Sarah Graham creates vivacious, bold images. Striking realism combined with vivid colours allows the unique subject matter of toys and sweets to be conveyed in an unmatched way.
There are two main concerns regarding her work. The first being colour and the second realism. These two aspects are inseparable as each inform the other. She cleverly plays with the notion of "realism" by creating quasi - realistic images. At first glance the subject is immediately obvious, but this is contrasted by the composition and flamboyant colours. Her choice of sweets and toys is a reflection of her playful nature as are her paintings.
Markets, sweetshops and e-bay are just some of the places where Sarah finds objects of inspiration. Finding the correct subject matter is crucial to her work as is creating and an engaging composition. Working from photographs, Sarah will arrange a composition in her studio and take up to 200 hundred photos before getting the right one. From this image she will sketch the outline in yellow paint on the canvas. This creates the basis for the panting and the adding of colour can begin. Sarah works in oil as they lend themselves well to her style of painting. They allow her to "blur" the paint recreating the blurred effect seen in a photograph.