Exhibition honours Wilfred, the Old Master

The work of an Old Master was brought back to life - in a special exhibition.

Talented Wilfred Jones, 82 has painted "fantastic" copies of some of the world's greatest paintings.

He has recreated the famous works of artists like Van Gogh, Velasquez, Michelangelo, Raphael and Renoir.

Now the remarkable replicas have gone on going on display at the Gwern Alyn residential home where Wilfred and his wife, Anne, 72, are residents.

Earlier this year, Wilfred and Anne celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary.

They first went to Gwern Alyn for a respite break about 12 months ago but on returning home found it difficult to cope on their own, so they now live in the home full-time.

The exhibition was organised by Pendine Park's artist-in-residence, Sarah Edwards.

Among the works featured were The Nightwatch by Rembrandt, Princess Marguerita of Spain by Velasquez, Le Moulin de la Galette by Renoir and Wilfred's own composition of the Queen.

Sarah said: "I was amazed when I saw the paintings, they are absolutely fantastic. He has captured the essence of these masterpieces remarkably.

"He has such a great technique, his use of paint and colour is spot on.

"But it is more than that because he has captured the mood and feeling of the paintings - you would think you were looking at the originals.

"Art is so important. It helps with the quality of life and we have seen that time and time again.

Working mainly in oils, Wilfred developed his own technique for replicating the masterpieces. He would map out the canvas with a large graph with 30 or 40 squares which he lovingly painted.

It was a time-consuming hobby and one painting could take up to nine months to complete.

Wilfred added: "The first one I painted was The Ascension by Raphael showing Christ going to the top of the mountain and leaving the disciples.

"I also did a copy of Michelangelo's Last Judgement which is fresco on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel.

Cindy Clutton, the Manager of Gwern Alyn, said: "At Pendine Park, we always encourage people to follow their individual interests and pursuits because we believe it helps them lead fulfilled lives."