Sarah Graham
It’s common knowledge that a certain amount of sugar-packed sweets can have an undesired effect on children’s emotions, and foster a hyperactive approach to things in the immediate aftermath of consumption. That much is true. And then there’s those people who experience an alternative, emotive sickener of sugar-coated goods, if for example they experience them up close and personal on a daily basis. Sarah Graham fits into neither of these categories, yet the celebrated and hugely popular contemporary fine artist can relate to the former and DOES have ‘previous’ with regards to the latter. But ultimately creative success is very sweet for Graham, who has gone from working on Woolworth’s pick ‘n’ mix counter as a 16-year old to now being considered one of the UK’s foremost exponents in her chosen, highly illustrative genre.
Born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire in 1977, the sweet sights and tastes of her 1980s childhood, of Black Jacks, Fizzy Cola Bottles, Cherry Lips and Fruit Salads, have pursued her into her adulthood, as the renown photo-realistic artist creates stunning oil paintings which can exchange hands for up to £10,000 these days. “I like my work to have colour and a sense of humour”, insists Graham, before adding; “Toys and sweets have been my main subject matter for the last seven years or so”. Benefiting from a BA (Hons) in Fine Art, awarded by Leicester’s DeMontford University, Graham cites the Pop Art movement of the 1960s and 1970s chief amongst her creative influences, and specifically the Campbell’s soup tins immortalised by Pop Art pioneer, Andy Warhol during this period.
It’s not been the most conventional journey for Graham though, despite being handed her first set of oils as an paint-happy 8-year old, by her sadly late father; who encouraged her to look to art so as to alleviate the boredom associated with childhood weekends and school holidays. On leaving university Graham laboured at first to get exposure for her work, eventually using the upstairs area of a pub she worked in after leaving higher education as a make-shift studio-come-art gallery, for both herself and like-minded artisans. This was sadly short-lived however, as the brewery evicted her after a while, irrespective of them agreeing to her using the unconventional ‘venue’ in the first instance.
Quickly needing a place to store the compositions that she’d created to this point, she went cap in hand to an art gallery in Reading, who were more than happy to look after her work. In fact, on observing some of Graham’s primary pieces, they went one better than that, by offering to exhibit selected pieces in the front of their shop. One of which shifted in less than a week, bringing with it £1,000 to Graham’s coffers at that time. So enamoured with Graham’s work, the gallery also offered her part-time employment in the shop and even studio space, in return for helping to look after a local florist’s establishment whilst they were in the process of relocating.
Unfortunately this creatively engaging and emotionally prosperous time was cruelly cut short by the sudden and shocking passing of her father at an early age from cancer, and Graham swiftly returned to the family home in Hertfordshire to lend support to his survivors. This meant both living in and working out of her old childhood bedroom, and although far from ideal Graham plugged away to build up her portfolio. Eventually, and through some contacts she had made, Graham got wind of a converted barn outside of her native Hitchin which could potentially offer her the studio space she longed for, and after pulling the necessary strings and going for broke Graham secured use of the building and set about making her mark in the contemporary art world once and for all. Soon afterwards Graham’s work was spotted by Washington Green, one of the country’s largest contemporary fine art publishers, who have since collaborated with Graham, overseeing a series of limited edition canvases of her work being exhibited and sold through their extensive gallery network here in the UK. Speaking of their on-going relationship with Graham and Washington Green adds; “We expect Sarah’s work to connect with a whole new generation of people looking for a highly original style of art to decorate their walls”.
Focusing on Graham’s now signature style of artistic expression, and as we hinted at the top, there’s a huge element, or should that be overriding flavour of, childhood and happy times rooted within her work, from sweets and confectionary to toys and games; all of which are painstakingly generated and visually manifested in this sublime, photo-realistic illustrative fashion. In the words of Graham herself, she describes her work in the following way; “I am entirely motivated by colour, and as a realist painter - along with being a big kid at heart - I'm inevitably led to the subject matter of toys and sweets”. Graham goes on to add; “I am a realist painter, and find inspiration in the world around me. Whether it's people, a landscape, or an object. I concentrate on developing my painting technique, and am traditional in the way my work demonstrates a level of skill”.
