Ben Mosley
By Ben Mosley – Football Artist UK, Sports Artist & Live Painter
Since completing my Fine Art degree in 2003, I’ve dedicated my life to painting, and football has always been at the heart of it. For me, football is a terrific subject to paint about. It’s something I live, love and am incredibly grateful for. My dad was a non-league football manager of Baldock Town Football Club, and as a young boy I travelled the country with him, watching his team win many matches. There was something truly magical about those early days, the journeys, the football, the camaraderie between the players, the club and it’s supporters and the pure love of the game at a level where everyone had to pull together to succeed. The special bond I formed with my dad, those moments meant everything to me and when he took Baldock into the Dr Martens premier division on a 29 game unbeaten run with a squad of 15 players it was heroic. These memories shaped how I see football today and gave me an understanding of it at its most honest and human level, values that still inspire my work today as a football artist.
In 1988, my dad took me to Oakwell to watch Barnsley FC for the first time. From that day on the club felt like home. The atmosphere was incredible. That sense of belonging to something that represented the friendship I had with my dad, those eleven players on the pitch who in that particular moment are an extension of you and representing your family, where you come from, the sense of identity it brings and the tribal nature of football was palpable. The feeling of winning and celebrating a goal as a collective powerful force, when the ball hits the net, you are truly celebrating who you are and that feeling of pure jubilation has stayed with me always.
Football was always something I wanted to paint about. It was during my time at university back in 2003, through the encouragement of my superb tutor John Renshaw, that it was gently brought to life. Looking back, it felt like he sprinkled a bit of gold dust on the idea that football could truly be a subject matter worth painting for. I can still see the excitement in his face and the fire in his eyes as I picture him telling me to go for it and thumping his fist in pure delight. “Just think of the narrative and the passion football instills in people, imagine getting that on canvas” He encouraged me to paint about something I truly loved and something that was so deep it stir’s and inspires raw human emotion in many people around the world and from that moment, I went on a journey to find myself as an artist and explore how I could translate my love of the beautiful game through my art.
When I paint about football, I’m not trying to capture the game perfectly. I’m trying to capture how it feels, the emotion, the energy and the connection that football creates between many different peoples. Football brings people together from all walks of life in celebration. That’s why I often return to my Team Spirit football paintings, where players stand together in a huddle. For me, that circle represents unity, strength and togetherness, something that exists at every level of the game, from grassroots football to the biggest stages in the world. I’ve been incredibly grateful to experience both as an artist and have loved creating paintings that celebrate all levels of the game. Form creating football paintings, on canvas, to large scale football murals and working as a live painter at major football events. My work has taken me to some incredible places and been seen by audiences around the world. I’m a huge England Fan and have painted about the national team for 20 years. I hope this year will be the ultimate celebration and the Englands men’s senior team can finally bring football home as the women have done. As a huge England fan, having painted two large scale football murals at Wembley Stadium celebrating the home of football is a terrific honour and one I’m immensely proud of. I think England have the best squad of players in the world and this could be our year. I really believe.
Football has given me wonderful friendships I’m truly grateful for, including Barnsley legends Ronnie Glavin, Mick McCarthy, Gerry Taggart and John Beresford, which has come through the work I have done with Barnsley Football Club and through the events I do with my live painting. This is one of the many positives supporting a community club like Barnsley can bring and sharing the love of the game with people.
My Dad has dementia now and we cant talk about football like we used to do, but I can still see him giving his inspirational team talks to his players and his infectious love of the game when I close my eyes and think of him as a young powerful successful non league football manager who installed values and belief into a group of men that would run through a brick wall for him. People say there is no sentiment in football, but there definitely is if you truly believe, you just have to look for them, dream and hope and these moments will also find you. I’m glad to say there have been plenty in my life that I’ll cherish especially with my father Dave. Football United and Football forever and I’m eternally grateful for what it has brought me.
.
