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Born in a generally large family, Sarah Jane Szikora grew to love drawing at a young age and was inspired by many 'large' ladies and gentlemen that lived in her father's native country, Hungary, which she visited on regular occassions. Going through school, Szikora enjoyed Art and Music classes unlike her other subjects.
Upon leaving school she felt it natural to pursue an artistic career and, completing a Foundation Course at Harrogate College of Art, Szikora went on further to study Illustration at the Cleveland College of Art, graduating the latter with a Distinction in her HND. Not knowing how to convert her love of art into a life of art, Szikora set up a business called 'Wild Thing' in 1991, hand-making and selling large papier-mache models of a variety of animals, characters and objects. Selling these in a shop in New York for several years, she eventually decided to
display the work she had left college with and much to her surprise, her images of the 'big girls with attitude' sold incredibly quickly, spurring her on to pursue a career in painting.
Painting with a passion, Szikora's partner published her works as greeting cards until she was introduced to the Halcyon Gallery and Washington Green via an agent in 1995. Since then, her works have been published as a variety of greeting cards, limited edition prints and jigsaws and Szikora has exhibited and sold out of her works repeatedly.
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