The mural of a giant miner has appeared in the valleys town of Rhymney, Caerphilly, this month, in what is described as a fitting tribute to the area's heritage. The piece, painted by the Merthyr artist known as Tee2Sugars was finished on April 16 and is situated on the side of the Parkside Funeral Home in Rhymney.
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It has so far gained a huge response from locals who have said they enjoy both the striking details and meaning of the local piece of art. The elaborate artwork that was painted over four days by the talented graffiti artist depicts a giant miner holding a lantern in the dark. Next to it is a verse from the popular David Alexander song 'Working man', which depicts the struggles of life working underground in a coal mine.
The verse reads:
It’s a working man l am
And I’ve been down under ground
And I swear to God if l ever see the sun
Or for any length of time
I can hold it in my mind
I never again will go down under ground
The piece finally came together this month after delays of around two years due to the Covid pandemic. However with the piece now being completed, the artist says he is incredibly happy with the results.
Artist Tee said: "I was first approached with the idea after the owners of Parkside, Pat Griffiths and her son Simon Lewis had seen some of my other work while running on the Taff trail and wanted to see what I could do on their wall. There was a few ideas at first but in the end we went for the idea of the miner shining his lamp through the darkness.
"It's a very meaningful piece as there are a lot of ex-miners who would have had funerals through Parkside, and as well as remembering the history of the area, the miner holding his lamp represents a shining light through dark times for people attending these funerals. Above the miner is the bent iron monument which has a rich history in Rhymney, so we wanted to get that element in alongside the words from the David Alexander song.
"So far there has been a phenomenal response to this mural, more than any I have done in the past, with people saying how much they love the details and meanings behind the work. It was a privilege to work on it and I'm really happy with the reaction it's had. " You can find more stories from across Caerphilly by subscribing to our dedicated newsletter here.
