Peter Graham ROI

Born in 1959, Peter Graham studied at Glasgow School of Art from 1976-80.  At first he became a film editor with the BBC and then, spurred on by the emergence of the new generation of Scottish artists, he started to paint professionally.

Well known as being one of Scotland’s most gifted and distinctive Modern Colourists, Peter Graham’s work is highly personal, almost eccentric, for he uses rich greens, Mediterranean blues and fiery reds which are played off against each other in contrasts which bring dynamism to a remarkable maturity of style.  His work is related to the Scottish School, but he has a flamboyant form that is very much his own. His broad wide brushwork combines with looser, more fluid strokes to give his paintings a strong design element, although working ‘en plein air’.

Colour has taken the dominant role for Peter as his work develops, and he has recently delved deeper into the still life genre, creating some of his most stunning compositions, still with colour the dominant theme. His painting seems effortless and intuitive, which is the key to his unique style, attempting subjects that other artists would shy away from. These qualities make his work stand out amongst the Glasgow modern art scene.

Peter Graham has exhibited widely, both in London and nationally and his work is held in numerous private and corporate collections worldwide.  In 1990 he was British Council Artist in Residence at the Nan Yang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore. From 1994 to 1996, Peter acted as Advisor for the Visual Arts to the Scottish Arts Council and in 1999 he won the Winsor and Newton Non Member Award at the Royal Institute of Oil Painters. In 2000, Peter became a Full Member of the ROI and was subsequently elected a Member of the ROI Council, becoming Vice President from 2004 to 2005.