Nick Elphick
Nick Elphick | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1979  |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Sculptor |
| Website | nickelphicksculpture |
Nick Elphick (born 1979) is a British sculptor, known for his public artworks and appearances on television.
Early life and education
[edit]Gerald Nicholas Tunstall Elphick was born in Chester, England, in 1979 and moved to Llandudno, Wales, aged 11 or 12, in order to attend St David’s College due to his severe dyslexia.[1][2] The college encouraged his pursuit of art. To develop his skills, he did jobs in theatre set design and for the bronze casting foundry Pangolin Editions.[3][4]
He eventually became a sculptor, and lived for a time in a studio without running water, as he could not afford a separate home.[1][5]
He took an art foundation course at Coleg Menai,[6] and in 2022 graduated with a degree in fine art from Loughborough University.[4]
Career
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His 2010 statue of Henry Morton Stanley, Dr Livingstone I Presume, stands in Hall Square, Denbigh.[2] A 2021 public consultation and vote, arranged by Denbigh Town Council in response to a Black Lives Matter-related campaign to remove the statue, resulted in an 80-per-cent majority for retaining it.[7][8]
For the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II, he was commissioned to make a 5-foot (1.5 m) sculpture of her head, from which 60 casts were made.[3] He sculpted larger-than-life Greek figures for a Garsington Opera performance of Vivaldi's L'Olimpiade, in advance of the 2012 Olympics.[9]
In 2015 he restored the "White Rabbit Memorial" commemorating Alice in Wonderland, in Llandudno.[10] His 2016 oversize bust of BBC drama producer and theatre founder Wilbert Lloyd Roberts is in Bangor University's Pontio centre.[11]
He sculpted Lance Corporal Shenkin IV, a Cashmere goat mascot, and its human goat-major, for the Royal Welsh Regiment memorial, unveiled at Hightown Barracks, Wrexham, in March 2023.[12] It was cast at The Lost Foundry in Axminster.[13]
His bust of RAF World War II pilot Sergeant Brian Lathan has been in the collection of the RAF Manston History Museum since 2024.[14]
His statue of Monty Python comic actor and historian Terry Jones was unveiled in Colwyn Bay in April 2026.[15]
Elphick is a member of the Royal Cambrian Academy.[16] He has also worked with Jean-Paul Gaultier and Damien Hirst.[4]
Television
[edit]Elphick has featured in two episodes of the BBC series Extraordinary Portraits; in 2024, for the first episode of series 3, he sculpted trauma surgeon Martin Griffiths[17][1] and in the first of series five, in 2026, he sculpted Darryn Frost, a hero of the 2019 London Bridge stabbings.[18] He has also participated in episodes of Salvage Hunters: The Restorers.[19]
Personal life
[edit]In addition to his severe dyslexia, Elphick has also had issues with bulimia, anorexia and social anxiety, beginning in his childhood.[20] He has been treated with antidepressants, cognitive behavioural therapy, and kinesiology therapy.[20]
He is the subject of the 2023 film Life with Emotions, directed by Shafin Basheer, which depicts his grief following the death of his father.[20][21] During that period, his bulimia worsened.[20] He now considers himself fully recovered from his eating disorders.[20]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Llandudno artist who created NHS piece 'blessed' to feature on BBC programme". North Wales Pioneer. 14 July 2023. Archived from the original on 8 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ^ a b Artworks by or after Nick Elphick at the Art UK site
- ^ a b "Sculptor Nick Elphick's royal appointment for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee". Great British Life. 16 January 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
- ^ a b c "North Wales sculptor's brush with fame". North Wales Live. 17 April 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
- ^ "I've battled bulimia and anorexia since I was a boy. Now, at 46, I finally see myself as I am". Telegraph. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
- ^ "Former student Nick sculpts celebrated surgeon on BBC Show…". Grŵp Llandrillo Menaicy. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
- ^ Evans, Arron (15 September 2020). "Denbigh Town Council provide update on town's HM Stanley statue consultation process". Denbighshire Free Press. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
- ^ "Denbigh votes to keep controversial H.M Stanley statue after 7,000 signature petition to remove it". Nation.Cymru. 27 October 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
- ^ "London 2012: Sculptor's race to finish statues for Olympic opera". BBC News. 21 January 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
- ^ "White Rabbit Memorial". Art UK. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
- ^ "Theatre founder Wilbert Lloyd Roberts sculpture unveiled". BBC News. 19 December 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
- ^ "Wrexham: Royal Welch Fusilier and goat sculpture unveiled". BBC News. 18 March 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
- ^ "Nick Elphick". The Lost Foundry. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
- ^ Bailes, Kathy (10 September 2024). "Exhibition, statue unveiling and talk to mark 80th anniversary of WWII Operation Market Garden". Retrieved 25 April 2026.
- ^ "Monty Python's Terry Jones nude statue to be unveiled in Colwyn Bay". BBC News. 24 April 2026. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
- ^ "Nick Elphick's Extraordinary Portrait unveiled at the RCA". RCA Conwy. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
- ^ Elphick, Nick. "BBC Extraordinary Portraits". Nick Elphick – Sculpture. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ^ "Sculpture unveiled of Darryn Frost who fought knifeman with tusk". BBC News. 29 March 2026. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
- ^ Jones, Mari (3 November 2018). "How working with 'supportive' Drew Pritchard on Salvage Hunters has changed this artist's life". North Wales Live. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
- ^ a b c d e Elphick, Nick; Elms, Emma (29 November 2025). "I've battled bulimia and anorexia since I was a boy. Now, at 46, I finally see myself as I am". The Telegraph. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
- ^ Leo, Elena (30 September 2025). "Sculpting Grief and Hope: New Film Explores Artist Nick Elphick's Journey Through Parkinson's". Ikon London Magazine. Retrieved 13 May 2026.