Jody Craddock shows off latest artwork in Wolverhampton
Former Wolves star Jody Craddock has had a selection of his artwork exhibited at a Wolverhampton arts centre.
The retired defender had a successful career spanning 15 years playing more than 500 league games for Sunderland and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Now the Redditch-born artist spends his time creating paintings and which sell for anything up to £5000.
His work on show included a collection of five new pieces in a photorealism style, including an iconic Marilyn Monroe painting, and on sale for prices ranging from £450 to £2,600.
His other notable works include portraits of rock stars like Noel Gallagher, Paul McCartney and Jimi Hendrix, all immortalised in his chosen medium of oils on canvas.
Jody said his fascination with statues and graffiti have also inspired his more recent work.
He said: ""It was always football, football. I had done A-level art at school and scraped through but hadn't really been thinking about it as a career.
"Art was just a little hobby. But as a professional footballer I'd be done training by two in the afternoon and then I'd spend my time painting.
"So when I retired in 2013 it was a natural step for me to follow my heart and devote more time and effort on creating a distinct style for myself and painting full time."
He added: "I'd say that my recent works are more gritty and urban graffiti style whereas I started off doing mainly portraiture.
"I needed something that can be taken seriously, that looks good and that people will look at and recognise.
"There's a not a lot out there that has not already been done, so to think of something original and different is very hard."
He added: "Its great to come back to Wolverhampton and show off my work and maybe help inspire young artists here with my exhibition."
Exhibition organiser Corin Stephenson-Salter said Jody was a 'technically gifted' artist who had easily overcome any negativity shown towards him by some in the art world.
He said: "There are snobs in the world of fine art who don't take ex-footballers seriously but Jody has shown he has the passion and is technically gifted enough to create original works that command fees in the thousands."
More than a dozen local artists' work was on display at the exhibition which was opened by the Lord Mayor of Wolverhampton.
