A hugely talented Laois painter had the chance to meet one of his footballing idols and give him two works of art.
Rick Kelly has been painting since 2015, starting from scratch at the age of 37.
Last night he got the chance to meet Liverpool and England soccer legend Robbie Fowler, as well as have the striker sign two of his pieces.
Rick has cystic fibrosis (CF), and pursued his dream career after the condition dramatically affected his working life.
Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disorder that affects mainly the lungs but also the pancreas, liver, kidneys and intestine. While there has been significant progress in treating this disease, there is still no cure and the average life expectancy is 40 years.
He enrolled into an art course in Portlaoise College, where he learnt the basics of paint and other art forms, but he has taught himself much of what he knows.
Today, he has a huge following on social media, and has showcased his paintings on programmes such as RTÉ’s Nationwide.
Rick has painted both people he knows personally and famous people. From pop stars and film icons to famous footballers – you name it, Rick has done it.
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