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GRAHAM TURNER |  |
| | It is now 23 years since Graham Turner made the decision to go freelance and in that time he has built up a strong reputation for his paintings and prints amongst collectors worldwide. Born in 1964, as the son of Michael Turner he was obviously immersed in an atmosphere of art and motor racing from an early age, but it wasn`t until he was 16 that he developed a desire to embark on a similar career to his father. Despite the best efforts of a career adviser to persuade him otherwise, Graham was determined to follow this path and enrolled on a course in Art & Design at Amersham College. Two years working for a London design studio followed, before the decision to go it alone at the age of 20. It was probably inevitable that Graham would find himself drawn towards the world of motor racing as an inspiration for his work and so it proved, with the first ten years of his freelance career spent almost entirely painting racing cars from all eras of the sport, for clients including drivers, teams and sponsors, as well as enthusiasts and collectors keen to record their racing memories |
| The Rally Driver Apart from attending many race meetings to expose his senses to the sights and sounds of exotic machinery, Graham also competed as a rally driver in the 1980s, gaining first hand experience of the excitement of competition from a driver's point of view. His self prepared hybrid, Ford engined Opel Kadett unfortunately met a sticky end when Graham rolled it into a ball after the infamous 'Deer's Leap' on the Epynt military ranges, and his rallying career thereafter was confined to the role of co-driver. Although he started to rebuild the Kadett, meeting Anita provided a far more attractive way of spending weekends than crawling under cars, and he is now content to watch other people enjoy the thrills (and spills!) of competition. |  |
| | Graham and Anita were married in 1991 and they live in Buckinghamshire with their fourteen year old son, Alexander, and ten year old daughter, Georgina. Since becoming part of the Turner family, Anita has become a vital cog in the Studio 88 machine. |
| Medieval Art Graham has always had a fascination for our medieval past, but it has now developed well beyond the castles and knights in shining armour of his childhood. His first romanticised view of the medieval 'Knight Errant' - perhaps reflecting his early influences - was exhibited in 1992 and later published, alongside another with a similar theme, by a leading print publisher. These first steps into this new field were well received and, encouraged, his attention turned towards the reality of this turbulent period rather than the chivalrous ideal. The result was the 'Battle of Bosworth', the biggest canvas he had ever tackled, and this has now been followed by other large scale paintings of pivotal moments in the Wars of the Roses, many of which have been published as prints by Studio 88. His work can also be seen in a growing number of military books covering periods as diverse as Ancient Rome, through the Renaissance and English Civil War to the Napoleonic and Crimean wars, but it is from the medieval period that he draws his greatest inspiration.To recreate a view of events that happened five centuries ago, Graham has had to delve into the minutiae of many diverse subjects; from subtle variations in arms and armour, such as the individual designs of dagger that help make all the figures in his 'Battle of Towton' painting unique, through heraldry to architecture. His reference files and sketch books are rapidly expanding with information that may one day prove useful - the small, exquisitely carved, wooden box in 'Reverie', sketched at the V&A Museum is just one example of the sort of detail that helps add an authentic touch to his work. Whatever he is painting, Graham believes it is imperative to thoroughly research and understand the subject matter in order to be able to portray it accurately and convincingly. Whether it be the angle of rear wing on a Grand Prix car or a particular style of armour, the layout of a race circuit or the terrain of an ancient battlefield, he endeavours to provide an accurate record of the events he has chosen to portray. It is this attention to detail, combined with a sense of drama and atmosphere, that has brought Graham worldwide recognition for his work. His large canvas, 'The Battle of Bosworth', was exhibited at the Wallace Collection in London during 2002, prior to being shipped to its new home in New York. His aim is to bring life to the events and characters of this colourful chapter in our past, based on the information that is currently available, rather than the Shakespearean version of history that has often inspired artists in the past. To see how Graham approaches one of his complex medieval oil paintings, take a look at his 'Painting Diary' by clicking on the button on the left. |
| The Jousting Artist Graham has now taken the ultimate step in his commitment to really understanding his medieval subject matter - he has joined 'Destrier' and, wearing a complete suit of replica 15th century armour, is now jousting himself. Destrier is a unique group, dedicated to researching and bringing the spectacle of the 15th century tournament to life, touring the country and jousting before the public at historic sites throughout the summer. |
|  | After 18 months of training with Destrier, Graham Turner took part in his first two tournaments in June 2004, and concluded his first jousting season very successfully with victories at the Herstmonceux Medieval Festival over the August bank holiday weekend. For 2005, Graham was one of four knights chosen to joust in English Heritage's inaugural Knight's Tournament championship, a series of six, two-day tournaments held throughout the summer at EH properties. |
| | The 2006 season started well with a joust in Holland, but a fall from his horse the following week resulted in a broken collar bone, curtailing his jousting for the rest of the year. He was extremely relieved that his ability to paint was only interupted for a few weeks, and there seems to be no long term effects from his accident. Graham's armour is based on the funeral effigy of Sir Ralph Fitzherbert - an armour that Graham has recreated several times in his paintings. It is a work of art in its own right and has been created by William West of The Englyshe Plate Armorie. Click here for more pictures of Graham's armour and for information on William West's work on the Englyshe Plate Armourie website |
| | 2007 saw Graham fully recovered from his accident and he embarked on a full jousting season which saw several victories and the highlight of his jousting career so far - taking part in a tournament at the Tower of London. CLICK HERE to see a selection of photos from this event. |  |
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