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National
Kristy Dawson

'It was a labour of love' - Craftsman creates bespoke artwork for Sam Fender ahead of St James' Park gigs

A North East craftsman has spent hours creating a bespoke piece of artwork for Sam Fender.

Stuart Taylor, who runs East Coast Creations, is a big fan of the singer-songwriter, who hails from North Shields.

The 42-year-old has spent around a week putting together a custom piece of wall art for the 29-year-old.

Read more: Sam Fender gives fans first look inside St James' ahead of huge Newcastle gigs

After taking inspiration from Sam's song Little Bull of Blithe, he decided to design a bull shaped guitar. He has also included the star's love for Newcastle United by dressing the bull in black and white stripes.

Stuart, who operates his business from a unit at Team Valley Trading Estate in Gateshead, said: "I did a bit of research on him personally to find out what's relevant to him.

Sam Fender (Sachin Jethwa/REX/Shutterstock)

"The Little Bull of Blithe came from a nickname which his grandma gave to him because he was a 'bull in a china shop'. I decided I was going to make something in the shape of a bull.

"The bull seemed to fit well in the shape of a guitar and, as he's a mega toon fan, I wanted to paint it black and white. It was a labour of love to make.

"I bought an electric guitar and broke it into pieces. I took all the parts and put it on the guitar I was making. I have made it 3D and there's certain parts of it that really pop out."

After creating the design, Stuart enlisted the help of artist Andy Morley, who runs Creative Ginger.

Andy Morley of Creative Ginger and Stuart Taylor from East Coast Creations who have made a wall art guitar for Sam Fender (Newcastle Chronicle)

He said: "I think it probably took me about a week to make. The sanding process was the biggest part of it, it took me about three days to sand it.

"Andy came along and put the Newcastle top on it - I made the bull and he painted it."

Andy, 55, who lives in Denton Burn, Newcastle, said: "Stu's a big Sam Fender fan and I am as well. I thought it was a really good idea, I was happy to get involved."

Andy Morley of Creative Ginger and Stuart Taylor from East Coast Creations who have made a wall art guitar for Sam Fender (Newcastle Chronicle)

Stuart said he would be thrilled if Sam, who is due to play two huge gigs at St James' Park on Friday and Saturday, accepted it as a gift. The pair have been trying to get in touch with him so they can hand it over.

Stuart, who lives in Durham, said: "I will hopefully give the guitar to him.

Sam Fender is set to play two sold-out concerts at St James' Park in Newcastle on June 9 and 10. (Newcastle United via Getty Images)

"He's in the run up to one of the biggest gigs in his life so far, so he's going to be really manic. We probably should have reached out earlier but we wanted to wait until it was finished.

"I messaged him on Instagram but I think a lot of them messages just go unread."

Stuart said that if he doesn't manage to hand it over to Sam, he has a plan B. He hopes to get some Newcastle United footballers to sign it and auction it off for a children's charity.

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