Latest News from the studios of Michael Turner and Graham Turner

TALK - BOSWORTH & THE WARS OF THE ROSES: AN ARTIST’S INSPIRATION

22nd March 2025 - Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre

A visit to the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre in 1994 provided the inspiration behind Graham Turner’s first painting of the Wars of the Roses, a painting that was unveiled there the following year. Thirty years later, following the publication of his acclaimed book ‘THE WARS OF THE ROSES: The Medieval Art of Graham Turner’, Graham is delighted to return again to where it all began, and will be giving a talk at the Heritage Centre on Saturday 22nd March as part of a weekend event commemorating the 10-year anniversary of King Richard III’s return to Bosworth Battlefield prior to his reinterment.

A selection of Graham’s original paintings and prints will be on display and available for sale, along with copies of his book ‘THE WARS OF THE ROSES: The Medieval Art of Graham Turner’, which he will be happy to sign.

Visit the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre website for more information and to book tickets - https://www.bosworthbattlefield.org.uk/events/reinternment-anniversary-event/

BARNET MEDIEVAL FESTIVAL - 7th & 8th June 2025

The 2025 Barnet Medieval Festival will take place on 7th & 8th June, and Graham Turner will be exhibiting his work there once again. His exhibition will feature a selection of his original paintings, plus Studio 88's range of medieval prints and cards reproduced from his work. Copies of Graham's acclaimed book THE WARS OF THE ROSES: The Medieval Art of Graham Turner will also be available for sale, and Graham will be happy to sign these. A perfect opportunity to see Graham's work in the flesh, meet the artist, and perhaps purchase a copy of his book, some cards, a print, or an original painting.

Please visit the organiser's website for full details - https://barnetmedievalfestival.org/

Graham is currently working on the painting for the event poster, and his rough preliminary sketch is on the right. Once the painting is finished, details of the original will be added here.

TEWKESBURY MEDIEVAL FESTIVAL - 12th & 13th July 2025

Graham Turner will once again be holding an exhibition of his medieval art at the Tewkesbury Medieval Festival, where he has been exhibiting his work since 1996.

As usual Graham's exhibition will feature a selection of his original paintings, plus Studio 88's range of medieval prints and cards reproduced from his work, and this year we will also have copies of his acclaimed book THE WARS OF THE ROSES: The Medieval Art of Graham Turner available. Graham will be present throughout the weekend and will be happy to talk about his work and sign books and prints.

For more details about the Tewkesbury Medieval Festival, see their website - https://www.tewkesburymedievalfestival.co.uk/

Graham has provided a painting for the Tewkesbury Medieval Festival poster every year since he first exhibited there in 1996. His rough preliminary sketch for this year's poster can be seen on the right, and the original painting will be available for sale once it is finished.

Exhibition of Medieval paintings and prints by Graham Turner at Tewkesbury

The Wars of the Roses

The Medieval Art of Graham Turner

Since first being inspired by a visit to Bosworth battlefield nearly 30 years ago, the Wars of the Roses has been a central theme in Graham Turner's artistic career, his paintings and prints prized by historians and collectors for their meticulously researched attention to detail, combined with dramatic and atmospheric compositions, which bring to life this fascinating, dynamic and colourful but turbulent period of history.

Graham has devoted his efforts over a number of years to bringing you this volume, a collection of over 120 of his paintings and drawings, many newly created, with supplementary images and a comprehensive and fascinating text that illuminates the complex, shifting course of events and the people who lived their lives through this tumultuous time.

Books purchased through Studio 88 will be SIGNED by GRAHAM TURNER - CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

Hardback, 288 pages, 312 x 240mm - £35

We already know the high artistic skills and powerful imagination of Graham Turner. In this book he has also shown himself a skilful historian, drawing on wide reading and careful attention to sources.
His book is beautifully illustrated by his own work along with well chosen photographs of objects, sites and manuscripts. But it also gives us a carefully researched narrative and analysis of the Wars of the Roses which is eminently readable.
In short this is a unique and compelling book. Visually fabulous - no other word for it. A must have book for anyone interested in this period. An amazing achievement.

Professor Anne Curry

PAINTINGS

Many of the new paintings Graham created for the book have sold, but some remain available. Prints are also available.

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS for details of original paintings, prints and cards.

OSPREY BOOKS

One of the first books Graham Turner bought while making his initial steps into historical painting was from the already extensive range published by Osprey, so in 1995, having just completed his first painting of the Battle of Bosworth, he wrote to them to introduce his work and received a very encouraging reply saying 'your style seems to be very close to the kind of illustrations we use in several of or series' and asking if he'd be interested in illustrating one of the new Campaign series titles - Pavia, 1525.

