Wales went down 28-33 to the Wallabies in a hard fought contest, which was the first on a new state-of-the-art hybrid Desso playing surface, and Chiselle has marked the historic significance of the match with an impressive oil painting.
Chiselle, who lives in Newport and has exhibited in both Cardiff and London, is known for his fine-line, detailed wildlife drawings and has recently begun to concentrate on portraiture.
He was nominated by the WRU in November 2013 to produce his interpretation of a matchday experience at the home of Welsh rugby.
Research and early drawings for Chiselle’s final composition began when Wales faced the Wallabies at the Millennium Stadium in November 2013, when they suffered a similarly narrow defeat.
The artist, who specialises in bringing animals to life on paper, chose early in the process to include the WRU’s digital Dragon mascot Scorch which features so prominently on the national Stadium’s big screens during a matchday – and will appear for the first time in physical form at the Fiji match tomorrow – and was painting ‘live’ to ensure he captured the unique mood of event day.
“For me the dragon imagery on display at the stadium best represents the spirit of the Welsh people, both times I have been here during my research Wales have suffered agonising defeat, but the sense that they will rise and stand firm next time always remains,” said Chiselle.
“The team was beaten but the dragon will still be back to breathe it’s fire, that fire is the noise of the crowd the tension in the air and the sheer will of the people which drives the players.
“I hope I have captured some of the magic of a match day experience. Scorch is certainly a central part of the day’s entertainment, keeping everyone up to date with the scores and the comings and goings on the pitch, so he had to feature strongly.”
Chiselle’s’massive 5ft by 6ft oil on canvass rendering will be gifted to the WRU and will form an integral part of the history of the Millennium Stadium – celebrating the dawning of a new era after the installation of a pitch system which keeps it in line with the most advanced stadia in the world.
