Artist Bio: Graham Abraham |
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Graham was raised on the shores of Moreton Bay and has been painting and photographing wildlife and the natural environment since he was around nine years of age. Much of his inspiration was drawn from his mother’s interest in the local flora and fauna that surrounded her home in Brookfield, Queensland. Her natural history collections are now in the Artist’s possession. Graham studied at the Brisbane College of Art, in 1993 gaining a Certificate in Commercial Art and in 1988 a Diploma of Arts (Communication Design and Illustration) – awarded honours for illustration in the final year of his studies at the University of South Australia. Elements of Graham’s working life that are of relevance to his interests in illustrating flora and fauna and cultural heritage include being contracted by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of South Australia 1985-1987 to produce a state-wide illustrated signage program. From 1987-1993 he was engaged by the History Trust of South Australia, working in divisions that include the South Australian Maritime Museum. 1994-1996 Graham was employed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the federal Department of Environment to help produce the State of the Marine Environment Reports for Australia. Graham’s approach to painting wildlife can be called ‘contemporary realism’. He consciously uses detail together with other evocative artistic techniques to convey what could be called the story-telling of significant wildlife and historic events. Given the above it seems only natural that his early interests and training and working as a graphic designer, illustrator and photographer throughout his career life encouraged Graham to turn his hand to seriously depicting the enthralling wildlife and cultural heritage of Australia in persuit of professional artistic goals. Graham is a previous member of the Queensland Wildlife Artists Society and the Wildlife Art Society of Australasia. Over many years his work was exhibited at their group exhibitions at which he won various awards. From 2009 to 2012 Graham contributed annually to the important, environmentally focussed Caldera Art Awards which were held in at the prestigious Tweed Regional Gallery, northern NSW. Graham's work won a number of awards at these events and a number of his artworks were also sold. Graham has contributed to, and been short-listed for many art exhibitions including those of the Queensland Wildlife Art Society, the Port Adelaide Art Show SA, the Victor Harbour Art Show SA, the Darcy Doyle Art Award, Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast Art Award and Maleny Art Awards among others. Each year since 2015 Graham has been invited to show his work at the Rotary Art Awards in Brisbane City. In 2006 Graham’s artwork was shown in a solo exhibition at the CSIRO Cunningham Artspace, Bio-science Precinct, University of Queensland. At that time he was involved in a scientific initiative aimed at establishing a reserve for the endangered Bridled Nailtail Wallaby in central Queensland. In the past Graham has contributed his time and money to other conservation initiatives such as this. |