Biography

It all started when...

British painter Sarah Graham was born in Hitchin in 1977, and works almost exclusively in oil on canvas.  She completed a BA (hons) in Fine Art painting from De Montfort University, Leicester in 2000, and has been pursuing her practice ever since.  From 2001 - 2007 she exhibited at independent galleries and art fairs in the UK and overseas.  From 2007 - 2014 she signed with a major UK fine art publisher, Washington Green, and her work became widely available as limited edition prints, alongside originals, throughout the UK. As of the beginning of 2015, Sarah began self publishing limited edition prints, whilst working on commissions and new paintings for exhibitions and art fairs as an independent artist working from her studio in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.

Sarah's paintings are in private collections across the world, in Europe, the USA, Australia, the Middle East, China and South Africa.

In 2012, Sarah was commissioned by the British band Kaiser Chiefs to paint the album cover of their singles collection ‘Souvenir’, which was released worldwide. Her work is also owned by Standard Chartered Bank, who commissioned several pieces by Sarah, including a self-portrait, for their vast global collection of contemporary portraits.

Sarah’s work is studied in schools throughout the UK and abroad, and in 2015, she even featured on the GCSE art exam paper.

In February 2022, Sarah appears as a guest judge on the CBBC show ‘Britain’s Best Young Artist’. She was thrilled to be a part of such an inspiring show for young artists.

Sarah has also become a mental health advocate in recent years. With her lived experience of bipolar disorder, she uses her platform as a renowned artist to speak out about mental health in schools and organisations. Since 2019 she has been in remission, so shares her story to give people hope that even with a mental health diagnosis, you can go on to lead a successful and full life.

In 2023, Sarah came up with an idea to raise money for her local branch of Samaritans who helped her through some very difficult periods due to her battle with bipolar. She goes as far to say they have saved her life on more than one occasion. She and her partner David, who now works with Sarah, sent out yellow stencils of campervans to 180 artists and celebrities, calling the project ‘Samarivans’, all of which were exhibited at Arkley Fine Art in Hitchin, and then auctioned online. They raised £43,500, and Sarah was awarded the Points of Light award from the Prime Minister in January 2024.