The sheer scale of the Central African landscape experienced by Graham Boyd during two years of residence in the former Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in the early 1950's, had a profound impact on his perception of space and its representation.
Having studied illustration he began to evolve first into a figurative and landscape painter only to become increasingly aware of form and colour for their own sake as vehicles of expression. He became increasingly attracted to 20th Century modernism - in particular to the uncompromising Dutch painter Piet Mondrian, one of the early pioneers of abstraction.
Once back in S W Hertfordshire he lived and worked in the near derelict Meadow Studios, Bushey that had been put up in the 1900's by Sir Hubert von Herkomer RA for his acolytes. The huge skylight leaked but gave the interior a stunning luminosity which along with the space and the off the beaten track feel made it an ideal working environment. Here he formulated a way of working that could be best typified as "abstract impressionism". Working alongside him in adjacent studios were other young artists such as Gwyther Irwin, Ralph Rumney and the American, Robert Moscowitz.
During this period he showed at the Waddington Gallery, A.I.A. and the Molton Gallery as well as being selected for the first ever John Moores Exhibition, Liverpool where the Walker Gallery purchased his wood and canvas relief, "Nation".
In 1976 he was appointed as Head of Painting at the Hertfordshire College of Art and Design at St Albans, heading the team responsible for developing the unique part-time BA Hons Fine Art Degree course specially adapted to suit the needs of mature students, which in turn provided a genesis for all the present Art and Design undergraduate courses at the University of Hertfordshire.

For the last fifty years he has worked from his Chipperfield studio whilst attending artists' workshops and symposiums in New York, 1983, Barcelona, 1987 and The Azores, 1997 along with an international cross-section of painters, sculptors and visiting critics including Michael Fried, the late Clement Greenberg, Anthony Caro and Larry Poons.
Despite his commitment to abstraction, he has continuously been fascinated by the drama and cause and effect in natural phenomena and he makes frequent visits to Cornwall and the Scottish Highlands.

He continues to exhibit widely and ever-increasingly. His work is to be found in both public and private collections in the UK and beyond.
This will be his 36th solo exhibition and an opportunity to celebrate his 80th year.

This exhibition is sponsored by and extended to space at