Description

Prince Original Variation by Rob Bishop

Rob Bishop is a Hertfordshire/Essex based mixed media artist who studied graphic design at college and model making at University. Rob Bishop just loves wood. For several years he has worked as a cabinet maker and by combining all his skills he has developed a unique style of artwork that has caught public attention. Rob uses a mixed media approach to his work which combines digital art, wood work and painting. He will digitally manipulate an image, etches it onto a 12mm maple veneered board then hand paints the piece by using many layers of wood stains, spray paints and lacquer. When satisfied with the image a final layer of lacquer is applied followed by a hand polished finish to produce originals or a series of original variations and finishes with a hand made frame. He produces either a large one-off original or a series of 10 or 45 whereby each image is hand finished and coloured to ensure uniqueness in every piece. Both the artwork and frame are finished with a thumbprint signature. No two pieces can ever be the same each therefore are truly original.

Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, dancer, actor, and filmmaker. With a career spanning four decades, Prince was known for his eclectic work and flamboyant stage appearances.^[1][2] He was also a multi-instrumentalist and regarded as a guitar virtuoso.^[3] Prince was also known for his very wide and extensive vocal range, in particular his far reaching falsetto and high pitched screams.^[4][5] His innovative music integrated a wide variety of styles, including funk, rock, R&B, new wave, soul, psychedelia, and pop.

Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Prince developed an interest in music as a young child and wrote his first song, “Funk Machine”, at the age of seven.^[6] He signed a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records at the age of 17 and released his debut album For You in 1978. His 1979 album Prince went platinum, and his next three albums—Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981), and 1999 (1982)—continued his success, prominently showcasing his explicit lyrics as well as blending of funk, dance, and rock music.^[4] In 1984, he began referring to his backup band as The Revolution and released Purple Rain, the soundtrack album to his successful film debut of the same name. It quickly became his most critically and commercially successful release, spending 24 consecutive weeks atop the Billboard 200^[7] and selling 25 million copies worldwide.^[8] The film itself grossed more than $68 million at the box office in the United States and over $80 million worldwide, thus making a large profit on its $7.2 million budget.^[9][10] The film also won an Oscar for Best Original Song Score, the last to receive the award. After releasing the albums Around the World in a Day (1985) and Parade (1986), The Revolution disbanded, and Prince released the double album Sign o’ the Times (1987) as a solo artist. He released three more solo albums before debuting The New Power Generation band in 1991.