M Graham Godfrey was born and raised in a small suburb outside of Los Angeles, California. He knew early on that art was his calling, and he experimenting with many different medias before discovering that oil paint was the ideal medium to express his creativity. Following high school, Graham used the funds he had earned working summer and part time jobs, and boarded a train to Guadalajara, Mexico at the age of 17 to study art at the University of Guadalajara.

In 1973, Graham moved to the island of Hawaii with his paint box and easel, working nights at a hotel and spending his days studying the rich, light-filled Hawaiian landscapes.

In 1979 Graham returned to California, and resumed his studies at the California College of Arts and Crafts (now the California College of the Arts) where he graduated with a degree in Illustration. He then began a career as a commercial illustrator, working in oils, acrylics and pen and ink, all the while maintaining his passion for painting.

M Graham Godfrey’s early influences began, and remain with the impressionists. That same sort of synchronicity between the brush, and the creative thought process is the focus Michael strives for in his work. His paintings are familiar as an everyday scene, yet float somewhere between reality and imagination. His secondary influence was cubism, which adds yet another layer of imagination to the process. Graham’s creative process occasionally begins by stumbling upon a scene that inspires him, but more often he gets his inspiration from his imagination. He then puts his ideas to paper, and goes out and finds the visuals he needs.

Michael Graham Godfrey currently resides in Costa Rica with his wife of 31 years along with 2 cats.