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From Grange Hill To The Fairground
14 August 2020
Portfolio Fine Art are really excited to introduce Bob Cosford’s first collection, which delivers instant impact with a three dimensional flash of fairground fantasy.
Bob spent his teenage years in the dreary London suburbs of the 1960s, where his highlights were smoking in dingy alleys and playing street football. So when the fairground came to town, everything came into brilliant focus for Bob! Those days have been a lifelong inspiration and his home is now full of art which grabs the attention – shop signs, big American cars, visions of Vegas and Venice Beach, Rock ‘n’ Roll – all evocative of the magical teenage dream.
Bob is the man who created the iconic Grange Hill flying sausage which appeared in the title credits of the much loved TV school drama. Unbelievably, Bob never actually saw an episode of Grange Hill because the programme aired at 4.50pm, when he was either working or down the pub! Other work included Match of the Day, The Basil Brush Show and Top Gear.
Bob has since been nominated for a BAFTA, and tells us: “After studying for four years at Art School, I began my artistic endeavours as a freelance commercial illustrator and in the late 70s I created the animated artwork for the drama series ‘Pennies From Heaven’, Grange Hill and other BBC commissions. Later, I worked around Camden and Soho, winning awards as a creative director for film and television before returning to my creative roots in 2003 and showcasing a wide variety of work as images for print. These included elaborate photomontages with digitally hand drawn imaging, which developed into social and politically themed Outsider and Urban Art – with ironic references to celebrities and mainstream entertainment".
Bob now walks his whippet Jaffa on Bournemouth beach where the fairground still comes to town - its sights, sounds and smells inspiring Bob’s art, which takes us back to those hot heady nights of our teens when we rode the dodgems, screamed on the ghost train and dreamed of a life full of adventure yet to come.
To see more of Bob’s work, visit the website.
www.bobcosford.com
Bob spent his teenage years in the dreary London suburbs of the 1960s, where his highlights were smoking in dingy alleys and playing street football. So when the fairground came to town, everything came into brilliant focus for Bob! Those days have been a lifelong inspiration and his home is now full of art which grabs the attention – shop signs, big American cars, visions of Vegas and Venice Beach, Rock ‘n’ Roll – all evocative of the magical teenage dream.
Bob is the man who created the iconic Grange Hill flying sausage which appeared in the title credits of the much loved TV school drama. Unbelievably, Bob never actually saw an episode of Grange Hill because the programme aired at 4.50pm, when he was either working or down the pub! Other work included Match of the Day, The Basil Brush Show and Top Gear.
Bob has since been nominated for a BAFTA, and tells us: “After studying for four years at Art School, I began my artistic endeavours as a freelance commercial illustrator and in the late 70s I created the animated artwork for the drama series ‘Pennies From Heaven’, Grange Hill and other BBC commissions. Later, I worked around Camden and Soho, winning awards as a creative director for film and television before returning to my creative roots in 2003 and showcasing a wide variety of work as images for print. These included elaborate photomontages with digitally hand drawn imaging, which developed into social and politically themed Outsider and Urban Art – with ironic references to celebrities and mainstream entertainment".
Bob now walks his whippet Jaffa on Bournemouth beach where the fairground still comes to town - its sights, sounds and smells inspiring Bob’s art, which takes us back to those hot heady nights of our teens when we rode the dodgems, screamed on the ghost train and dreamed of a life full of adventure yet to come.
To see more of Bob’s work, visit the website.
www.bobcosford.com
