Nathan Wyburn

Nathan Wyburn
Born Ebbw Vale, South Wales
Nationality British
Education Cardiff College of Art
Known for Collage, Art using food
Movement Pop Art
Website
nathanwyburn.co.uk

Nathan Wyburn (born 1989) is a Welsh artist who has created celebrity portraits and ‘Pop culture’ imagery with non-traditional mediums such as foods and other household items.

Biography

Nathan Wyburn is from Ebbw Vale, South Wales and studied portraiture at both GCSE and A-level. After leaving school he undertook a degree in Fine Art at Cardiff College of Art.[1]

He became an internet star in 2010, when he posted a video online of himself creating a portrait of TV personality Simon Cowell, made using Marmite on toast.[2] He was featured on the BBC children's TV programme, Blue Peter.[2] He subsequently featured on other TV shows, including ITV news and Sky Sports, where he created a portrait of England football manager Fabio Capello using bolognese sauce and pasta.[3] He received messages of support from celebrities including singer Katherine Jenkins and pop star Justin Bieber.[3]

In 2011 Wyburn appeared as a contestant on the TV talent show, Britain's Got Talent, reaching the semi-finals. He attempted elaborate portraits of Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley, but failed to live up to expectations, with the judges telling him he took on too much in the short time available. He later decided to create an image of Queen Elizabeth II, as he had missed out on the prize to meet her. He contacted Marmite and they sent him five or six big jars especially for the commission.[4]

In 2012, at the height of the News International phone hacking scandal, Wyburn's portrait of Rupert Murdoch, made of 5,000 images of alleged phone hacking victims, appeared on the front page of The Guardian. In 2013 he entered the Austrian equivalent talent contest, Die große Chance,[5] finishing in the last fifteen.[6]

Shortly after the death of Margaret Thatcher, Wyburn created a portrait of her using coal. He said:

I've created a portrait of Baroness Margaret Thatcher, using crushed coal powder & solid coal. Whether you loved or loathed her, her actions towards the mining industries is one of her most famous and controversial legacies, that even today splits the opinion of a nation.[7]

Brands such as Marmite, BIC, Oral-B, Costa, Starbucks, Vita Liberata and Hovis have independently commissioned Wyburn.[8] Wyburn's work has received plaudits from a number of celebrity admirers including Perez Hilton and Alan Carr.[9]

From 1 August to 21 September 2014 Wyburn exhibited at the Cardiff Story Museum.[10]

In April 2015 his first book Not That Kind of Art was published by Candy Jar Books Ltd.[11]

Personal life

Wyburn is gay. When asked, in a 2014 interview with eqview.com, whether he saw his LGBT perspective as playing an important/any role in his art, he replied: "I see it playing a huge role in my life in general. I don’t think I’d be half as strong minded or determined if I hadn't had to go through my teenage years facing what difficulties I did – bullying etc. I feel proud enough to create pieces of work that are supportive of the LGBT community such as Obama painted on the pride flag – and stand on stage at Pride events and show people it gets better."[12]

Books

References

  1. ↑ "Cowell pic made out of Marmite". The Sun. 12 January 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Marmite masterpiece is the toast of the web". BBC News (South East Wales). 16 March 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Celebrities spread the word about Nathan’s artwork". WalesOnline. 17 June 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
  4. ↑ "Britain's Got Talent star Nathan Wyburn’s birthday toast for the Queen". WalesOnline. 10 June 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
  5. ↑ "“Die große Chance”: Zehn Acts bei der zweiten Live-Show". Vienna Online (in German). 22 October 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  6. ↑ Sophie Gidley (8 November 2013). "Artist Nathan Wyburn an icon in Austria after reaching final 15 of talent show Die Grosse". WalesOnline. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  7. ↑ 11 April 2013 at 2:25pm (2013-04-11). "Artist creates Thatcher portrait from coal | Wales - ITV News". Itv.com. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  8. ↑ "Artist Paints a Taylor Swift Portrait Using Starbucks Coffee". Starbucks Newsroom. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  9. ↑ "Nathan Wyburn - Interview". www.EQView.com.
  10. ↑ The Sprout / ProMo Cymru / CYPP. "Nathan Wyburn: "Not That Kind Of Art" - Events". Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Not That Kind of Art by Nathan Wyburn - Candy Jar Books". Candy-jar.co.uk. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  12. ↑ "Nathan Wyburn - Interview - EQView". EQView. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  13. ↑ Moffett, Liam (2015-02-10). "Gareth Thomas painting created in mud by Nathan Wyburn". Wales Online. Retrieved 11 March 2015.

External links