Having worked from photographs since her student days, Graham admits to being fascinated and intrigued by creating a three-dimensionality to her oils, and engendering a sense of blur and alternating focus to the canvas as a whole. By relentlessly cropping, colour manipulation and occasional improvisation, Graham strives to foster this unique painterly quality to her compositions, and is always flabbergasted when people compliment her on the ‘nice photograph’ that she’s taken; before she actually explains to them that it’s actually a painting.
Born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire in 1977, the sweet sights and tastes of her 1980s childhood, of Black Jacks, Fizzy Cola Bottles, Cherry Lips and Fruit Salads, have pursued her into her adulthood, as the renown photo-realistic artist creates stunning oil paintings which can exchange hands for up to £10,000 these days. “I like my work to have colour and a sense of humour”, insists Graham, before adding; “Toys and sweets have been my main subject matter for the last seven years or so”. Benefiting from a BA (Hons) in Fine Art, awarded by Leicester’s DeMontford University, Graham cites the Pop Art movement of the 1960s and 1970s chief amongst her creative influences, and specifically the Campbell’s soup tins immortalised by Pop Art pioneer, Andy Warhol during this period.
It’s not been the most conventional journey for Graham though, despite being handed her first set of oils as an paint-happy 8-year old, by her sadly late father; who encouraged her to look to art so as to alleviate the boredom associated with childhood weekends and school holidays. On leaving university Graham laboured at first to get exposure for her work, eventually using the upstairs area of a pub she worked in after leaving higher education as a make-shift studio-come-art gallery, for both herself and like-minded artisans. This was sadly short-lived however, as the brewery evicted her after a while, irrespective of them agreeing to her using the unconventional ‘venue’ in the first instance.
Quickly needing a place to store the compositions that she’d created to this point, she went cap in hand to an art gallery in Reading, who were more than happy to look after her work. In fact, on observing some of Graham’s primary pieces, they went one better than that, by offering to exhibit selected pieces in the front of their shop. One of which shifted in less than a week, bringing with it £1,000 to Graham’s coffers at that time. So enamoured with Graham’s work, the gallery also offered her part-time employment in the shop and even studio space, in return for helping to look after a local florist’s establishment whilst they were in the process of relocating.
Unfortunately this creatively engaging and emotionally prosperous time was cruelly cut short by the sudden and shocking passing of her father at an early age from cancer, and Graham swiftly returned to the family home in Hertfordshire to lend support to his survivors. This meant both living in and working out of her old childhood bedroom, and although far from ideal Graham plugged away to build up her portfolio. Eventually, and through some contacts she had made, Graham got wind of a converted barn outside of her native Hitchin which could potentially offer her the studio space she longed for, and after pulling the necessary strings and going for broke Graham secured use of the building and set about making her mark in the contemporary art world once and for all. Soon afterwards Graham’s work was spotted by Washington Green, one of the country’s largest contemporary fine art publishers, who have since collaborated with Graham, overseeing a series of limited edition canvases of her work being exhibited and sold through their extensive gallery network here in the UK. Speaking of their on-going relationship with Graham and Washington Green adds; “We expect Sarah’s work to connect with a whole new generation of people looking for a highly original style of art to decorate their walls”.
Focusing on Graham’s now signature style of artistic expression, and as we hinted at the top, there’s a huge element, or should that be overriding flavour of, childhood and happy times rooted within her work, from sweets and confectionary to toys and games; all of which are painstakingly generated and visually manifested in this sublime, photo-realistic illustrative fashion. In the words of Graham herself, she describes her work in the following way; “I am entirely motivated by colour, and as a realist painter - along with being a big kid at heart - I'm inevitably led to the subject matter of toys and sweets”. Graham goes on to add; “I am a realist painter, and find inspiration in the world around me. Whether it's people, a landscape, or an object. I concentrate on developing my painting technique, and am traditional in the way my work demonstrates a level of skill”.
Having worked from photographs since her student days, Graham admits to being fascinated and intrigued by creating a three-dimensionality to her oils, and engendering a sense of blur and alternating focus to the canvas as a whole. By relentlessly cropping, colour manipulation and occasional improvisation, Graham strives to foster this unique painterly quality to her compositions, and is always flabbergasted when people compliment her on the ‘nice photograph’ that she’s taken; before she actually explains to them that it’s actually a painting.