Telford band switches music for painting in their latest cover
As people find weird and wonderful ways of spending their time during the lockdown period, one band from Telford has taken to cover a famous piece of art.
Members of the five-piece Mark Barker Band decided to make their version of Ophelia, painted by British artist Sir John Everett Millais.
Completed in the mid 1800s, as well as featuring in the collection of Tate Britain in London, the original drawing depicts Ophelia, a character from William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, singing before she drowns in a river in Denmark.
With the band's singer Sally Hanmer having the attire and a brook at the bottom of her garden, she saw the opportunity to recreate an Ophelia of her own.
Rashmi Barker, who works in a cycle shop in Shrewsbury that sells trikes for people with disabilities, set up the band with her husband about a year ago.
The 56-year-old said: "We had been building our bookings nicely before Covid-19 hit and all the band members have been dealing with the lockdown in different ways.
"To keep our spirits up, members of the band have been coming up with ideas and our bass player then challenged us to recreate a famous painting.
"Sally, our singer, recreated the painting in the brook that runs through her garden in Ford. It took about half an hour for her to set up.
"She's also set up a duck race for her kids raising money for Shrewsbury Hospice, while my free time has been a godsend for getting my exercise.
"Mark's been having a go at keyboards and Gord, who plays bass, set up his PA in the garden and plays for the NHS every Thursday.
"Barry has been doing quizzes with music and picture rounds, while Tania has been coming to terms with her little ones home-schooling and cooking."
