Graham Ward was born in 1955 in Bradford, West Yorkshire, and grew up in Sussex. He studied illustration in Manchester, and subsequently, Fine Art in Stoke. Returning to Manchester, he undertook an M.A., specializing in British Art History from 1900-1950.
During the 1980s, he worked freelance for a number of British and U.S. publishers, undertaking book-jackets for such publishers as Penguin, Picador and Walker Books, amongst many others, and for Random House, in addition to illustrating spreads for Time-Life Publishing. He also undertook a number of editorial commissions for magazines such as New Scientist, G.Q. Magazine and The Sunday TImes. Returning to painting in the late 80's, he exhibited in London, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St. Ives, Cornwall, as well as participation in group exhibitions in Germany and Austria.
He joined the Portal Gallery in London in 1994, and was the subject of three solo exhibitions, as well as a number of group shows. Represented in galleries in Norfolk and Cornwall, he has continued to work in a narrative style, largely with the human and animal figure as his main subject matter. Currently, he is exploring a number of themes associated with the Camino to Santiago, a solo journey which he undertook in 2005, with a return to the pilgrim road in 2007. Keen to simplify his vocabulary of images, he continues to work in a figurative style, largely on board, in emulsion, tempera and acrylic, often employing the use of gold and silver leaf where appropriate. He is due to exhibit in London towards the end of 2008, and details of forthcoming exhibitions, in addition to a series of new works on paper and some three-dimensional objects will appear on these web pages in the near future.