chris O'Neill pointed out that his wife was related to former England cricket captain, Alistair Cook.... It was relatively easy to get this figure signed!

As Head of Operations at the Three Counties Showground, I have been able to meet the celebrities who attend the show and extended my range to include figures outside the sporting world, from Mary Berry and Jo Whiley, as well to Raymond Blanc and Monty Don.

Having purchased a book about Rugby Memorabilia by Phil Atkinson, I got in contact with him to ask him if he had ever seen my figures. His response was prompt and extremely positive, saying that if he had known about my work, he would have included a chapter in there about me!

Again I have made some amazing contacts through the Rugby Memorabilia Society, who regularly feature the figures in their quarterly publication, Touchlines."

To see my figures, visit the gallery and please get in touch to find out more!