Coleg Menai Alumnus Nick Elphick Sculpts Monty Python Legend for Colwyn Bay

On Saturday April 25, Nick’s work was revealed to the public as Monty Python fans from all over the world arrived in Colwyn Bay to see the permanent tribute to Terry unveiled by Terry’s friends and co-stars Sir Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam.

Nick attended the event, which was a celebration of the late actor, author and historian and featured all things Monty Python, including marauding Vikings, coconut-clopping knights, a "Silly Olympics," and even a recreation of the iconic "Spam Café."

Images: Paul Cooper

For Nick, this project is a career milestone that can trace its roots back to his time at Coleg Menai when his journey as a sculptor began. Nick credits the Art Foundation course at the college as a pivotal moment that transformed his path as an artist.

"It was honestly the most important course I ever did! It changed my life," said Nick.

"I came to the college straight from school wanting to be a painter and came out as a sculptor”, he added.

“Our tutors encouraged us to do a lot of experimenting, pushing us and driving us. Having the opportunity to explore and express myself in different mediums gave me a good foundation and helped me discover what direction I wanted to go in as an artist."

A college trip to Prague served as a final spark of inspiration for Nick. Moved by the city's historic sculptures and a somber visit to nearby concentration camps, as soon as he came home he created his first sculpture and has "never looked back."

Despite his success, including roles on TV’s Salvage Hunters: The Restorers and Extraordinary Portraits, Llandudno-based Nick admits to feeling a touch of "imposter syndrome" regarding the commission. “It’s crazy how it all came about,” he said.

Terry Jones’ daughter, Sally, has spotted Nick’s talent while watching him on television and reached out to him to take on the commission.

The statue was made possible by the "Python on the Prom" campaign, which was launched in September 2024 by Conwy Arts Trust and Terry’s children. It received donations from fans across the world and hit its target six months later. Nick then got to work creating the bronze statue of Terry as his iconic Monty Python character, “The Nude Organist”.

“It was so important to me to get Terry’s smile right. So I did ten portraits playing with different expressions and I hope I have done him justice.”

“I feel like I’m the luckiest sculptor ever, a little bit of being in the right place, at the right time, to bring Terry Jones back to north Wales.”

Nick has kept ties with the college. A regular visitor, he was involved in the exhibition at Storiel and Pontio in Bangor to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Art Foundation course at Coleg Menai.

Owein Prendergast, Art Foundation Course Leader at Coleg Menai said: Nick was a student with us back in the late nineties. He had a natural and intuitive sense of structure and form and as soon as a lump of clay was put in front of him for the first time he really excelled. He created some exceptional work during his time here, including a fantastic sculpture of his father as an angel, plus an exquisite life sized figure of Branwen, from the Mabinogion tales, during an international ice sculpting competition in Finland. We have enjoyed watching his career develop and look forward to seeing what he does next.”

Nick’s future looks bright. He has just signed another contract with the BBC to work full-time on Extraordinary Portraits and he has a few public commissions in the pipeline. But for now, Nick’s work and a piece of Monty Python history is set in bronze forever in Colwyn Bay.

If you’d like to find out more about Coleg Menai’s art courses and where they could take you, visit: https://www.gllm.ac.uk/courses/art-and-design-and-photography

You can discover more about Nick’s work on his website: https://nickelphicksculpture.co.uk/