Three decades later he has now illustrated over 90 Osprey books, with the century on the horizon, covering many varied periods of military history. We have copies of a large selection of these books - signed by Graham Turner - CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS OF ALL THESE BOOKS

After the publication of each book, Graham is able to offer the original paintings for sale, and many of these have found homes with collectors. Each book listed here will include a link to the relevant original paintings section of our website where details of these paintings can be found.

RARE MICHAEL TURNER GRAND PRIX CHRISTMAS CARDS ADDED

Good news for collectors of Michael Turner Grand Prix cards - a few very rare cards from a small collection have just become available.

These include cards from the 1960s, many of which have been unavailable for a long time, so we were excited to be able to add single copies of some of these to the range once again. CLICK HERE TO BROWSE

AWARD SUCCESS

At the Guild of Aviation Artists 2023 Aviation Painting of the Year exhibition, held at Duxford, Graham Turner's paintings won two awards - the Best First World War Aviation Picture award, sponsored by the Great War Aviation Society, for Letord Artillery Spotting, and the Hawker Siddeley Trophy for the best work in gouache for The SE5 Proves its Worth.

For details of these and all his available original aviation paintings CLICK HERE

THE SUN IN SPLENDOUR

'Be of good comfort and dread not'

Edward, Earl of March - soon to be King Edward IV - calms and inspires his army as they marvel at the sight of three suns on the frosty morning before battle at Mortimer's Cross in February 1461.

Graham Turner's oil painting captures the tension and atmosphere of this pivotal moment in history, heightened by the dramatic light illuminating the scene by this rare meteorological phenomenon known as a parhelion.

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS of this stunning painting. Prints are also available.

WARS OF THE ROSES STAMPS

On 4th May 2021, the 550th anniversary of the Battle of Tewkesbury, the Royal Mail issued a set of eight stamps commemorating the Wars of the Roses, each one featuring one of Graham Turner's paintings. Graham is delighted - and honoured - that his work was chosen for this prestigious project, and the recognition it confers of his dedication over the past twenty-five years in bringing to life this turbulent period in history with his carefully researched paintings.

The battles featured are ST. ALBANS 1455, NORTHAMPTON 1460, WAKEFIELD 1460, TOWTON 1461, EDGCOTE 1469, BARNET 1471, TEWKESBURY 1471, and BOSWORTH 1485.

Details of the stamp issue can be found on the Royal Mail Website - https://shop.royalmail.com/special-stamp-issues/the-wars-of-the-roses

WARS OF THE ROSES PRINTS

All eight of the paintings featured on the stamps are available as Prints, some on canvas, and Bosworth, Tewkesbury and St. Albans are also available as Greeting Cards.

If you click on the titles of each of the battles listed above the image of the stamps, you will be taken to the relevant section of our website. Alternatively CLICK HERE TO BROWSE THE WHOLE COLLECTION.

MICHAEL TURNER
GRAND PRIX
CHRISTMAS CARDS

Celebrating a unique pictorial record of over half a century of Motor Racing

Michael Turner published his first set of Studio 88 motor sport Christmas cards back in 1963, and has produced a new set every year since, capturing the highlights of that year's season and creating a unique pictorial record of over half a century of motor racing with almost three hundred paintings, recording the spectacle, the drama and excitement of the sport that has inspired him through so many different eras.

Michael was tempted to end this amazing run with the 50th set of cards in 2012, but decided he wasn't quite ready to finish something that has been part of his life for so long. However, we have now reached the point where several factors, including his own busy schedule, mean that he has regretfully decided that the time to finish is now upon us, so we are sorry to announce that the 2016 set of cards will have been the last, and there will not be a new set of cards for 2017.

The cards have been collected for Michael's art as much as for use as cards, and are prized by collectors of these significant works - some of whom have been returning to buy the latest set annually since the very earliest years.

We're celebrating this amazing collection of motor racing art by showing all of the paintings here on the Studio 88 website. Some of the cards are still available, including not just those from more recent years but also some of the earlier examples - CLICK HERE to see images and details of all the cards, including ordering information for those we have available. Larger prints of some of these paintings are also available.

CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL THE CARDS

Michael Turner has travelled the globe to follow and paint the sport he loves since the 1950s. This passion and first-hand experience sets his work apart; the drama and excitement of racing cars driven on the limit, the atmosphere, the settings, all captured in his evocative paintings.

2017 F1 PAINTING

Although he has decided to discontinue the annual set of cards, Michael was keen to create at least one painting to mark the 2017 Formula 1 season, and the result is this typically exciting image of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. This new painting is now available as a high quality artist signed giclée print, in a choice of sizes - CLICK HERE FOR FULL DETAILS

Graham Turner on Facebook

Graham Turner's Facebook page now has over 35,000 followers.

CLICK HERE to take a look at Graham's Facebook page and 'follow' it to receive news and updates about his work.

Recently unveiled on his Facebook page is Graham Turner's latest Wars of the Roses canvas, 'The Sun in Splendour'. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS of the original painting and the prints reproduced from it.