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graham1906.bsky.social
Graham
@graham1906.bsky.social
620 followers 180 following 420 posts
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graham1906.bsky.social
One More Yard. youtu.be/TDSrR6IKneA?...
Tribute was paid to all those who have fallen in war before the Premier League game between Aston Villa and Bournemouth on Sunday, the closest home game to Remembrance Day, 11th November. Remembrance Day is a memorial day observed in Britain and other countries since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in the line of duty. In most countries, Remembrance Day is observed on 11th November to recall the end of First World War hostilities. Hostilities ended "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month" of 1918, in accordance with the armistice signed by representatives of Germany and the Entente. The First World War formally ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919. The 40.000 crowd, players and officials stood in silent contemplation as a lone bugler played the Last Post, a British and Commonwealth bugle call used at military funerals, and at ceremonies commemorating those who have died in war. A display of red poppies formed by fans holding up coloured cards in the Holte End. The red poppy is a symbol of both Remembrance Day and hope for a peaceful future. Poppies are used because they were a common sight during World War I, especially on the Western Front. They flourished in the soil churned up by the fighting and shelling.
November 11, 2025 at 8:48 AM
graham1906.bsky.social
Skeleton Tree. youtu.be/U9-SMngWeyc?...
Birmingham Botanical Gardens, UK, November 2025.
November 10, 2025 at 8:58 AM
graham1906.bsky.social
Cloud On My Tongue. youtu.be/LomwYaJsBJM?...
Centenary Square, Birmingham, UK, 7/11/25.
November 9, 2025 at 8:52 AM
graham1906.bsky.social
Fade Into You. youtu.be/CjLqW2ZMCe8?...
The result of more experimentation with my recently purchased gel plate. Paper cut-outs were used to mask areas of the plate as the various layers of acrylic paint were applied and printed. Texture was created using an old roll of wallpaper, bubble wrap and a sponge dabbed onto the paint after it was applied to the plate. The sequencing of the process was a challenge for my old brain but I’m pleased to say I figured it out without error.
November 8, 2025 at 8:42 AM
graham1906.bsky.social
The Last Time I Saw Her. youtu.be/bWC4-haeE-k?...
November 7, 2025 at 9:10 AM
graham1906.bsky.social
Missing You. youtu.be/ybNuhMQX7vw?...
November 6, 2025 at 8:24 AM
graham1906.bsky.social
Always On My Mind. youtu.be/6BCoyWAmv0Y?...
November 5, 2025 at 8:17 AM
graham1906.bsky.social
Thinking Of You. youtu.be/j1jjqQz6gzw?...
November 4, 2025 at 8:41 AM
graham1906.bsky.social
Breathe. youtu.be/qsUK-BG5OQQ?...
November 3, 2025 at 8:42 AM
graham1906.bsky.social
Sway. youtu.be/dtXjwZiBSsc?...
The tall grasses were still looking magnificent as they swayed in the chilly autumn wind at Birmingham Botanical Gardens, UK, last week.
November 2, 2025 at 9:08 AM
graham1906.bsky.social
Good To See You. youtu.be/tJUeHsHA-4I?...
After being closed for a lengthy period of refurbishment, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery’s Pre-Raphaelite collection is now back on public display. Birmingham has the largest collection of Pre-Raphaelite art and design in the world, having collected Pre-Raphaelites for 150 years. In the late 19th century, pride in the success of Birmingham-born artist Edward Burne-Jones sparked early collecting and the collection has grown ever since. Pre-Raphaelite art was a 19th-century British movement that rejected academic and Renaissance conventions to return to the detailed, bright, and natural style of art from before Raphael. The original Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, founded in 1848 by artists like Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Millais, and William Holman Hunt, sought to create art that was truthful to nature, rich in meaning, and morally serious. Key characteristics include meticulous detail, vibrant colors, and subjects drawn from literature, medieval history, and everyday life. Birmingham's Pre-Raphaelite: Edward Burne Jones. Burne-Jones's poetic, mysterious paintings made him famous at home and abroad, even inspiring the young Picasso. Born in Birmingham in 1833, Burne-Jones discovered art as a student in Oxford. He and his friend William Morris were fascinated by medieval art and storytelling. They joined one of the original Pre-Raphaelites, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, to paint murals in Oxford about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Rossetti and his circle took Pre-Raphaelite art in a new direction, away from realism and towards beauty and legend. Burne-Jones became one of the leading painters of his day and as chief designer for the decorating firm Morris founded in 1861, he also created stained glass, tapestries and tiles. His last great completed project was the stained-glass windows in Birmingham Cathedral. Ford Madox Brown. The Last of England, 1852-55 Oil paint on wood panel Brown's painting about migration was partly inspired by his friend, the Pre-Raphaelite artist Thomas Woolner. Woolner sailed for Australia in 1852 hoping to make his fortune in the gold rushes. Brown himself was struggling in his career and thinking about leaving for India, then under British control through the East India Company. Brown and his partner Emma Hill modelled for the central couple, with their daughter Catherine as the child with the apple and baby Oliver just visible under the shawl. The picture has become one of the best-known Pre-Raphaelite paintings, perhaps because the characters' feelings as they face a long journey and an uncertain future connect with universal emotions about family, safety and home. It also resonates with modern day concerns about migration and people taking perilous journeys in small boats across the English Channel to reach the UK. Augustus Egg The Travelling Companions, 1862 Oil paint on canvas These two young women are on a journey through the south of France. The town of Menton can be seen through the train window. The women, possibly sisters, are dressed identically and mirror each other, but there are also subtle differences between them. This duality has inspired many different interpretations of the painting and made it one of the most popular in Birmingham's collection. Egg was older than the Pre-Raphaelites by about 10 years and not part of the group, but he was in tune with their ideals and bought some of their work. The painting is a particular favourite of mine and it rekindles memories of first seeing it when I was a small boy during Saturday morning visits to the gallery with my father.
