Louise will be creating bespoke pieces of art using watercolours for each edition, starting with the brilliant Carl Ikeme painting for last Saturday’s Villarreal cover, followed by a stunning composition featuring Conor Coady and Richarlison for this weekend’s Premier League opener.
Her work caught attention earlier this year during our promotion-winning season, with Louise creating a collection of 13 paintings of Wolves’ players which raised over £12,000 for Cure Leukaemia, and now supporters will be able to enjoy Louise’s stunning work with each copy of the official matchday programme.
The original artworks will also be auctioned quarterly throughout the season to raise money for four local charities, which were nominated in conjunction with Carl Ikeme, who announced his retirement from the game last month.
The four charities are made up from Good Shepherd Services, Race against Blood Cancer, YMCA Open Door (Black Country) and Cure Leukaemia.
Louise commented: “When Wolves approached my husband Chris and I with the idea recently, for us there was not even a decision to make!
“The last few months, since that first painting of Rúben was shared on social media back in February, have been something of a whirlwind!
“I have loved the challenge of trying to capture the expression and passion of the players though; the fluidity of this watercolour splash style really seems to lend itself to sport in the way it can depict energy and movement as well as capture a particular moment in time.
“The encouragement and support from Wolves as a club, the fans and the media in general, particularly throughout the Cure Leukaemia fundraising campaign, has been outstanding.
“I am so grateful to Wolves for this incredible opportunity as well as to Sam Bagnall whose photography has provided the platform for all of my paintings to date.
“Chris and I are also really excited by the potential for raising significant funds for good causes with auctions of the original artwork taking place throughout the season.
“This is at the very heart of our Sports Personalities company together with making art affordable and accessible to all through the creation of Limited Edition prints.
“I am conscious that this is Wolves’ first season back in the Premier League and can assure fans that I will do everything I can to produce covers that are worthy of that status, continuing on the excellent work of Jody and Alexander the previous two seasons.”
The eye-catching covers will aid a revamp of the official matchday programme, which this season will include stickers for the Official Sticker Album, a 16-page pull-out for younger fans and a vintage programme reproduction.
A series of fresh features will also run throughout the season, covering the club’s history, supporters, first-team and Academy.
Also, supporters can feature inside the programme by sharing their favourite Wolves stories. Click here to find out how to get involved.
Supporters can see more of Louise’s work on the Sports Personalities website, here.
