It is often remarked that quality and nuance of paintings can only be understood in person rather than in print form or from the screens to which we have become accustomed, but Dean’s paintings are a true example of the palpable materials and saturated pigments stolen by reproduction. In his most recent paintings, handmade paper is intensely worked with a confidence that arises above preciousness, and yet his subjects are indeed precious, have emotional interior lives mimicking the sensuousness of his pigments.

Dean views the human body as ‘a holding pen for emotions' and so his figures represent vessels that contain both ideas and emotions. Following Reich's research into ‘armouring', Dean envisages the body as “a memory bank - a thinking body. ... As the world gets more congested, so will peoples' bodies”. These core themes were the basis for his first solo show at Waterhouse & Dodd, and subsequent exhibitions continued the exploration of the human condition and our relationship with our own environment.

Using a technique he calls ‘'reverse archaeology'', Graham Dean re-invents the traditional uses of watercolour resulting in a unique surface. Contrasting layers of paint are applied separately on thick, handmade paper from Southern India.

Graham Dean has exhibited internationally now for over 25 years and his work is in many private and public collections throughout the world. He lives and works in Brighton, England.