Graham Short
Graham Short, is a micro-artist, living and working in Birmingham, England. Known for producing miniature pieces of art, he is considered one of the world's leading exponents of micro-art.
In 2012 his nine-month project 'Cutting Edge' showing the words "Nothing is Impossible" engraved along the sharp edge of a Wilkinson Sword razor blade attracted much attention from the media, which led to him appearing in news features internationally and becoming the subject of a Discovery Channel documentary. During the same year he engraved a minuscule portrait of the Queen on a speck of gold inserted into the eye of a needle to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.
Career
After leaving school at the age of 15 without a single qualification to his name, one of the few options available to him was to become an apprentice, so the very next day he signed up to a six-year apprenticeship at a small stationery engraving company in Birmingham. He learned the art of copper-plate and steel die engraving for the stationery trade - producing embossed letterheads, business cards and wedding invitations.He soon discovered he had a natural talent for engraving. When his apprenticeship had ended he started his own one-man business in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter where he spent his career creating stationery for banks, royal palaces, and perfume companies. In 1970 he started to attempt the engraving of The Lord's Prayer on the head of a pin. This developed into a 40-year project which was finished in 2010. This master-piece was shown at the Art Lounge Gallery, in Birmingham's Mailbox shopping complex. His first Fine Art exhibition at Art Decor Gallery, Whalley, Lancashire, in 2011 sold out within twenty minutes. This event was followed by a solo exhibition at the Clarendon Gallery, Mayfair, London. His most successful exhibition at the Tony Huggins-Haig Galleries, Kelso, sold out within minutes.
In 2019, The Institute of Cancer Research commissioned him to work in collaboration with the Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage. The Poet Laureate's entire 51-word poem was meticulously engraved onto a 20mm long and 10mm wide pill. The engraved tablet will be displayed permanently in the new Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery.
The Technique
Short attributes his obsession in wanting to take the art of miniature engraving to new levels, to an inspiring teacher at school who told him, "If you want to succeed at something you must go to greater lengths than anyone else. You must do things differently. If you do the same then you will end up the same."During his extreme method of engraving, Short works at midnight to avoid vibration from passing traffic. Working under a microscope, his right arm is strapped to the bench, allowing only his fingertips to move. He takes tablets throughout the night to lower his heart-rate to 20 beats per minute - then using a stethoscope he monitors his heart and begins to engrave with very fine needles - between heartbeats. Every few months Short attends a clinic and undertakes a course of botox injections around his eyes in an effort to avoid the slightest distraction while working. Having been a competitive swimmer all his life, Short covers 10,000 metres a day in the pool. His reasoning is that the fitter he is, the lower his resting heart-rate.
Exhibitions
November 2012 - 'The Writers Collection' at Clarendon Fine Art Gallery, Mayfair, London, Short unveiled 'Fry's Delight' his latest piece in collaboration with TV Personality Stephen Fry. This piece was later placed in a sale at Sotheby's, London to raise funds for English PEN, the charity that supports and represents imprisoned writers around the world.October 2014 - 'Love, Life and Hope Exhibition' Platinum Galleries Northallerton. Including the first viewing of 'In Flanders Fields' the First World War poem written by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae.
Religious pieces
During 2011 and 2012 Short continued to work on creating the impossible, and in 2013 completed the 'Five Pillars of Islam' as part of the Fusion collection. This collection of nine exquisite pieces fused together English, Arabic and Calligraphy to create one of the most important Islamic miniature bodies of artwork ever seen. The collection attracted interest from around the world and was viewed by over two thousand people whilst on display in Birmingham Central Mosque. In 2012 an Indian artist from Assam called Sujit Das created a minute carving of the Hindu goddess Durga. He was certain his effort, which measured just one inch, couldn’t be bettered, and announced as much. The challenge was accepted and Short engraved the 5 micron high image of the Goddess on a speck of gold inside the eye of a needle.In June 2013, Short was invited by Indian artist Nikki Anand, to introduce her 'Euphoria' solo exhibition to the British public for the first time at the Nehru Centre, London.
In June 2015, after four month's work, Short completed the engraving of the Khanda, on the point of a needle.
In August 2017, the 'Faith Exhibition' was shown in Kelso, Scotland, before being taken around Britain. Miniature engravings from Sikh, Islamic, Hindi, and Christian religions were shown. 'Otche Nash' the main prayer of the Russian Orthodox Church - engraved on the head of a gold pin measuring 2mm across, was on view to the public for the first time.
In April 2019 the '99 names of Allah' were engraved on the head of a gold pin measuring 2mm across. All 99 names are taken from verses of the Quran to describe Allah's attributes. This was a four-month project.
Jane Austen £5 note Giveaway
In December 2016, people were being urged to check their new five pound notes after Graham Short engraved a portrait of writer Jane Austen on the transparent section of four polymer banknotes which were then circulated in a Willie Wonka-style ‘Golden Ticket’ giveaway.Classic quotes from Emma, Pride and Prejudice, and Mansfield Park have also been engraved onto the notes, around the writer's portrait.
The four notes were distributed across areas of Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The micro-artist said, "I simply wanted an ordinary working man or woman to find one of these notes. If they put it up for sale and make a bit of money for Christmas, I'll be thrilled." A fifth engraved note was donated to the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, to mark the 200th anniversary of the classic novelist's death in 2017.
The £5 note found in Northern Ireland was sent anonymously to the Tony Huggins-Haig gallery in Kelso by the finder. She asked that the note be given to a children’s charity. It was auctioned in London in December 2017 where it realised £5,000. The proceeds were donated to the BBC Children in Need charity. The auctioneers, Morton and Eden, waived their fees and donated this to the same charity.