November 1, 2025 at 9:09 AM
graham1906.bsky.social
Oh L’amour. youtu.be/7IF5qC6jC5Y?...
October 31, 2025 at 8:48 AM
graham1906.bsky.social
A Design For Life. youtu.be/TfEoVxy7VDQ?...
A photograph I took of one of the ornate chimneys on the roof of Palau Güell during a visit in 2016. Palau Güell is a mansion designed by the architect Antonio Gaudi for the industrial tycoon Eusebi Güell, built between 1886 and 1888. It is situated in the El Raval neighbourhood of Barcelona in Spain. As with all the Gaudi buildings, Palau Güell is packed with beautiful design features, including the wonderfully decorative chimneys on the roof. A page from a forgotten sketch book. Sketch of the chimneys on the roof of Palau Güell done during a visit to Barcelona in 2016. The Chimneys Of Palau Güell, acrylics on canvas, 2016.
October 30, 2025 at 8:14 AM
graham1906.bsky.social
Autumnsong. youtu.be/-ih15FuArNc?...
An autumn day at Birmingham Botanical Gardens, UK.
October 29, 2025 at 8:49 AM
graham1906.bsky.social
Street Spirit. youtu.be/LCJblaUkkfc?...
Walking along a street in West Bromwich where the autumn colours help to raise the spirit.
October 28, 2025 at 8:05 AM
graham1906.bsky.social
Autumn Town Leaves. youtu.be/yVN34KHMlh8?...
Monoprints made using fallen autumn leaves.
October 27, 2025 at 8:47 AM
graham1906.bsky.social
Inner City Blues (2). youtu.be/BugKPIPgZew?...
Two more previously rejected cyanotype prints of the Selfridges building in Birmingham, UK, that I’ve attempted to save by painting over their imperfections.
October 26, 2025 at 9:33 AM
graham1906.bsky.social
Moulin Rouge. youtu.be/i5cWAC7GH3E?...
Hippodrome Theatre, Birmingham, UK, 24/10/25.
October 25, 2025 at 8:05 AM
graham1906.bsky.social
Seven. youtu.be/bEG_yhrhiZQ?...
The Seven Virtues - Charity, made by William Raphael Eginton in around 1810-18, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, UK. This painted glass window was taken from a church in the Great Barr area of the city in 1860 when it was remodelled in a different style. Not many examples of this type survived because at the time it was not considered beautiful enough to be worth saving. Street art in the Digbeth area of Birmingham, UK.
October 24, 2025 at 7:33 AM
graham1906.bsky.social
Autumn Leaves. youtu.be/xXBNlApwh0c?...
The results of my early experiments with using a newly purchased gel plate to produce monotype prints with fallen autumn leaves collected during a walk earlier this week. It’s an intriguing technique that I’m only just learning to use but one that appears to have so much exciting potential.
October 23, 2025 at 7:40 AM
graham1906.bsky.social
Ride On Pony. youtu.be/SgT6ZEzwPY0?...
October 22, 2025 at 7:51 AM
graham1906.bsky.social
Inner City Blues. youtu.be/Ww2mZWhfdf0?...
My attempt to save a ‘failed’ cyanotype print of the Selfridges building in Birmingham, UK, made from one of my photographs in 2020. The paper buckled during the washing/drying process causing water to pool which left an ugly mark in the top right corner. A couple of weeks ago I used the print in an experiment with a recently purchased gel plate (hence the yellow tinge) which was another failure but gave me the idea of painting over the water mark using acrylics. The result was a rather surreal looking sky and a picture saved from the bin.
October 21, 2025 at 7:49 AM
graham1906.bsky.social
Just Blown In. youtu.be/Gj0YzMnCn2c?...
The Notorious Brothers featuring Melvin Hancox playing at the Brasshouse, Birmingham, UK, 19/10/25.
October 20, 2025 at 8:32 AM
graham1906.bsky.social
Fairy In A Bottle. youtu.be/QPXBcPaYMA0?...
October 19, 2025 at 8:55 AM
graham1906.bsky.social
Spike Island. youtu.be/_ea9RWqa_mM?...
October 18, 2025 at 7:12 AM