Gareth Lloyd-Ball was born in the town of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales. He began his artistic training at the Bath Academy of Art before gaining a teaching degree at Goldsmiths College in London. He later studied at the Slade School of Art under Sir William Coldstream. Lloyd-Ball rose to prominence as a sports painter.

His lively representations of rugby matches were met with great acclaim, and the artist regularly received commissions to record important rugby events. Charthouse Bank invited the artist to produce a triptych of works based on the Calcutta Cup, which were later displayed in their executive box at the famed Twickenham Stadium. He later received extensive commissions from glass manufacturer Pilkington to record events leading up to the Pilkington Cup in 1989. Paintings depicting famous Rugby World Cup events were displayed in a significant exhibition at Jeffrey Butterfield’s ‘Rugby Club’ in Hallam Street, London, and the artist regularly displayed work at Twickenham Stadium at the invitation of significant sponsors.