An award-winning blind artist who has transformed Braille into a tactile art form has created a stunning new piece of work which tells the story of Leamington boxer Lewis Williams’s Commonwealth Games triumph.

Eight months ago Clarke Reynolds, aka Mr Dot, was approached by Lewis’s good friend Marlon about creating a portrait of the boxer.

Lewis won Gold at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, while Clarke had previously worked on a Commonwealth Games project with the charity Sense, creating Braille medals and podiums with Bruntwood.

There was therefore already a meaningful connection between Clarke's artistic work and Lewis's greatest sporting achievement to date.

Clarke Reynolds, aka Mr Dot, has created this stunning piece of braille artwork which tells the story of Leamington boxing hero Lewis Williams's Commonwealth Games triumph in 2022.

placeholder image — Clarke Reynolds, aka Mr Dot, has created this stunning piece of braille artwork which tells the story of Leamington boxing hero Lewis Williams's Commonwealth Games triumph in 2022.

Furthermore, Leamington is also the home town for the headquarters of Guide Dogs,

Clarke, who is based in Portsmouth, said: "I was honoured to be asked to create Lewis's portrait.

"There was already a connection between his achievement and my work.”

The artwork took about three months to design and create, with Clarke sharing the development stages with Lewis through Instagram and gaining his approval along the way.

Rather than simply reproducing Lewis's face, Clarke wanted the portrait to capture the story of the moment Lewis became a Commonwealth Games Champion.

More than 8,000 individual Braille dots were used in the artwork, creating a portrait that can be explored through touch as well as sight.

Clarke said: “I wanted the portrait to tell the story of that moment, Lewis winning gold.

"The medal is as big as Lewis himself because that achievement is such a huge part of his story.”

Lewis will step back into the ring soon in a fight steeped in full-circle symbolism when he returns to Birmingham – the city where his rise into the professional ranks took off when he won the medal.

The 27-year-old will fight on the Queensberry Promotions card at BP Pulse Live on a bill topped by Liam Davies's European and WBO Intercontinental featherweight title defence against Nathaniel Collins on Saturday September 26.

Lewis said: “It’s been four years since I won gold and getting back in the ring at the NEC feels like a full circle moment.

"Having Clarke donate this piece to coincide with my next fight back in Birmingham makes it even more special.

"It’s not just about the fight, it’s about everything that’s led up to this moment.”

Feature: Leamington boxing hero Lewis Williams looks ahead to ‘homecoming’ fight

Lewis is a dedicated ambassador for local charity the Myton Hospices – a cause which provided vital end of life care for his late father Bob in his final days.

Clarke said he hoped the portrait would help to raise more awareness of Lewis’s efforts to support the charity and to raise money for the cause.

Lewis said: “We are looking at ways to use this amazing piece to raise money either through an auction or other event.

"I’d like to think that we could find a way for the piece to be on permanent display in Leamington or Warwick where it can be enjoyed by the public and raise the profile of using braille in this way.

“I invite anyone interested in helping us to put all of Clarke's efforts to good use to get in touch”.

Tickets are available for Lewis’s next fight via https://lewiswilliamsboxing.com/