Ian Poulter and Justin Rose’s sporting moments painted

National charity Willow, who work with seriously ill young adults, have commissioned canvases of Britain’s top sporting heroes to be sold at auction in September.

Justin Rose
Justin Rose is one of the sporting legends that has been captured for Willow's auction in September.

National charity Willow, who work with seriously ill young adults, have commissioned canvases of Britain’s top sporting heroes to be sold at auction in September.

National charity Willow, who work with seriously ill young adults, have commissioned canvases of Britain’s top sporting heroes to be sold at auction in September.

Ian Poulter and Justin Rose are amongst the sporting heroes that have been immortalised on canvas for the auction from September 4 to 14.

Willow is the only national charity working with seriously ill young adults aged 16 to 40 to fulfil uplifting and unforgettable Special Days.

The artworks will be on show at a public exhibition, September 9 & 10 at Bonhams, London W1.

Britain’s top sporting heroes Mo Farah; Lewis Hamilton; AP McCoy; Theo Walcott; Steven Gerrard; Wayne Rooney; Andy Murray; Sir Bradley Wiggins; Sir Ben Ainslie; Ian Poulter; Justin Rose; Hannah Cockroft and Christine Ohuruogu have all taken part in Sportwaves.

The collection depicts a fine art portrait of the sportsmen in action, combined with a digital soundwave of the moment captured.

Each original artwork has been signed by the sporting great and will available to view at the public exhibition, and to bid for online in the charity auction.

The artwork is available to view now at sportwaves.org

Each piece has been created by artist Rob Highton, whose stunning work includes paintings of sporting heroes, music and popular culture, and Tim Wakefield, a new media artist whose work features the exuberant infusion of digital sound waves with paintings.

AP McCoy said of his artwork, “What a fantastic image of the moment I won the 2010 Grand National - really fantastic.

“To have captured both the image on the horse, as well as memories of the sound on the day is amazing.

“It means a lot to me to support to a charity that helps people my age at a time when they’re unwell.”

To date Willow has provided more than 10,000 Special Days for people living with cancer, cystic fibrosis, motor neurone disease, muscular dystrophy, organ failure and Huntington’s, amongst other conditions.

These Special Days enable them and their families to reconnect and refocus on each other while enjoying an activity of their choosing.

Nick Bonfield
Content Editor

Nick Bonfield joined Golf Monthly in 2012 after graduating from Exeter University and earning an NCTJ-accredited journalism diploma from News Associates in Wimbledon. He is responsible for managing production of the magazine, sub-editing, commissioning and feature writing. Most of his online work is opinion-based and typically centres around the Majors and significant events in the global golfing calendar. Nick has been an avid golf fan since the age of ten and became obsessed with the professional game after watching Mike Weir and Shaun Micheel win The Masters and PGA Championship respectively in 2003. In his time with Golf Monthly, he's interviewed the likes of Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Jose Maria Olazabal, Henrik Stenson, Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood and Billy Horschel and has ghost-written columns for Westwood, Wayne Riley, Matthew Southgate, Chris Wood and Eddie Pepperell. Nick is a 12-handicap golfer and his favourite courses include Old Head, Sunningdale New, Penha Longha, Valderrama and Bearwood Lakes. If you have a feature pitch for Nick, please email nick.bonfield@futurenet.com with 'Pitch' in the subject line. Nick is currently playing: Driver: TaylorMade M1 Fairway wood: TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 Hybrid: Ping Crossover Irons (4-9): Nike Vapor Speed Wedges: Cleveland CBX Full Face, 56˚, Titleist Vokey SM4, 60˚ Putter: testing in progress! Ball: TaylorMade TP5x