Graham McBride was born in Cairns, Queensland, and grew up in and around the tropical and desert landscapes of rural northern Australia. As a teenager he became a metal tradesman, before studying Engineering-Science at University. However he always had a desire to pursue art, marrying his creativity with a longstanding interest in environmental issues. He saw art as a way for exploring his ideas and feelings about the state we live in, and the philosophical conflicts he and many of us live with.