Graham was born in 1980 in North Essex near to ‘Constable Country’. Exhibiting regularly in East Anglia, Bristol and London, Graham’s work is regularly shown at the annual exhibitions of The Royal Institute of Oil Painters, The Royal Society of Marine Artists and The Royal Society of British Artists at the Mall Galleries, London.

Graham is a self taught artist, finding motivation and inspiration amongst his peers. He started painting at the age of thirteen and began selling work to teachers at school and was asked to produce a painting for the school’s collection before leaving. After finishing A’level art as one of the top students for the year in the country, Graham was included in the examination boards calendar. After college Graham worked at the Albert Sloman Library who also hold one of his paintings in their collection. His first solo show was held on Mersea Island where 27 of 30 paintings were sold, since then Graham has been exhibiting across East Anglia and London.

In 2012 Graham’s work was selected as part of the Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize Exhibition, touring the Mall Galleries and WH Patterson, London. Also in 2012 Graham received the Menena Joy Schwabe Memorial Award for an outstanding oil painter at the Royal Institute of Oil Painters annual exhibition. He was the winner of the Daler-Rowney Prize, IEA Committee’s Choice for a group of paintings shown at the Institute of East Anglian Artists annual exhibition in 2013 and was selected for the Frank Herring Award at the Royal Institute of Oil Painters exhibition in 2014.

After being elected an Associate member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters in 2013, Graham was elected a full member following the 2014 annual exhibition. Graham is also a member of the Institute of East Anglian Artists.

Graham’s paintings are in private collections around the UK, USA, France and Slovakia and in the permanent collection of the Albert Sloman Library, University of Essex.

Initially working outdoors, studies are brought back to the studio. Gathering inspiration from the subject first hand is very important to me and helps to identify the essence of the work. My aim is to keep a fresh painterly quality, simplifying the landscape in oil paint. Placing colour and tones against each other, the shape of brush strokes and the paint surface are all as important to the painting as the subject itself and form the unique expression and ‘handwriting’ of the artist. My inspiration comes from the landscape and coastline of East Anglia throughout the seasons.

I am also inspired by the sketches and paintings of John Constable, both in the way he applies paint and in his forward thinking in giving landscape painting its own credibility. Other influences include, John Singer Sargent, Walter Sickert, Edward Seago and Harry Becker. The excitement comes from observing their handling of paint and skill of mark making which creates recognisable figurative work with a stamp of their own personality.