# Graham Short

Graham Short (born 4 July 1946) is a micro-artist artist living and working in Birmingham, England.

## Career

Upon leaving school at the age of 15, Graham Short began a six-year apprenticeship at a 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.
After his apprenticeship, Graham started a business in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter, creating stationery for banks, royal palaces, and perfume companies. In 1970, he began engraving the The Lord's Prayer on the head of a pin, a project that took 40 years, finishing in 2010. This work was displayed 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 quickly. This was followed by a solo exhibition at the Clarendon Gallery, Mayfair, London. His exhibition at the Tony Huggins-Haig Galleries, Kelso, also sold out rapidly.
In 2012, his nine-month project Cutting Edge showed the words "Nothing is Impossible" engraved along the sharp edge of a Wilkinson Sword razor blade. During the same year, to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, he engraved a minuscule portrait of the Queen on a speck of gold inserted into the eye of a needle.
In 2019, The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) commissioned a collaboration with the Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage. Armitage's 51-word poem entitled Finishing It, was engraved onto a 20mm long and 10mm wide pill. The engraved tablet is to be displayed permanently in the new Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery.
In 2020, Short was commissioned to work with Brax La Rue, a watch company. Short's microscopic engraving is the ‘hidden secret’ in the mechanism of one of their timepieces.
In 2023, in collaboration with The Forces Network, Short engraved the 405 letters of the World War One poem, "In Flanders Fields" in the eye of a needle. He engraved the poem onto a microscopic piece of metal, scraped from his grandfather's Coldstream Guards First World War cap badge.
In August 2024, in the run-up to a global launch in Germany, Short worked with Honor, the Chinese consumer electronics company, to engrave a 166-word message on the side of the new Magic V3 foldable phone. The message, a dig at rival Samsung, can only be seen under a microscope.

## Exhibitions

In November 2012, at 'The Writers Collection' at Clarendon Fine Art Gallery, Mayfair, London, Short unveiled 'Fry's Delight', a piece in collaboration with TV Personality Stephen Fry. This piece was later sold at Sotheby's, London to raise funds for English PEN, a charity that supports imprisoned writers around the world.
In October 2014, the 'Love, Life and Hope Exhibition' was held at Platinum Galleries Northallerton. This included the first viewing of 'In Flanders Fields', the First World War poem written by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae.
In 2021, 'The Tiniest Art in Town' exhibition opened at the Soden Collection in Shrewsbury.
As of July 2024, on permanent display is Short's microscopic artwork; 'The smallest portrait in the world of William Shakespeare'. The portrait is engraved on a gold disc inside the eye of a needle, and can be seen at the Shakespeare Centre in Stratford on Avon.

## Religious pieces

From 2011 to 2013, Short created 'Five Pillars of Islam' (the foundation of the Islamic faith) as part of the Fusion Collection. This collection of nine calligraphic pieces fused English and Arabic. The collection was displayed in Birmingham Central Mosque and attracted interest from around the world.
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 touring Britain. Miniature engravings from Sikh, Islamic, Hindi, and Christian religions were displayed. 'Otche Nash', the main prayer of the Russian Orthodox Church - engraved on the head of a gold pin measuring 2mm across, was shown 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.
In 2022, Short engraved what is believed to be the world's smallest nativity scene in the eye of a needle. This was exhibited at a Nativity Festival at St Laurence Church, Northfield, Birmingham.
In January 2023, he completed The Lord's Prayer, engraved on a speck of gold, inserted into the eye of a needle.

## Jane Austen £5 note Giveaway

In December 2016, Short engraved a portrait of writer Jane Austen on the transparent section of four polymer banknotes. Quotes from Emma, Pride and Prejudice, and Mansfield Park were also engraved onto the notes, encircling Jane's portrait. These were then put into circulation. The four notes were distributed across areas of Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The £5 note, found in Northern Ireland, was sent anonymously to the Tony Huggins-Haig gallery in Kelso by the finder, who asked that the note be given to a children's charity. It was auctioned in London in December 2017 where it realized £5,000. The proceeds were donated to the BBC Children in Need charity. The auctioneers, Morton and Eden, waived their fees and donated their portion to the same charity.

## Other ventures
### Swimming

Swimming is a significant part of Short's life. In 2001, he became the Champion for 200 metres butterfly at the European Masters Championships in Mallorca. He broke the British and European record in the 1500m Freestyle in the first session of the ASA National Masters Championships 2016 at Ponds Forge, Sheffield, swimming 22:04.97 to claim gold in the 70–74 years age group, nearly four seconds under the previous record time of 22:08.91.

### Acting

In 2019, Short played Ned in the short film, Ned & Me. The film, sponsored by the British Film Industry, was screened at the 2020 'This Is England Festival' in Rouen, France, and was accepted for The Aesthetica Film Festival in York, a BAFTA Qualifying Festival for British short films. At the 2021 FICBU International Film Festival in Spain, Short was awarded 'Best Actor' for his portrayal of Ned in 'Ned & Me'.
In 2023, Graham Short’s second film, Dog Run written and directed by Lorna Nickson Brown, picked up the ‘Best European Short Film’ award at the Catania Gold Elephant Film Festival in Italy.